Sunday’s Zaman, Turkey
Jan 11 2009

TRT Å?eÅ? a sign of the state’s self-confidence

When the state-owned Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT)
launched a TV station to broadcast in the Kurdish language, this was
regarded as revolutionary by many groups in Turkey.

Sinan Ä°lhan, TRT coordinator for multi-language broadcasts,
sees this initiative less as an apology and more as an attempt by the
state to redress an error. "This is an indication of wisdom. If
people, institutions or states can retreat from their mistakes, this
is a sign of self-confidence," he says.
Ä°lhan notes that in the beginning, what they saw was a mental
confrontation from people who do not want to see positive developments
in Turkey. "These groups want existing problems to be further
complicated or new issues to be added to existing ones so that they
can benefit from the atmosphere."

Speaking to Sunday’s Zaman, Ä°lhan underlines the fact that
while they are being criticized by extreme Turkish and Kurdish
nationalists, they are turning a deaf ear to such criticism and
continuing with their initiative. "In a polyphonic chorus, there are
female voices, there are male voices and there are voices of diverse
regions. Harmony results when all these voices sing together. Banning
the Kurdish language in Turkey was a sign of disruption of harmony. We
are just trying bring this harmony back."

I saw Ä°lhan as a humble and frank person who does not allow his
knowledge and experience to be a burden on other people. However, he
speaks in a well-controlled manner — perhaps due to his being a
bureaucrat. In the examples he chooses when explaining the trouble he
had run into in the past as a person whose mother tongue is Kurdish
and in talking about the ongoing denial by some public organizations
of the truth now accepted by state television, he uses a carefully
selected style. I am sure he does this not out of a lack of courage,
but in order to not cause any disruption in the ongoing positive
developments. In my opinion, the most positive development of 2008 was
the TRT’s launching of Kurdish language broadcasts. The TRT has taken
a revolutionary step that will make its impression on the coming
years. We hope this will inspire other institutions that still insist
on putting obstacles in the paths of people speaking Kurdish.

You were appointed head of multi-language broadcasts. You speak five
languages and are from the Foreign Ministry. You have also worked for
the intelligence services. Are these the reasons you were appointed to
this position?

My relations with the media are not new. I worked for the Anatolia
news agency between 1986 and 1987. I worked as a report in both the
foreign and domestic news departments. At the time I took the Foreign
Ministry exam. The general manager at the time, Hüsamettin
Ã?elebi, called me and asked, "Do you have a passport?" As you
may know, it was very difficult to obtain a passport back then. "No,"
I replied. "Go and get a passport," he told me. "We will be flying to
Tehran to establish a branch there." When I came home, I received a
telegram saying: "You passed the Foreign Ministry exam. Come to the
office to begin work." These events took place on the same day. It was
an unbelievable coincidence.

Why did you choose diplomacy over the media?

I consulted the senior journalists and asked them what I should
do. They told me to work with the ministry, noting that a public
position would be better. You cannot know what will happen in the
future here [with the media] and the Tehran office may be closed down,
they said. With that, I started working for the Foreign Ministry.

Why did they assign you to the intelligence and research department?

Completely by coincidence. You pass the exam and are appointed to any
department. I was appointed to the intelligence and research
department, which to me was no different than the other departments. I
was a graduate of philology and studied Arabic language and
literature.

In other words, you started working for the Foreign Ministry knowing
you would never be an ambassador?

Yes, I would not become an ambassador, but there are a limited number
of people who know the languages of the region in the ministry. I
might help more by accepting this position, I thought. As for the
intelligence and research department, I am as much an intelligence
expert as those working for the intelligence office of any newspaper.

So you say the intelligence work you were involved in was not like the
kind done by the National Intelligence Organization (MÄ°T) or
the military?

No, it was not in that vein. I worked there for two years, then went
to Jeddah, the place of my first assignment. That was all the time I
worked for the intelligence department. I then worked for the
administrative and financial affairs department.

When I came back, I also worked for the administrative and financial
affairs department. I was then invited to take office as Turkey’s
special envoy to Iraq, and I assumed that office.

