The revisionist traitors assume that they are resolving the national question by recognizing the existence of a people [even though they are yet to recognize the existence of the Kurdish nation – only recognizing the existence of the Kurdish people (!)]. On the national question communists defend the absolute equality of all nationalities and languages and oppose all manner of inequality and privilege between nationalities and languages. On the subject of forming a state, they want the equality of nationalities too. The unconditional advocating of “the right of nations to self-determination” stems from this, whereas the bourgeoisie wants at every opportunity inequality in favor of its own nationality it wants privilege and tramples on the natural rights of other nationalities, etc. The bourgeoisie of the dominant nation may recognize the existence of other nations and even grant some rights to them when obliged to do so, such as the Arab bourgeoisie in Iraq. But at every opportunity they will trample on these rights and wish to oppress other nationalities. It is not the recognition or non-recognition of the existence of minority nationalities that separates communists from the bourgeoisie.
And anyway, M. Kemal, by discussing the existence of the Kurds in a bogus manner at the Sivas Congress[65], when central authority did not exist or had entirely collapsed, wanted in reality to prevent a possible separatist movement of the Kurdish nation. He wanted to ensure that they would accept the yoke of the Turkish bourgeoisie and landlords. The whole of M. Kemal’s life is full of examples of oppression and persecution of the Kurdish nation and other minority nationalities. If there is someone in Turkey whose support cannot be secured, that person is M. Kemal. Furthermore, the nationalism that needs to be struggled with first and foremost in Turkey is M. Kemal’s nationalism, which is dominant nation nationalism. Inonu’s claim to be the representative of the Kurds at Lausanne was also an open attack on the Kurdish nation’s right of self-determination: a despicable determining of the Kurdish nation’s destiny from outside, the cunning to include the regions where the Kurdish nation lives within the borders of Turkey, that is, of the field of domination of the Turkish bourgeoisie and landlords, through haggling with imperialists, and the most ferocious manifestation of Turkish nationalism. This is what the revisionist traitors use as a basis for their ideas!
20. A Summary of Safak Revisionists’ Theses Regarding the National Question
The Safak Revisionists ignore the national oppression of other minority nationalities and languages. The Safak Revisionists do not see the Kurdish movement as a national movement. They evaluate it as a “popular” movement that merely opposes national oppression. Just as they are unable to distinguish between the class movement and the national movement of the Kurdish people, they also do not distinguish between the general democratic content of the Kurdish national movement opposing oppression and persecution and its backward content strengthening Kurdish nationalism, thereby erasing the difference between the Kurdish bourgeoisie and landlords, and the Kurdish proletariat and toilers.
The Safak Revisionists mistakenly analyze the profound economic and political reasons for the national oppression and persecution implemented against the Kurdish nation by the Turkish ruling classes. They portray national oppression and class oppression, and national contradiction and class contradiction as one and the same.
The Safak Revisionists, ignoring the profound evidence of Turkish nationalism among the Turkish workers and peasants, are sacrificing the truth to fancy words! They are undermining the importance of the activities we have to carry out among workers and peasants to counter Turkish nationalism.
By distorting the concept of “nations’ right of self-determination” in an unbelievable way, initially transforming it into a Bukharinite formulation, then subsequently violating this Bukharinite formulation, the Safak Revisionists are rendering impossible the Kurdish nation’s right of self-determination and demolishing concepts regarding the national question.
Using the demagogy of “divisiveness,” the Safak Revisionists are defending the unity of territory and the State in an insidious way. They utilize M. Kemal and I. Inonu, representatives of dominant nation nationalism in Turkey, as props, assuming that by recognizing the existence of a nation the national question will be resolved. The result is this: the line followed by the Safak Revisionists on the national question is an effort to reconcile Turkish nationalism, a nationalism inherited from the current represented by Mihri Belli [see note], with Kurdish nationalism.
The Safak Revisionists are, on the one hand, Turkish nationalists, while, on the other, they have extended the hand of friendship to Kurdish nationalism. It is as if the following message was being conveyed between the lines: “Our brothers the Kurdish bourgeoisie and landlords! Put aside this secession idea! Come, join forces with us! Look, we also oppose the persecution to which you are subjected. Those who oppress you are ‘divisive!’ But if you wish to secede, you will too become ‘divisive!’ And, as you know, we are the enemies of ‘divisiveness’ etc.” A Turkish nationalism that makes concessions to Kurdish nationalism! Here, is a summary of all the nonsense and charlatanism regarding the national question!
21. A summary of the Marxist-Leninist movement’s views regarding the national question
The Marxist-Leninist movement is today the most relentless and determined foe of the national oppression inflicted on the Kurdish nation and minority nationalities by the Turkish ruling classes, and is in the forefront of struggles against national oppression, persecution of the other languages and national prejudice. The Marxist-Leninist movement unconditionally supports, and has always supported, the right of self-determination of the Kurdish nation, oppressed by the Turkish bourgeoisie and landlords, that is, its right of secession and to establish an independent state. In regards to the right to found a state, the Marxist-Leninist movement is also opposed to privilege. The most fundamental tenets of people’s democracy render this absolutely necessary. The unprecedented national oppression inflicted upon the minority nationalities in Turkey by the Turkish bourgeoisie and landlords also render this imperative. This is at the same time made absolutely necessary by the freedom struggle of the Turkish workers and toilers, for, if they do not demolish Turkish nationalism, liberation will be impossible for them.
Nations’ right of self-determination should never be confused with the necessity for a certain nation to secede. The Marxist-Leninist movement considers the question of secession concretely in every particular case: it “must decide the latter question exclusively on its merits in each particular case in conformity with the interests of social development as a whole and with the interests of the proletarian class struggle for socialism.”[66] The Marxist-Leninist movement rejects absolutely the use of force and creating obstacles in the event of decisions of secession of which it does not approve. Borders should be fixed by the will of the nation. This is imperative in regards to the reciprocal confidence, sound friendship and willing union of the working and toiling masses belonging to various nationalities.
The Marxist-Leninist movement supports the struggle of oppressed nationalities in general and the Kurdish nation in particular against national oppression, persecution and privilege, and absolutely supports the general democratic content of the national movement of the oppressed nation.
The Marxist-Leninist movement also directs and administers the class struggle of the Kurdish proletariat and toilers against the bourgeois and small landlords that make up the leadership of the Kurdish national movement. It warns the Kurdish workers and toilers against the actions of the Kurdish bourgeois and landlords that aim to consolidate nationalism. The Marxist-Leninist movement remains indifferent to the struggles for supremacy of the bourgeois and landlord classes of various nationalities.
65
The Sivas Congress was held in the beginning of the Turkish War of Independence aimed at defining a Turkish national identity and the future borders of the Republic of Turkey.