PJAK: Its time for the establishment of mass democracy

alaye_PJAKQENDIL, Defence Regions of Medya, — In the 12th anniversary of the illegal and immoral abduction of Kurdish national leader Abdullah Ocalan, the coordination of the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) released a statement and strongly denounced the international conspiracy against the Kurdish nation.

“We maintain our struggle against the international conspiracy of 15th February and endeavour to create the free-will of the Kurdish nation. And for the union of the nations and the promotion of democracy-seeking struggle both in Kurdistan and Iran, we do our utmost,” the statement said.

 

The statement is red as follow:

 

Its time for the establishment of mass democracy and the elimination of international conspiracy

After 13 year of international conspiracy against the Leader Apo and the Kurdish liberation movement in 15th February, and taking the regional changes into consideration, we see a broader campaign against the international conspiracy and its executing plotters, necessary. 30 years of tireless and continuous struggle of Kurdish resistance movement led by Leader Apo negated all the policies of annihilation, denial and assimilations- inspired a new life to the nation who, under the most brutal oppression of the regional states and the international powers, was doomed to death. The international conspiracy of 15th February was an act of humiliating of a nation, who has sacrificed thousands of lives, thousands of disappeared, thousands of burned villages, thousands of political prisoners; a nation who has been subjected to the most inhuman acts of tortures and persecution just for the sake of its pursuit of its most fundamental human rights. Imposition of the international conspiracy of 15th February on a nation, who, in the ages of freedom, is deprived of its language and identity, is stigmatic point on the face of the democracy-asserting powers.

Although the struggle for the freedom of Kurdish nation has always had a huge cost for its campaigners; nevertheless, taking the magnitude of 15th February’s conspiracy into account, a broader analysis of this matter is calling for urgency. 15th February’s conspiracy was the reaction of the fear and the sentient of the international powers to the way of thinking, ideas and the structure of Leader Apo’s struggle for the freedom of Kurdish nation and its ramification for the entire region of Middle East. Leader Apo’s unabated struggle which transcended the traditional and classical outlook of the Kurdish issue and drove it out of the circle of repetitive destiny opened a new chapter in the history of liberation movement in the Middle East. Leader Apo’s efforts for a democratic solution to the Kurdish issue, and leading it from the zone of violence and military to the political and democratic arena, and his emphasis on the free unity of the nations, and termination of the hostility and confrontation driven from nationalists tendencies, are the main reasons for the execution of 15th February conspiracy against him as well as the Kurdish resistance movement. The tenacity of Leader Apo in his efforts even after his incarceration, formulated in a concise and fundamental alteration in his political outlook, is the main factor which counter-balanced and neutralised the conspiracy.

The re-definition of freedom in an environment, out of sheer political efforts to gain power, and the alteration of sovereignty as the ultimate goal and the expression of freedom’s principle to revive the truths of the society and its fundamental values, led to the modification of the paradigm of the Kurdish nation’s liberation movement from nation-state tendencies toward democratic-society paradigm. This fundamental modification which would have followed by the manifestation of mature-will and the essential strength of the Kurdish society and brotherhood of the nations is the outcome of the intellectual and institutional evolution, which the international conspiracy was designed to thwart. Moving up through such evolutionary line and under the influence of such an ideology and resistance movement, the Kurdish society is gearing up for the implementation of its authentic role in the Middle East.

The Kurdish uprising of 22nd February 1999 in all cities and districts of East Kurdistan as the act of protestation to the abduction of Leader Apo conveyed the message of the maturity and the readiness of the Kurdish society for the participation and the leadership of the democratic campaign for the Iranian society. The attachment and loyalty of the Kurdish nation to the leadership who has taken pioneering role both in theoretical and practical respect to play as the main actor in the field of the struggle for democracy, and the anger and outrages of the Kurdish nation for the humiliations and injustice they felt in the international conspiracy, resulted in such a widespread uprising throughout East Kurdistan. The popular uprising of 22nd February devoted tens of lives and it ushered the Kurdish resistance in Iran into a new area, it transcended the traditional/classical concept of Kurdish resistance, and it was the first general uprising for the 20 years of despotic and tyrannical rule in Iran.

The influences and the pioneering role of 22nd February Uprising in the struggle for democracy in Iran, is undeniable. Our party, the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) is the outcome of this radical alteration in the struggle of Kurdish people in the East Kurdistan and the attachment with the struggle for democracy throughout Iran. The unabated campaign of PJAK and the uprising of the Kurdish people in Mako in the anniversary of the international conspiracy in 2005 made manifest of the Kurdish persistence in their struggle and their determination in triumphant. The values that the struggles of the liberation campaigners have generated against the international conspiracy, entails the importance of the negation of the conspiracy and its objectives along with the achievement of the authentic masses democracy. The bitter memories of the massacre of the Kurdish people in the course of the mass uprising of 1999 and 2005 as well as the vicious murders of the democracy-campaigners such as Darius and Parwane Foruher in the hands of Iranian and Turkish Terror Units, demanded all the freedom-loving people for the persistence in their campaign.