So, it isn’t correct to say that "an intelligence expert has been
appointed as the head of Kurdish TV"?

No, this is wrong. This is actually a claim voiced by people who do
not want good things to happen in Turkey or extremist groups from both
sides. It has nothing to do with the truth. I worked at the Foreign
Ministry for 20 years. I worked in Saudi Arabia, Israel and the United
Arab Emirates. When I worked at embassies and consulates, I always
dealt with the media and cultural affairs even though I was an
administrative consul. This was because I was proficient in the
language and had an interest in the region. For this reason, I had
close relations with the media. I watched TV stations broadcasting in
Arabic, Farsi and even in English.

How did you manage to learn so many languages?

I am from Å?anlıurfa. I did not know Turkish until the
age of 7. I learned it while in second grade. My mother tongue is
Kurdish. I learned Arabic, Farsi and English at university. When I was
appointed to Israel, I attended Hebrew courses, though my Hebrew
weakened when I was appointed to Arab countries, where Web sites in
Hebrew are blocked and Hebrew radio stations and newspapers
banned. This has led to my being less and less proficient in Hebrew.

Are you a white Kurd? Are you a light Kurd?

It is true that my hands are white due to a disease called vitiligo,
but I fail to see what white Kurd or light Kurd means.

I think you understood what I meant.

These are claims made by abusive groups. There is freedom of speech in
this country, and everyone can speak this mind freely unless they
resort to violence.

You are a member of the Å?eyhanlı clan. Was you father a
clan leader?

No. The Å?eyhanlı clan has many branches. We belong to
one of them. Our elders generally have an interest in Sufism. They
seek wisdom.

What is the secret behind your putting together the Kurdish station in
as short a time as 45 days?

Well, 50 percent of achievement comes from belief, self-confidence and
self-sacrifice. When our general manager turned to us and assigned
this task, we worked hard. This is the result of the combined efforts
of all of my colleagues, not only my personal sacrifice.

What kind of trouble did you face in connection with the Kurdish
language in the past?

It was the year 1966 or 1967. I was 6 or 7 years old and living in a
village called Ä°lhan. We were traveling from the village to the
town and something happened which left an impression in my memory. At
that time, transportation was not as advanced as it is today. There
was a village postal service — nothing more than a truck. The people
from the villages near the Euphrates River would get on it. It would
finally come to our village and passengers would get on it to go to
town. Our village was 30 kilometers from the town. There was a small
hill near Karaköprü, in Å?anlıurfa. There
was a checkpoint there.

At that time, there was no terrorism in the area. But as we approached
that checkpoint, the people on the truck warned us that there were
gendarmes ahead and that everyone should be prepared. The preparation
was nothing more than our fathers’ having to remove their poÅ?u
(headdress) from their heads.

That is very sad.

Now think about it. When you are a kid, your father is a hero in your
eyes. But your father has to remove his poÅ?u. Everyone quickly
removed their poÅ?u and hid them. They [the gendarmes] came and
checked whether anyone was wearing one. This is my childhood
memory. In Å?anlıurfa there was no discrimination
concerning language. Everyone spoke Kurdish. But there was serious
pressure on us not to listen to Kurdish songs. We listened to Kurdish
tapes in secret.

Were you allowed to give Kurdish names to your children?

No. This was not allowed. Even today we are unable to give our
children Kurdish names. In other words, Turkey has always been maimed
by meaningless and useless bans.

When you were preparing the Kurdish TV station, which amounts to
ending 85 years of denial, what hardships did you face?

In Turkey, it is difficult to build anything new. We first faced
mental intimidation. We were criticized by extreme Turkish and Kurdish
nationalists. They still criticize us. The nationalists from two
opposing extremes came to a common point. They say we should cease our
broadcasts. We have turned a deaf ear to such criticism and continue
on with our work. This was a process of testing people and
institutions. We have been able to observe whether the advocates of
unobstructed broadcasts and the free use of this language are really
sincere in their words. We know people and institutions; there are
people who do not want to see positive development in Turkey, and
there such people in both camps. These groups want existing problems
to be further complicated or new issues to be added to the existing
mix so that they can benefit from this atmosphere.

