Economist Pelda: Turkey exhaused its economy waging war against the Kurds 2021-04-23 14:35:24   İSTANBUL - Stressing that Turkey has exhausted its economy waging war against the Kurds, Ehmed Pelda said: "If the Kurdish problem has been resolved, we would have been discussing economy, culture, science, health, ecology.."   Turkey has exhausted its economy and democracy waging war against the Kurds in all four parts of Kurdistan, trying to dominate the Kurdish lands through political and military means. Evaluating the economy politics of Turkey, writer Ehmed Pelda said the deepening crisis was caused by anti-Kurdish war policies.   CHEAP LABOUR    Underlining that Turkey's policy towards the Kurds is a 3 staged plan, Pelda said Turkey purchased the products derived from agriculture and animal husbandry in the first step and used it for soldiers and state officials in the region. At the second stage, according to Pelda, Turkey exploited the wealth within the scope of the Marshal plan after WWII, and established mining institutions and as the third stage, Turkey built schools to accelarate assimilation during 80's.   Emphasizing that the migration from the rural areas to cities were gradually accelerated and the economy of the rural areas have collapsed as a result, Pelda said that the Kurds migrating to the west were used as cheap labour in tourism, textile, agriculture sectors and in factories. Reminding that the Kurds were made precarious workers, working in unsafe areas, Pelda said the ongoing situation strengthened the Turkish capital.   HUNGER POLICIES   Adding that the state focused on the places where Kurds lived through congregations and sects after the 1980 coup, Pelda reminded that Kurdish districts, which were generally poor, were the target of these sects and congregations. Underlining that the Kurds who were economically weakened were removed from their own realities through social aid and religious propaganda, Pelda said thwy were made to get in line with the system this way.   PURPOSE OF THESE POLICIES   Pointing out that agriculture and animal husbandry have brought to an end, Pelda continued: “The state in Kurdistan forced the Kurds to leave their homes by using all kinds of coercive devices, be it economy or war. They wanted the Kurds to migrate to the metropols and get lost in there.  Because if they stayed in their home lands they would speak their mother tongues, they will keep their culture alive. The state wants to weaken this cultural memory. The state not only tries to eliminate the Kurds through education and politics, but also trying to destroy them through economy. Because it is easier to do that through economy."   IT CREATED ITS OWN RICH   Stating that the state policies created its own rich in the region in its command, Pelda said: "They are trying to impose and spread their policies on the society through these people. They are trying to provide opportunities for these people to bind them to themselves. These people provide labour in return for their votes. CHP also did this before. These are state policies.   EFFECT OF WAR POLICIES ON ECONOMY   Underlining that the main reason of the economic crisis in Turkey is the money spent on war, Pelda said: "If Turkey hadn't wage this war on Kurds, TUrkey would have been like Germany, France and England. Unfortunately, they exhausted this chance to wage that war. There are huge war expenses. They bought weapons and equipment and these are also very expensive. They spent huge sums of money on things like rangers, special forces, special armies. Now they have added the gangs to them. They are carrying out interventions against the Kurds in Syria, Libya, Azerbaijan, the Eastern Mediterranean. They say to these states that if you do not support us in the Kurdish problem, we will cause a crisis. These increases Turkey's economic burden. The reason of the economic crisis in Turkey is war. If the Kurdish problem has been resolved, we would have been discussing economy, culture, science, health, ecology. But unfortunately the political actors were chosen according to the war, and the war will continue as long as these actors are in play."   KURDS HAVE WON   Stating that despite the moves to starve the Kurds and make them surrender due to hunger, and despite all the oppression, Kurds have created their alternative system, Pelda said: "Now even if someone's a member to these congregations in line with their interests, even they can see that the reason of the problems is the state policies."   Underlining that the resistance of the Kurds is inspiring other peoples in the opposition, Pelda said: "Kurds are in a leading position. In unions, in non-governmental organizations, in ecologic movement, in the women's movement..Kurds are always in the leading position. We have seen how the Kurds inspired the people in March 8 and Newroz and we will see that they inspire the people on May 1."     MA / İdris Sayılğan