The "Framework Law" (Çerçeve Yasa) prepared by Türkiye to ensure the disarmament and dissolution of the PKK terrorist organization as part of the "Türkiye Without Terrorism" (Terörsüz Türkiye) process, was passed by a large majority in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM/TGNA) the other day. This article will briefly summarize the Assembly's work on the Framework Law.
The "Türkiye Without Terror" process, initiated by Türkiye's governing AK Parti (Justice and Development Party) and MHP (Nationalist Action Party) and gaining support from the opposition, needed a framework law following a comprehensive report prepared by the relevant parliamentary committee. This bill, which aims to allow PKK members to lay down their arms and reintegrate into society, was submitted to the Parliament at the beginning of the month, passed through the relevant committee, and was put to a vote. The bill stipulates that PKK members who have not committed serious crimes will lay down their arms under state supervision and be released if they do not re-offend. With this process, which is also supported by the PKK leadership, it is hoped that terrorism will be completely eradicated in Türkiye and that the method of resolving problems through discussion within the parliament and in the public sphere will come to the forefront. Indeed, for this very reason, opposition parties, with the exception of the right-wing İYİ Parti (Good Party), the hardliner Islamist New Welfare Party (New Welfare Party), and the far-right/ultranationalist Victory Party (Zafer Partisi) (which is outside the Parliament), are not directly opposing the process. On the contrary, the leadership of the CHP (Republican People's Party), the oldest opposition party in the country, and the newly established and institutionalizing main opposition party, the Yeni Parti (New Party), support this process and consider it a state project.
The bill, officially titled "Draft Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration" (Milli Dayanışma ve Toplumsal Bütünleşmenin Güçlendirilmesine Dair Kanun Teklifi) was passed in the Turkish Grand National Assembly yesterday with 468 votes in favor, following discussions on the matter. There were 88 votes against and 6 abstentions. Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, regarding the law, stated, "This success is not just the success of one party; this success is the success of all of Türkiye. Now, we will all carefully and meticulously follow the process from now on, and we will demonstrate even more clearly that we, as a nation, have embraced this process." Although the leaders of the CHP and the New Party (YP) announced their support for the process, some MPs from these two parties did not vote in favor of the law for various reasons. While the MHP had only 2 dissenting votes, 16 MPs from the CHP and 56 (the majority) from the New Party (YP) voted against or abstained. Nevertheless, the fact that the law passed with a majority greater than 2/3 demonstrates strong support and confidence in the Turkish Grand National Assembly on this issue and reinforces the perception of Türkiye as a serious state that knows what it is doing.
Now, under state supervision, it is envisioned that PKK members will lay down their arms, return to the country, and continue their lives without committing crimes, just like other citizens. It is hoped that this will change the harsh political climate in Türkiye and that a more moderate atmosphere will prevail in a short time. This could lead to the enactment of new laws and reforms on the Kurdish Question and many other matters through consensus among different parties (such as granting students the right to education in their native language as a second language), allowing PKK leaders, who have served long prison sentences, to benefit from the "right of hope" and move to house arrest, the release of Kurdish politicians imprisoned for their ties to the PKK, and local government reforms that would increase the powers of municipalities in Türkiye.
This process also shows that the relationship between the Turkish State and its citizens of Kurdish origin, which the veteran academician Prof. Dr. Metin Heper likened to a parent-child relationship years ago, can be happily concluded if the child respects their family and the parents allow the child to fulfill their wishes. Clearly, what Türkiye needs now, amidst so much conflict in the world, is peace and tranquility. Last word, this process has made it clear once again that the government in Türkiye, like any other country in the world, cannot be classified as "far-right" according to the political science parameters of any country. In this sense, the fact that the Israeli government rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's plan for the disarmament of Hamas while Türkiye acted in this way has been clear evidence of who wants peace.
Prof. Dr. Ozan ÖRMECİ
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