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KurdistanObserver.com
Tell The People What Elections Are About
By:
Dr. Nazhad Khasraw Hawramany
Nov 10, 2004
Three crucial elections are going to be held
simultaneously in Iraq and Kurdistan at the end of January 2005. The first is
the general Iraqi election to choose the Iraqi national assembly (parliament)
which will be responsible for drafting the permanent constitution, choosing the
president and prime minister for Iraq, The second is the general election in
Kurdistan to choose the national assembly of the Kurdistan region, this
Parliament would practically abolish the current split administrations of Arbil
and Sulaimany and choose a unified democratically elected government in the part
of south Kurdistan north to the so-called green line( Kirkuk and other
Kurdistani cities of Khanaguin, Mandali, Shekhan, Shangal apparently will not
participate in this election, because its rejoining to Kurdistan is politically
not settled yet!), the third election will be held in each of the 18 Iraqi
governorates to select the city councils and municipal councils, which will
effectively establish a decentralized administration in those governorates.
Those three elections are going to shape the
future of Iraq and Kurdistan and although we are only 11 weeks away from that
date, we see only very modest efforts to explain the importance and meanings of
those elections to the people of Iraq in general and the people of Kurdistan in
particular, with only few TV commercials and few unprofessional dull debates.
Those primitive efforts aim vaguely at encouraging people to vote, but nothing
about the real themes that should shape those elections, nothing about any
possible alliances between different Iraqi political groups or to that matter
Kurdistani political groups, nothing about our slogans and goals for those
elections, the people in general seem to be indifferent or at least confused
about consequences of such elections amidst lack of any clear agendas for those
political groups about their true political programs and intentions, about their
stand concerning very important issues and concepts like what is exactly meant
by the rule of the majority or the rights of minorities, about the issue of
federalism in Iraq, about the right of self determination for Iraqi Kurds, about
redressing the ill effects of Arabisation, about religious tolerance, about
separation of religion from state, about the rights of expression and political
affiliation, about the role of opposition, political pluralism and the
democratic change of government through ballot box every few years. It is
important that the people of Iraq and Kurdistan should understand that those
elections are also about accountability of governing parties, if any of those
parties failed to deliver its promises to the electorate or mismanaged its
mandate, then they will be punished by the electorate in the next general
election and so any authoritarian or clan domination will be prevented and
corrupt or inefficient officials will be brought down through democratic means
and made accountable for their shortcomings.
At least the Kurdish preparations seem to be
clad with secrecy and in conclusion, the two main parties have met each other on
different levels many times, we hear nothing about the subjects discussed or the
procedures adopted, what we hear is just the same what we have been hearing from
those leaderships in the last few years, that they agreed about every thing and
will implement certain measures and that the people will hear the good news very
soon, but what subjects and what good news, and when? remain ambiguous and
usually such TV promises are not delivered. If we take as a measure the
performances of the Kurdish administrations in the process of election of Iraqi
president and prime minister or the drafting of UNSC resolution 1543 which
ignored the TAL or the process of redressing Arabisation in Kirkuk, then we have
every reason to fear the outcome of those elections and the preparations of
those parties, which have always been too little and too late, the pattern we
have seen so far, is that in every crucial milestone the Kurdish leadership were
out maneuvered by Arab Sunni und Arab Shia alike and came out with
disappointing outcomes, only to start grumbling and complaining for few days in
Kurdish media when every thing is over. We would like to know what those parties
are planning for the coming elections, and if they really believe in democracy,
it's time to let the people of Kurdistan directly participate in this process,
let the people of Kurdistan express their fears and wishes, let them show their
political clout, those parties must have confidence in the wisdom and
intelligence of our people and stop treating them as sheep herd without
political will and power. The political elite of those Kurdish parties are in no
way wiser or cleverer than the natural political instincts of the people of
Kurdistan. There are certain important questions which need to be addressed
before embarking in the process of elections in Iraq and Kurdistan:
1. What have we done so far to ensure that Kirkuki Kurds deported into Arbil
and Sulaimany during Arabisation campaign will be able to vote as citizens of
Kirkuk governorate?
2. How long we can wait facing the deliberate
reluctance of Iraqi interim central government to implement of paragraph 58 of
TAL concerning returning of Kurdish refugees to Kirkuk and resettling of Arab
settlers into their original places in central and south Iraq?
3.How can we guarantee that the two main
parties KDP and PUK will accept the results of elections in Kurdistan even if
that meant one or both of them could lose their power grip?
4.What have we done so far to gain the support
of Chaldo-Assyrians, Turkmen and original Arabs of Kirkuk in the crucial coming
referendum about future of Kirkuk?
5. What are the practical and financial
measures to help Kurdish refugees of Kirkuk to return to their ancestral
hometown Kirkuk before the general elections?
6. With whom are we going to make alliances so
that forces supportive of our cause will govern Iraq?
7.What measures are taken that every citizen (
literate or illiterate) will understand that it's his democratic right and duty
to cast his ballot and that his voice is very important and will make the
difference?.
I hope that our media will engage in heated
debates concerning these historic elections from now on and until the 30th of
January 2005.
Dr.Nazhad Khasraw Hawramany
Switzerland
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