It is revolutionary for Turkey to launch a Kurdish TV station. Can
this be regarded as a sort of apology from the state?

It can be seen less as an apology, but more so as an attempt by the
state to redress an error. This is an indication of wisdom. If people,
institutions or states can retreat from their mistakes, this is a sign
of self-confidence; one does not need to fear it. Consider the peoples
living together in one area. In a polyphonic chorus, there are female
voices, there are male voices and there are voices of diverse
regions. Harmony results when all of these voices sing
together. Banning the Kurdish language in Turkey was a sign of the
disruption of this harmony. We are simply trying to bring this harmony
back. Unfortunately, this language was prohibited for quite some
time. A Turk loves his language, and no one can question this or say
that your love for your language will divide the state or you are
engaging in ethnic separatism. In the same vein, a Kurd has the same
level of love for his language. In other words, people do not become
Circassian, Turkish, Arab, Laz, Iranian or American of their own
will. This is a divine gift. What is important is human
values. Because of the pressures or bans on the Kurdish language,
there are few people who are proficient in this language. This was the
biggest hardship we faced. But we did not voice this hardship much so
as not to frustrate ourselves.

Do you require background checks from applicants?

Whatever is required by other state institutions is required by us as
well.

Sırrı Sakık has said, "You cannot find a single
Kurd without a prior conviction."

Why not? It is not a pleasant thing to state such accusations about
Kurds. I do not agree with him. You cannot say that Kurds are more
criminal than Turks.

Do you have plans for other stations to broadcast in Greek or
Armenian?

I have no specifics on that. If the relevant authorities see it to be
fit, we will act accordingly. I favor broadcasts in all languages
spoken in Turkey. People should be able to express themselves
freely. I do not support any bans.

Will the TRT’s Kurdish station be helpful in lifting all bans on
Kurdish?

This is a political issue. I cannot say anything about it. But a word
to the wise is enough. This is a political decision.

Many restrictions remain. The use of Kurdish for names of people and
locations in correspondence is banned. People may be prosecuted for
sending each other cards.

Clearly this TV station will relax things a bit. We hope Turkey will
normalize and see a relaxed atmosphere. This is what we wish for.

The Supreme Election Board (YSK) banned election materials written in
Kurdish.

It is not appropriate for me to say anything about this. This can be
solved in harmony with all segments of the state. If we are alone in
this initiative, it may fall short of achieving its target. If these
initiatives are supported by other public institutions and if there is
consensus, Turkey will relax and peace and stability in the country
can be secured.

You use the letters q, w and x in your broadcasts. But the ban is
still in place.

This is a broadcasting language. We do not engage in
correspondence. We use it only in our broadcasts. When you remove q, w
and x from broadcasts in the English language, what happens? Moreover,
the ban on the use of q, w and x is an unsettled issue in Turkey. You
know, all lavatories are labeled "WC." Should we ban this as well? The
names of some TV stations contain q, w or x. How are they allowed to
use them? In sum, these are baseless bans. I cannot understand the
rationale behind these bans. They will be removed in time, and this is
our hope.

Will TRT Å?eÅ? be the state’s tool for propaganda or
brainwashing?

Our station is like TRT 1 in format, mainly broadcasting entertainment
and family-centered programs. Is it reasonable to spread propaganda
through such a station? Today, official ideological views cannot be
imposed on people. No one pays heed to Soviet-style or US-style
brainwashing. The US targets Arabs with its al-Hurra TV station. No
one watches it because you only see programs talking about how the US
has been doing good things in the region. The station runs such
programming 24 hours a day. And it fails to attract an audience. You
cannot attract anyone with such ideological discourse.

Will you be in competition with Roj TV or similar stations?

No, not in the least. We do not intend to be alternatives to or the
rival of any other station. We will tread our own course. We are a
public station. It is unreasonable for us to compete with others. We
air programs with the assumption that the Kurdish audience is likely
to enjoy what the Turkish audience likes. We will not push any
official ideology or discourse. We will not be used for this purpose.

11 January 2009, Sunday
NURÄ°YE AKMAN Ä°STANBUL