Serxwebûn publishes Leader Ocalan's perspective on PKK's 12th Congress

The Serxwebûn newspaper published all the documents of the 12th Congress of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the views sent by Leader Abdullah Ocalan to the congress from Imrali, for the first time, in issue 521 of Serxwebûn for the month of May. In addition, it included the full text of the opening and closing speeches of the congress, the decisions made, and the opinions of the delegates.

The May issue included articles about the revolutionary lives of the two founding members and cadres of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, Ali Haydar Kaytan and Riza Altun, as well as the struggles of Pelin Zozan (Pelin Yilmaz), who was announced martyred last month, and Ozan Mezkin (Gurbet Aydin) on the anniversary of her martyrdom, in addition to the Turkish revolutionaries known as "the Three Saplings."

My hope and confidence in success are great

Leader Abdullah Ocalan participated in the 12th Congress of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) with a 20-page perspective and a 4-point message. In his message, he stated: "Even these meetings of ours may be half the solution; from now on, it will require a substantial and meaningful effort. I have great hope and confidence in success." In his address, Leader Ocalan outlines the framework of the new era under seven main points:

1. Nature and Meaning

2. Social Nature and the Dilemma

3. The Duality of State and Communalism in Historical Society

4. Modernity

5. The Reality of the Kurds and Kurdistan

6. The PKK and the Solution

7. Perspectives on the New Era

While presenting his perspective on this new stage, Leader Ocalan remarks: “The issue of a solution is not a new agenda for us.” He emphasizes that regarding the resolution of the PKK, the matter does not solely lie in dissolving the party. He notes that this topic must be discussed for months due to its positive and negative aspects. He explains the reason as follows: “We are not merely talking about a structure; we are talking about a fundamental change in mentality and personality. Only in this way can restructuring be truly possible. In order for the process to proceed accurately and lead to a satisfying result, one must not rush it.”

Responsibility to create the conceptual and theoretical framework

Leader Ocalan reminds of the duties ahead with these words: “Our perspective for the new era is to reconstruct society on the basis of democratic nationhood, eco-economics, and communalism. To lay the philosophical foundation for this construction, to embody it ideologically, and to allow it to expand within society, we face the responsibility of creating the conceptual and theoretical framework.” He further describes the path forward as follows:

“No doubt, the intentions of different parties may vary, but the step taken or the call that has been made is essentially correct... We are in the process of building and laying the ideological foundations, the practical program, and the strategic-tactical dimensions for the future. The democratic society is the political program for this phase. It does not aim to take the state as its end goal. The politics of a democratic society is democratic politics, and the commune itself is a democratic commune. It would be incorrect to separate them. A communal society is a democratic society. One must call today’s society a democratic society. Democratic socialism means democratic socialization. Just as the state has a history, so too does the commune… The free life of peoples is possible with the commune. Just as the nation-state is the weapon of capitalism, the commune is the foundational principle and weapon of the peoples. This communal society can be organized through municipalities—this is both theoretically and practically possible. However, it can only be achieved with sensitivity and genuine anti-capitalist struggle.”

The three pillars of modernity

Leader Abdullah Ocalan summarizes his critique of capitalism and the proposed alternatives as follows: "We have attempted to create a new analysis and an alternative socialist theory to overcome modernity and the version of socialism that serves it. We named it Democratic Modernity. We placed the democratic nation in place of the nation-state, communalism in place of capitalism, and eco-economics in place of industrialism. We worked to develop analyses around these concepts. We defined and wrote about our system of a free society based on the interrelationship of these analyses, founded on three pillars such as democratic modernity, and we observed that it found significant social resonance."

Undoubtedly, these three areas also include subtopics. For example, a major part of communalism is women's freedom. In addition, politics, ethics, and other concepts are also included. Leader Ocalan states: "We can describe and evaluate all of these in a comprehensive and expanded way. It is useful to define this entire system under the concept of democratic modernity. The descriptions of Judgment Day in religions do not only refer to the afterlife but also to life on Earth. The danger the holy books warn of might very well be this, as capitalist modernity imposes a kind of Judgment Day on humanity."

Regional confederation

Leader Abdullah Ocalan notes that if the goals of the new era are achieved and crowned with success, they will bring significant accomplishments not only for the Kurds and Kurdistan but also for the region as a whole. He states: "Success here will reflect on Syria, Iran, and Iraq as well. The Turkish Republic will also have the opportunity to renew itself, embrace democracy, and become a leading force in the region." Leader Ocalan also draws attention to the responsibilities of opponents and parties involved in the process:

"I can say that the opponents of this process are of no real value—they will be defeated. But achieving that outcome also depends on the responsibilities of the parties involved. Alongside the regional outcomes of this process, it will also have international consequences. The idea of a regional confederation emerges as an absolute necessity... However, this solution also requires a new kind of internationalism at the same time."

Socialism and the democratic society

Leader Ocalan begins his historic message, dated April 27, with the following words:

"Dear comrades

After 52 years, one month, and one week of our struggle’s history, we are officially leaving behind a historical era. In other words, and more clearly put, we wish to transition from a form of socialism aimed at establishing a nation-state to a new historical era of socialism based on a democratic society. Just as everything has an end and a beginning. In the rest of the message, he discusses four key points that must be carefully considered and deeply reflected upon". 

Additionally, the Serxwebûn newspaper announced that its May issue would be the final printed edition of the publication.

A-H 

ANHA