The Timing and Nature of First Democratic National Elections, not for Iraq, but for Republic of Kurdistan

By: Hadi Elis

Jan 17, 2005

After almost a century of conflict, war, genocide and mass deportations in Iraqi-Kurdistan, Iraq as a state has failed, and Kurdish strategic and national security interests are pointing to the EXIT for the Kurdish people to move on, which means the time has come to have a Kurdish nation-state.

The history and the story behind the creation of Iraq as a nation-state does not need to be repeated here once more. The incorporation of Kurds into Iraq was ethically and politically wrong as it was then as it is now.

Due to the new developments in the contemporary world, the conditions for the declaration of the Republic of Kurdistan is more mature then ever, and the will of the Kurdish people is stronger then ever. In a conservative estimate, of the 3 million people in Iraqi-Kurdistan 1.7 million signed for an National Referendum to decide their own future.

The Second Gulf War of 2003 has brought this naked fact to the attention of the international community which seems to ignore this reality as she was during the gonocide of the Kurds. The international community wants to force her will upon the Kurds to sacrifice their right to exist as a nation to be part of Iraq again and go back to the old game of civil war and genocide.

It is up to the Kurdish people and the leadership to decide how to administer their national affairs from now on, in the 21st century, not to the international community. Where was the International community when Kurdish leaders, intellectuals, organizations were giving the facts about how Kurdistan was destroyed at the dirty hands of the Kamalists, Ayatollahs and the Baathists. We all know that all of the destruction was possible with the military and financial support given by the International community.

International community has an attitude to dismiss Kurdish claims because they are politically inconvenient or call them wild exaggerations, just remember the time when Halabja happened.

This is the case for the international community to see and understand: The dominant culture in Iraq is hostile to decentralization, liberal democracy, national and political pluralism, and Islam is not in its moderate form to allow a quick democratization process to be completed (as USA too would like to see it happening). The above mentioned facts are also true for the other oppressive regimes of Turkey, Iran and Syria.

The US was right in helping Kurds in getting rid of Saddam and the Baath regime, which led to the destruction of Iraq. US is about to fix the problem which Britain created, in a way that Kurds are not asking for compensation in what happened to them in greater Kurdistan. The British policy on Kurds and Kurdistan is still the same, the old mentality and interests.

When CPA was established, TAL written, and the timing for the first national election were announced, Kurdish rights and demands were put in second place or declared of non importance. The post-war process has been anti-Kurdish in every sense of the word until now. Mr. Hushiar Zebari and Mr. Barham Salih’s place in the interim Iraqi government is not more then window dressing. Wait and see what will happen to the Iraqi Government after the elections.

The last thing to pay attention to is the announcement made last week by interim PM Iyad Allawi that Kurdish regions will receive 10% instead of earlier announced 25% of the national budget. Iyad Allawi has been anti-Kurdish even before becoming the interim PM. His opinion and past is public knowledge by now. Enough is enough with the racism and discrimination against the Kurdish people not only from Arabs but also from Turks and Persians too.

It is this opportunity that Kurdish people in former Iraqi-Kurdistan must use to their own interest. Boycott the Iraqi national elections and vote for a separate, independent Republic of Kurdistan.

Join and Support the Kurdistan National Referendum Movement.

Let’s vote for the Republic of Kurdistan on January the 30th, 2005.

Leave Iraq and raise the Kurdish Flag.