Erdogan Hopes ‘Wise People’ Will Quiet Critics
The Wise People Delegation appointed by Prime Minister Erdogan has emerged as a governmental buffer against the small but vocal opposition to peace with the Kurdish movement, writes Ilnur Cevik.
As the peace process between the Turkish government and the Kurdish movement continues with the sides discussing how and when the militants of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) will withdraw armed militants from Turkey to the mountains of northern Iraq, groups of Wise People commissioned by Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan are roaming the country trying to blunt the angry opposition led by conservative nationalists and left-wing groups.
The Wise People, consisting of 62 members who have been split into groups, are visiting the seven geographic regions of Turkey with a mission to feel the pulse of the people on the peace process and report back to the prime minister in two months.
Both the prime minister and members of the Wise People delegations vehemently deny that their mission is to promote the peace process on behalf of the government. Rıfat Hisarcıklı, the president of the all-powerful Turkish Union of Chambers, who is the leader of one of the Wise People delegations says, “We are like a messenger boy. We take the messages of the public and rely it to the authorities.”
The delegations consist of men and women of various political views and affiliations. However, quite a few have government links or are known to have supported the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in the past. What is common among them is their staunch support for the peace process. So despite their claims that they do not have a mission to market the peace process to the Turkish public since they have started touring their regions to meet people they have been on record feverishly defending the peace process during their meetings with representatives of non-governmental organizations and where they meet the man in the street at cafe houses and even in restaurants.
