Voting for Independence: people of Kurdistan make their choice!

By: Dr Kamal Mirawdeli

Feb 8, 2005

The results of the unofficial referendum organised by Kurdistan Referendum Movement in Kurdistan shows that 1998061 people participated in the referendum. Of these the total of 1973412 people voted for independence and 20251 voted for staying inside Iraq. So with the majority of 98.8% our people voted for freedom and independence. The choice of independence was a constant pattern in every part of Kurdistan including Khanaqin and Kirkuk. In Kirkuk province 131582 people participated in the referendum, 131274 people voted for independence and only 181 people voted for staying inside Iraq. In Mosul province from 165891 people only 111 people voted for staying in Iraq. In Khanaqin it was 36413 to 627; in Sulaymani province the ratio was 650000 to 5796, in Hewler (Arbil) it was 622409 to 11289, in Duhok it was 368163 to 2247.

These results should not be surprising to anyone with common sense: A nation subjected to 80 years of oppression, enslavement and genocide, a nation with 200,000 of their sons and daughters lying in mass graves, and their identity, freedom and human rights denied by racists and colonialists, it is only natural and human for them to choose liberation versus occupation, freedom versus slavery, self-determination versus despotism.

But perhaps these results will be surprising to policy makers in Washington and London and to the Kurdish leaders who to make themselves saleable to them and get more privileges and power in Baghdad, have been trying hard to offer themselves as champions of Iraqism, Iraqi integrity and sovereignty without ever feeling ashamed and thinking for a moment of the 200,000 innocent souls in mass graves. At the same time they have been trying hard, using all our people's illegitimately monopolised money and resources, to brainwash our people to accept that they are Iraqis and seduce them to return to the yoke of Arab fascism.

What the Referendum Movement did is a unique historical achievement that with one stroke outbids all what those traditional tribal leaderships have achieved over 40 years of so-called struggle for autonomy in the name of Kurdistan and our people.

Now our people have said their word, expressed their free will and the ball now is in the court of President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair.  To what extent Mr Bush and his messenger of liberation and democracy in the Middle East the Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice, are serious and sincere in the promotion of liberation and democratic choice in the Middle East: this is the Kurdish test waiting for their response. Condoleezza was right to call for a Palestinian state if this is the choice made by the Palestinians despite the fact this will be the Arab's 23^rd state. But what about the Kurdish state which has been a de facto reality for the last 13 years? What about the right of self-determination of 40 million people Kurds who are the real cause and force of liberation and democracy in the Middle East?

We do not ask the US to do anything that contradicts international law or alienates allies and friends. We just want the implementation of the universal principle of self-determination established by United Nations principles, conventions and practices. We want the messengers of freedom to understand that freedom has just one colour and it is a universal gift of God.

It is time that US and Britain took the demands of our people seriously and asked the Security Council to take practical steps to conduct a referendum in Kurdistan. Or it will be even better to chose a simpler route on the basis of the obvious de facto reality and recognise Kurdistan parliament and the recently elected local councils in other Kurdish areas as true interim representatives of Kurdistan and its people.