Who Is Responsible For This Picture?

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who continues to act as if he were still the AKP's chairman even after he became president, always does this. I don't say we should get used to it as we don't have to get used to it.
Forty people died and hundreds were wounded in the incidents for the past three days. Numerous schools, dormitories and offices were damaged. And Mr. Erdoğan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, whom he has driven to obscurity in a few weeks, concluded that these incidents were just a conspiracy by some ill-meaning internal and external circles to debase the government, dodging any sense of responsibility for what happened.
The protests over Kobani have wreaked havoc across the country. We cannot condone the use of violence by protesters. This is crystal clear. But this is an aspect of the incident relating to public order. What matters is that we need to find out why these people have accumulated so much anger and rage. Why are Kurds enraged despite the settlement process? Is it normal for Kurds and, of course, others to be so angry if the Kurdish issue will be settled through peaceful methods?
Mr. Erdoğan and government officials are accusing the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) of calling on people to protest in the streets. They have quickly twisted the matter for political competition. Erdoğan not only lambasted the opposition parties, but also labeled the incidents as the conspiracy of internal and external circles and even hinted at the involvement of Pennsylvania -- a veiled reference to Fethullah Gülen. This is what I mean when I say the AKP and Erdoğan always do this. Whenever a social problem emerges because of their doing, they rush to distract public attention from their part in that problem, hurling accusations at some fuzzy "parallel structure" or "conspiracies."
Referring to the "conspiratorial" link between the incidents and Kobani, Erdoğan asked, "What's Kobani got to do with Hakkari?" His question deserves a pause. Thus, Erdoğan tells us just to sit and watch TV as our kin and relatives face the risk of massacre...
The Kobani crisis has helped Kurds to clarify the doubts they have been nurturing about the settlement process since the beginning in a negative way. They are disappointed to realize that the settlement process is a genuine project, but it is also a deception and distraction. Looking at how the official statements refer to "terrorism" as well as the recently build military outposts in the region, they start to believe the state is still wielding a "security-oriented" approach. They are concerned that the court cases against the unresolved, politically motivated murders of 1990s were dropped under the statute of limitations or closed down with acquittals and that numerous pro-Kurdish politicians are still in jail, although the defendants or convicts at the Ergenekon and Balyoz (Sledgehammer) coup cases were released. Erdoğan and the ruling party figures fail to reassert peace and settlement in their attitudes or remarks...
The list goes on, but I think this is enough to give you an idea about why Kurds are so enraged.
On the other hand, Turkish nationalists are feeling uneasy about not knowing the meaning and purpose of the settlement process and due to the fact that their concerns are not taken into consideration in the process. Thus, there are social groups who are disappointed by the government's policies for various reasons. This draws a picture of a possible socially explosive scenario.
The ruling party's proclivity for sticking to conspiracy theories implies that it has failed to learn its lessons from the incidents. Although this picture should be thought provoking for Erdoğan and senior AKP officials, they are only concerned with the question, "Can we still maintain our 50-percent electoral support?" The feelings, concerns, demands and problems of the other 50 percent mean nothing to the ruling party...
You cannot govern a country with this mentality, particularly if it is a country where diverse ethnic, religious and cultural groups intermingle...

CAFER SOLGUN (Cihan/Today's Zaman)