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KurdistanObserver.com
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Where Is The Priority : A Unified List Or A
Unified Administration?
By: Dr Nazhad Khasraw
Hawramany
Oct 30, 2005
The news are coming from South Kurdistan, that
the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)
have decided to contest the coming December 15 2005 Iraqi general elections
with a unified list just like they did in January 30 2005 elections. The only
difference is that the moderate Kurdistan Islamic Union party have decided to
quit the Kurdistani list and to contest the coming elections in a separate list
as a protest to the administrative and financial mismanagements in both split
Kurdish administrations in Slaimani and Hawler.
In spite of the rhetoric of both KDP and PUK
media organs, that the unification of both administrations will happen soon, as
they have been repeatedly claiming in the last few months and even years, the
two parties seem still to be wide apart or at least the two leaders Mr. Barzani
and Mr. Talabani seems to have lost control over their party political bureaus,
who are still involved in a feud over positions and personal gains.
The public in Kurdistan and especially the
young generation and the Kurdish intellectuals are very much frustrated about
this selfish attitude of both parties and their failure to implement any real
measures to fight corruption and mismanagement in Kurdistan. The recent violent
demonstrations in Kalar, Ranyah, Akre and the boycott of the Iraqi referendum on
October 15 2005 in Slaimani and Hawler by young Kurds, are only the tip of the
iceberg and show the degree of dismay and disappointment in Kurdish society
about the lack of an efficient administration able to cope with the chronic
shortage of services and the fuel crisis as well as the flourishing corruption,
cronyism and nepotism, where privileges are only granted to the members of both
parties inner circles or members of their clans, leaving the majority of Kurdish
population in disadvantage.
The KDP and PUK leaderships must realise that
the current advantages they are enjoying are only the fruits of the massive
support of the same Kurdish masses, whom they ignore now and that those Kurdish
masses could give KDP-PUK list a fatal blow if they decided not to give them
their vote or if they decided to stay home or even worse giving their vote to
other lists.
Unfortunately the Kurdish leadership is somehow detached from the needs of
Kurdish society and they are spending more time and effort to woo the Sunni Arab
ex-Baathists and ex-Anfalists, and they very little time to speak to their own
population or to try to ease their needs and overcome shortages.
There is a general malaise and disappointment
about the current state of affairs in Iraqi Kurdistan, and after 13 years of
Kurdish self rule there is hardly any real progress in the infrastructure of
Kurdistan or the standard of living of the middle and lower socio-economic
classes in Kurdistan. The general public see that only the inner circles of
those parties or their clans are prospering, while the rest of Kurdish people
live in destitute with no incomes, no jobs, no services, no health
insurances and no decent homes.
They are only fed patriotic slogans about
Kurdayeti, Kirkuk, Halabja and Anfall, when the parties themselves are competing
only for their selfish interests and privileges. Many party members did receive
many land plots and high salaried positions, at a time where the victims of
Halabja, Anfall and the refugees of Kirkuk are still living in destitute without
any real support, other than being used in the Propaganda machine of both
parties.
So is the priority in South Kurdistan today to fight December elections with a
unified list?, something which the Kurdish public widely see as another
opportunity to anchor the current mismanagements and corruption in Kurdistan or
the priority is to finally unify the Slaimani and Hawler administrations and
establish one accountable and transparent administration which does not depend
on partisan loyalty or clan belonging and puts as its main goal the fighting of
corruption and real political reform in Kurdistan which creates space for the
new and better educated generation to take over away from strict party rule of
the old cadre.
The consequences of a false interpretation of
the Barometer of Kurdish public, could cause catastrophic results in the coming
elections, which would deeply harm the national interests of Kurdish nation. So
the choice lie in the Hands of KDP and PUK leaderships, either they strive for
one modern South Kurdistan in peace with its own people or they continue with
their current fiefdoms (i.e. Imarat Alsulaimaniah and Imarat Hawler), which will
dash away the hopes for Kurdish rule on whole of Iraqi Kurdistan.
Dr Nazhad Khasraw Hawramany
nhawramany@yahoo.com
Switzerlands |
