MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli raised the bar this week in the Kurdish peace process he launched in October 2024. He proposed the “right to hope” for Abdullah Öcalan. What do we mean by the right to hope? It refers to the execution of aggravated life imprisonment, introduced after the abolition of the death penalty — in other words, the possibility that someone who has served a certain number of years might one day regain hope of release. The debate continues and will continue. But Öcalan has been in prison for 27 straight years.
AT A CONCERT IN ISTANBUL
Amid these debates, there was a concert in Istanbul last week — a performance by pop star Tarkan. Ajda Pekkan, the enduring icon who still refuses to leave the pop stage, joined Tarkan for one song. Other singers followed as well. A friend mentioned a headline he had seen: “The combined age of Ajda and Tarkan is 133.”
I checked Tarkan’s age. He is 53. His voice has been part of our lives for more than 35 years. The average age of the population is about the same. In fact, Tarkan is so deeply embedded in the Turkish average that even the young — a group usually quick to forget — are still desperate to find tickets for his concerts.
RIGHT TO HOPE
Tarkan has never been an artist who avoids talking on political issues. He has always stood out for his stance against injustice. Because of that, he is labeled as “opposition” in pro-government circles. But being an opposition figure was never his concern. He was simply a living being who wanted to rebel against the injustices of his time. He was a voice — more precisely, someone who was meant to raise his voice.
And what happened? They offended him, too. Yes, his voice is perfect, his stage presence more than perfect. But his old joy seems gone. So what is needed? The right to hope. The right to hope for every inch of this country.
Tarkan’s fans may object, but he has a beautiful song called “Don’t give” (Verme). “If you’re going to give something, don’t give advice — I don’t want it. If you’re going to give something, give peace,” he sings, and he sings it well. Replacing “peace” with “hope” in those lyrics wouldn’t be a bad idea. Tarkan wouldn’t mind. For Turkey. For art.