The struggle for the purpose of the free-will and the identity of the society based on the co-existence and the unity of the nations brought about the negation of the conspiracy and the ultimate triumphant of democracy in the entire region. The recent changes in the Middle East, depicts the foundation for such a triumphant. The popular uprising of the people of Tunisia and Egypt demonstrates the victory of the democratic will of the masses over the rotten regime of nation-state which apart from tyranny, militarism and poverty, they have produced nothing. The mass uprising of the Middle Eastern people marks a new phase which Leader Apo has called it “the spring of the people”; a spring which is followed by a dark century-long winter of terrorising sovereignty of the nation-state regimes over the Middle East, and it heralds the freedom of the societies and their identities.

The stage of farewell with the phenomena of nation-state has arrived; a phenomena that its pillars are founded in chauvinistic nationalism, denial and rejection of the plurality of identities, based on war and antagonism among the nations and the extension of poverty and hopelessness. De-legitimisation of nation-state and the struggle against their influences is a trend that the freedom-seeking and democracy-campaigners of Iran and Middle East should take as a precept and the inspiration for their struggle. Such a trend, not as the result of globalisation of capital or the inclusive programmes of the gigantic powers, but as the consequences of the democratic struggles of the people against the imposing phenomena of nation-state will triumph. In such circumstances and to exploit the mass uprising of the Middle Eastern people, the Islamic Republic of Iran seeks to portray them as Hezbollah-style movements. The failure of the democracy-seeking and the opponents of the regime in the evaluation and analysis of the essence and educative character of these uprisings is subjected to criticism. The Middle Eastern uprisings are not off reformist character. The structures of the Middle Eastern totalitarian states are constructed in the way that; to their own survival, they have adopted and pushed to a form of centralised government with the monopoly of power and don’t hesitate to eliminate their political opponents. Reforms with the nature of these states are incompatible. Such an issue is understandable for the uprising people. Within that framework, the reformation within the Islamic Republic of Iran is a terminated experiment.  

Following the uprisings of the Middle Eastern people, the Iranian movement and its activists, should transcend from the discourse of the reform within the regime, and to embrace the discourse of mass democracy. The main intention of the Middle Eastern uprisings is not merely the shift in the sovereignty, but the elimination of entire obstacles in the path of freedom, democracy and the welfare of the societies. Preventative measures on the path of democracy and the welfare, should not be only sought in the despotic rulers, but it should also be sought in the essence of the despotic states. From this perspective, the re-creation of the nation-state after the uprisings is nothing but the diversion and degeneration of the struggles. The uprising people of Middle East are not forced to opt for the two alternatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran or the Turkish Republic, as the model of management. Under the veil of the Justice and Development Party in Turkey, the fascist and oppressive policies of this state and its deep crisis are sustained, the oppressive functions of the Turkish Republic in relation to the Kurdish issue is maintained, the mass detention of Kurdish political activists and the violation of the individuals and social rights have systematically continued in this country. The postulation of the Turkish Republic as a democratic model for the uprising nations of the Middle East, from certain Iranian institutions which are placed within the Iranian democratic struggle, is raising worries and deserves criticisms.

It’s time for the Iranian democracy-seeking institutions and campaigners to transcend from the paradigm of nation-state and the nationalist mentalities and seek an authentic definition of democracy. The struggle for the re-creation of nation-state not only will lead to the democracy and the solution to the problems, but will sustain to the policies of denial and rejection of the pluralities of identities and the extension of the antagonism. The motto of the “reformed-state”, or the contradictory term of “democratic-state”, should be changed to, “state + democracy”. The power of democracy emanated from the will and the democratic self-management of the masses and the plurality of identities, would lead to further democracy and lesser state. The democratic and legitimate struggle of the Iranian nations will triumph as the struggle of the masses and the societies. Democratic union of the Iranian nations would leave no leeway for the generation of any kind of dictatorship. The fusion and cohesion of the nations would herald the continuation of democracy. Solidarity of the Iranian people with the democratic struggles of other Middle Eastern nations is the sign of elevation and promotion of the democratic struggles. This is what the conspirators of 15th February 1999 aimed to eliminate. Based on this line, we declare our backing and participation in the solidarity of Iranian people with the uprising people of Egypt and other Middle Eastern nations. We maintain our struggle against the international conspiracy of 15th February and endeavour to create the free-will of the Kurdish nation. And for the union of the nations and the promotion of democracy-seeking struggle both in Kurdistan and Iran, we do our utmost.

 

Coordination of the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK), 12/02/2011