Reports & Opinions 
The Sum of All Fears 

To New politics through dirty compromises?
by:Sami Osman

Kurdistan Observer
May 31, 2002

Recent statement of Dr Bahram Salih, one of the Prime Ministers who govern the region under the authority of PUK has reminded me of an old story I heard when I was in Kurdistan. The story is of a King who takes the issue of his own people seriously. The story begins when a king walks with his entourage to see how the people in his kingdom are living. Everybody bow when the king approaches except one man who doesn’t bother even to stand up. The Royal Guards approaches the man to teach him a lesson in respecting his king. However the king shows interest 

to speak to him about his arrogance and why he didn’t stand up.
The king:  Why didn’t you stand up when I approached?
The Man: Why? Who are you?
The King: I am the King of this land, and who are you?
The Man: I am nobody, nothing.
The man takes the opportunity “granted by the king” to ask the king a few questions.
The Man:  What will you become after being a king?
The King: I can enlarge my kingdom by invading other lands.
The Man: And then?
The King: I will become the King of all kings and I will have a strong army.
The Man: And after that? 
The king is puzzled by the questions and looking for answer that could satisfy the man.
The King: Well, nothing.
The man: You see your Majesty; I am already nothing, which means that I am two steps a head of you. 
The king realized that he was no match for the wisdom of the man.
 

Appointment of politicians to high position no doubt lacks any democratic principals. The prolonged struggle of the Kurdish people and the strong nature of nepotism of their political institutions have prevented the development of democratic values which is the only cure for the political dilemma the Kurdish are experiencing. Recent statement by Dr Bahram Salih in relation to the status of the city of Kirkuk reflects the degree of isolation from Kurdish history that Mr. Salih suffers from. Being a western educated shouldn’t be the only ticket to hold high positions in state institutions. Dr Salih’s statement is a recognition of the success of Iraq’s ‘policy of Arabisation’ of Kirkuk. The policy’s objective is to restructure the composition of Kirkuk’s population to a degree that the Kurdish would become a minority and eventually reducing the boundary of the Kurdish region. The issue of Kirkuk has been the main disputed point in all negotiation between Iraq’s central government and the Kurdish parties. So far all these negotiation have failed due to the reluctance of government to include Kirkuk in the boundary of the Kurdish region in Iraq. To clarify his doubt, Mr. Salih should have consulted one of the thousands of refugees from Kirkuk who are living in appalling conditions under this authority.  His inability to defend the status of Kirkuk stems from two factors, first his absence from the political scene and lack of experience of the Kurdish struggle and secondly bowing to political pressure from the region. No Peshmarga would have known who Mr. Salih is if they asked while defending Kirkuk. Therefore there shouldn’t any surprise if our current politicians make such statements. Finally, the chickens are coming home to roost. From his statement, Dr Salih seems to have been educated to serve a master not a cause. The Prime Minister is the voice of his masters who appointed him to serve their authority not a political cause. If this is a new approach to end the Kurdish political struggle through dirty compromises, the PM and his masters should come clean to avoid further bloodshed in the name of liberating Kirkuk. The only step to damage control is a resignation and admitting lack of experience. I would like to this opportunity to ask the Prime Minister to resort to the skills of ‘research’, which he developed during his academic studies. Because “research is the only tool to find what puzzled him.

The story remind us that those who were everything during the armed struggle became nobody and forced to escape the tyranny of those were nothing and ended up at top and became everything.
 

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