HDK: New constituton should secure peoples identity rights
HDK: New constituton should secure peoples identity rights
The second day of Peoples Democratic Congress (HDK) started with the presentation of Constitutional Committee reports which put emphasis that the new constitution should include the right for all peoples to freely develop their languages and identities and the right for workers to strike, and collective bargaining.
Speaking on behalf of the Constitutional Committee, Yýldýz Ýmrek remarked that HDK will be conducting its works to ensure a democratic constitution. Imrek listed the demands determined by the committee for the new constitution as follows;
to enable all peoples to freely develop their languages and
- to ensure mother tongue education
- to adopt the model of democratic autonomy
- to assure freedom of thought, expression and organization
- to adopt an equal stance towards beliefs and disbeliefs in order to ensure a secular state
- to assure union rights and the right to strike for all workers
- to accord women the right for equal representation in all areas
- to prohibit all kinds of discriminations
- to clearly determine the governments responsibilities for the prevention of hate killings
- to ensure judicial independence and neutrality
- to abolish specially authorized courts, military courts and all kinds of exceptional judicial bodies
- to ensure freedom for science, art and culture
- to remove compulsory religious lessons
- to abolish National Security Council (MGK), Atatürk Foundation for Language and Culture, DDT, YÖK, RTÜK
- to make an end of election thresholds and political bans
- to accord the right for peace
- to recognize conscientious objection as a right
- to accord the right to resistance
- to enable right to free water access
- to protect cultural and natural riches
Speaking after Ýmreks presentation, Gençay Gürsoy underlined that; The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) might complete the constitutional process by buying the Kurdish question dirt cheap. Constitutional amendments should not be approached from the perspective better than nothing which was adopted in the process of referendum.
On the other hand, Subutay Açýk called attention to the isolation imposed on Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) Leader Abdullah Öcalan for ten months and pointed out that; The new constitution should consist of the right of self-government for Kurds who should be granted the right for a political status.
Speaking afterwards, BDP MP for Istanbul, Sabahat Tuncel, said that; We want the model of autonomy to be effective for the whole Turkey. The expression status for Kurds alone doesnt correspond to the structure of HDK because this is also a matter of the Laz, Circassian and other peoples in Turkey.
Following the discussions, the report of the constitutional committee was accepted by majority of votes.
Participants also agreed on the report by the Commission of Ecology which said that; The struggle for ecology constitutes our stance against the capitalist system for exploitation and neo-liberal policies. This struggle is based on directly standing against the so-called sustainable development demolishment policies, expanding a green living centered policy and peoples participation in decision-making processes.
Speaking on behalf of the Constitutional Committee, Yýldýz Ýmrek remarked that HDK will be conducting its works to ensure a democratic constitution. Imrek listed the demands determined by the committee for the new constitution as follows;
to enable all peoples to freely develop their languages and
- to ensure mother tongue education
- to adopt the model of democratic autonomy
- to assure freedom of thought, expression and organization
- to adopt an equal stance towards beliefs and disbeliefs in order to ensure a secular state
- to assure union rights and the right to strike for all workers
- to accord women the right for equal representation in all areas
- to prohibit all kinds of discriminations
- to clearly determine the governments responsibilities for the prevention of hate killings
- to ensure judicial independence and neutrality
- to abolish specially authorized courts, military courts and all kinds of exceptional judicial bodies
- to ensure freedom for science, art and culture
- to remove compulsory religious lessons
- to abolish National Security Council (MGK), Atatürk Foundation for Language and Culture, DDT, YÖK, RTÜK
- to make an end of election thresholds and political bans
- to accord the right for peace
- to recognize conscientious objection as a right
- to accord the right to resistance
- to enable right to free water access
- to protect cultural and natural riches
Speaking after Ýmreks presentation, Gençay Gürsoy underlined that; The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) might complete the constitutional process by buying the Kurdish question dirt cheap. Constitutional amendments should not be approached from the perspective better than nothing which was adopted in the process of referendum.
On the other hand, Subutay Açýk called attention to the isolation imposed on Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) Leader Abdullah Öcalan for ten months and pointed out that; The new constitution should consist of the right of self-government for Kurds who should be granted the right for a political status.
Speaking afterwards, BDP MP for Istanbul, Sabahat Tuncel, said that; We want the model of autonomy to be effective for the whole Turkey. The expression status for Kurds alone doesnt correspond to the structure of HDK because this is also a matter of the Laz, Circassian and other peoples in Turkey.
Following the discussions, the report of the constitutional committee was accepted by majority of votes.
Participants also agreed on the report by the Commission of Ecology which said that; The struggle for ecology constitutes our stance against the capitalist system for exploitation and neo-liberal policies. This struggle is based on directly standing against the so-called sustainable development demolishment policies, expanding a green living centered policy and peoples participation in decision-making processes.
