Cemil Bayık: “HDP can be the alternative”

ANF – Behdinan 28.4.2014 – KCK Executive Council Co-President Cemil Bayık talked to SterkTV regarding BDP MPs joining the HDP, saying that everyone in favour of democracy and freedom should join the HDP. He rejected nationalist criticism, saying: “Turkish nationalism and Kurdish nationalism have united in their criticism of the BDP MPs joining the HDP.”

Bayık evaluated recent developments, saying the HDP had the potential to embrace all strata in Turkey, Alevis, women, youth Moslem democrats, liberals, the left and social democrats. He emphasised that the social values of Islam needed to be combined with the values of the left, adding: “If the HDP constructs itself in this way it can be an alternative.”

Bayık answered the following question:

The HDP, which is a new arrival on the political scene in Turkey, is going through a process of reconstruction. What is the HDP’s mission? How do you evaluate the recent debate? 

“We are observing the debate over the BDP joining the HDP. Some of this debate is erroneous. There is a need for a party such as the HDP. Some people don’t understand this, while others are deliberately distorting the debate. There is a search going on, which is necessary. Although the AKP achieved significant success at the elections, existing problems have not been resolved. The state and the AKP government’s isolation on the international stage is continuing. Parties such as the AKP, CHP and MHP will not be able to resolve these problems, which is slowly beginning to be understood by the public.

The HDP has emerged from this search for a new party, and it needs to take on new dimensions. From the outset it has faced attacks organised by the deep state, which does not want the HDP to reach out to the masses and become an alternative. The deep state’s strategy is to throttle the HDP. However, there is a real need for an alternative on the political scene in Turkey, and there is nothing apart from the HDP. The existing parties cannot resolve the Kurdish question or the problems of the Alevi community, women, labour or youth. Therefore it is necessary to develop a party that can address these issues, and the HDP is a candidate for this role.”