The democratic nation and the democratic autonomy projects were discussed in the afternoon session of the conference held in Sulaimani in line with Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan’s views.

The first panel of yesterday afternoon in the second day of the conference was held with the title “Democratic Nation and Democratic Autonomy Projects”.

While journalist Kemal Chomani moderated the panel, Aldar Xelil from TEV-DEM, Northern Syria Democratic Federal System Co-President Mansur Sellum and KJA Co-spokesperson Ayla Akat Ata gave presentations.

XELİL: WE BUILT THE THIRD WAY

Aldar Xelil from TEV-DEM made analyses under the title “the democratic nation as the unity of diversity”. Xelil started his speech by pointing out the oppression and the weakness of the opposition during the years of the Baath regime.

Xelil said they chose the third way to give people freedom and democracy in Rojava and they “didn’t become a part of the powers fighting for power”. Xelil said they didn’t foresee a change in the short term regarding the war in Syria, and as such, they built a defense system.

Xelil added: “We needed an administrative system besides defense as well. We needed an administration so people could get organized. This was done with communes and assemblies at first.”

EVERYBODY TOOK THEIR PLACE IN THE ROJAVA REVOLUTION’S INSTITUTIONS

With frequent power outages during the conference, Xelil joked “There aren’t this many power outages in Rojava. We have around the clock electricity in Kobanê.”

Xelil stated that women, young people and people from all backgrounds found a place for themselves in the Rojava system, and said despite their lack of experience in certain areas, the people worked voluntarily, without compensation and attended everything. Xelil said, “Today people volunteer to work in the Rojava revolution’s instutions.”

Xelil stated that despite the embargo and the war in Syria, Rojavans have succeeded in a calmer and more stable life and said they didn’t work in a top-down order like state systems, but rather united the decisions and needs of communes and assemblies. Xelil pointed out that the YPG and YPJ forces were mostly Kurdish youth in the beginning, and then groups from other peoples joined and formed special units.

Xelil said women play a leading role in Rojava and were included in the decision making mechanisms and that this was “a source of pride for the Rojava revolution.”

Xelil concluded his words by pointing out that Rojava developed over the culture created by Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan and defined this culture as an “Öcalanist culture”.

SELLUM: ROJAVA REVOLUTION IS A REVOLUTION OF MENTALITY

Northern Syria Democratic Federal System Co-President Mansur Sellum gave a presentation titled “Democratic Autonomous Rojava/Northern Syria Experience”.

Sellum talked about the effects of the rebellion process dubbed the “Arab Spring” and stated that these rebellions were reactions against the nation state.

Sellum said the rebellions from Tunisia to Egypt were later taken off course by the interventions of international powers.

Stating that the Rojava revolution was lucky to have been organised, Sellum said “This is why they didn’t have a hard time producing an alternative solution. This was a revolution of mentality, culture and society.”

Sellum said the Rojava revolution included all peoples in the region and that the revolution affected all of Syria. Sellum pointed out the creation of joint forces like the Democratic Syria Forces in the defense area and talked about their achievements. Sellum asked for the solidarity of Middle Eastern and international democratic forces to strengthen the democratic project led by Rojava.

AKAT ATA: DEMOCRATIC AUTONOMY IS A WOMEN’S SYSTEM

One of the speakers in the panel, KJA spokeswoman Ayla Akat Ata, gave a presentation titled “The Democracy Movement in Turkey and Bakur”. Akat stated that Turkey needed a democracy movement and said the most important reason for this was the founding of a regime based on Turkish nation building on the remains of the Ottoman Empire. Akat Ata said the “theory of democracy has to be revisited” and that capitalism in particular had actualized itself in this area.

Ata said the Kurds still faced a threat of genocide due to the assimilation and elimination policies and criticized the silence of the international forces.

Ata talked about the solution model proposed by the Kurds as the democratic autonomy and said this solution could be implemented with a struggle for radical democracy, whatever the cost may be. Ata talked about the details of the democratic autonomy project and said “The gains achieved by women via free and autonomous organisation has shown that democratic autonomy is in its essence a women’s system.”

Ata concluded with saying democratic autonomy wouldn’t only solve the Kurdish issue in Turkey but will propose fundamental solutions to Turkey’s other problems based on morality, democracy and the communal society.