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How to change our setback into success

By: Dr. Nazhad Khasraw Hawramany
Switzerland
June 5, 2004

The bitterness that we Kurds felt in the last few days when the posts of president and prime minister in the new interim Iraqi government gone only to Arabs in Iraq is beyond description. Our disappointment about the performance of our leaders in this crucial round of wrangling about the future power distribution in Iraq was great. The Kurdish leaders have been secretive about their plans and intentions and about the limits they will go in seeking these goals, they didn't share their views with the Kurdish nation, leaving the Kurds almost nerve wrecked following the events and hoping that our leaders will follow the right strategy to reach their goals and to secure a better position for Kurds in Iraq. The outcome was modest and rather disappointing, with Kurds getting only deputy positions.

What surprised me was the announcements by Kurdish leaders afterwards, that denying the Kurds the right to be a president or a prime minister of Iraq was unfair and that the Kurds are disappointed although they are still committed to cooperate with the new government and that Kurds have never been seeking authority positions but instead want to endorse the national rights of Kurdish people in Iraq.

The Kurdish populace is very disappointed and feel insecure about the future of Kurdistan within Iraq like never before, as they see their leaders giving in so easily to the pressure by Mr. Bremer or Mr. Brahimi instead of being steadfast and adament on the right of Kurdish people in sharing power in Iraq with Arabs on equal basis. The division of Iraq only on sectarian basis ( Shia und Sunna) and ignoring the facts that it was the mismanagement of Kurdish issue by all previous governments which caused instability and wars in Iraq. Our American allies, our Arab Iraqi political groups and parties tend to ignore or downplay the enormous sacrifices and sufferings of Kurdish people under successive central Iraqi governments, which mounted to genocide, Attacks with poisonous gases, ethnic cleansing and deportations on a wide scale, they lay a great importance on re-establishing a new strong central Iraqi government with no guarantees for Kurds that the atrocities of the past will not be repeated by future Iraqi governments when coalition forces eventually must leave Iraq leaving Kurds under the mercy of hostile and chauvinistic policies of Anti-Kurdish elements in Iraq and the hostile neighboring countries.

We hope sincerely that this concession by our leaders is not followed by further concessions in even more crucial matters, like right of a federal system for Kurdistan, the right of returning of deported Kurds to areas which were victims of Arabization and ethnic cleansing like Kirkuk, Khanaquin, Shangar, Shechan, Makhmour, the right of a fair share of Iraqi wealth to rebuild Kurdistan and bring economic and social prosperity into Kurdistan.

The key to success in defending and achieving these goals lie not in secrecy and keeping distance from the Kurdish people, but rather through the simple principles of democracy like transparency, debate, openness and accountability, our Kurdish leaders must not feel angry when we criticize them, they should rather be happy that our people are worried and want them to get closer to them and tell them about their ideas and plans instead of cladding them in secrecy and vagueness.

We are lucky that we have two satellite TV stations, that could be used to reach people, to open debates and letting people contribute to the political process through their criticism and opinions, these media outlets must be used to create a democratic atmosphere in Kurdistan, we should encourage more live debates and bring officials to be questioned and asked about their performances and failures, the people must have the right to audit inefficiency and corruption in our administrations.

We should invest more money to improve these important media outlets, we should encourage Kurdish intellectuals at home and abroad to contribute their efforts. We have lost one encounter but there are many more to come in the next few months which we can't afford to lose, the permanent constitution, to win Kirkuk back into Kurdistan, to unite and reform our administrations and make them more efficient and representative and less corrupt, to continue our efforts to build a civil society.

The leadership is urged however to implement certain steps to regain the confidence of our people, they should immediately unite their split administrations and establish a single administration which is accountable and efficient, a government of technocrats was not possible In Baghdad because of security situation, such a government is feasible in Kurdistan , the Kurdish authorities should implement concrete steps to encourage Kurdish academics and intellectuals abroad to return to Kurdistan. Real steps must be taken to give our cities a modern face, our cities are still dusty and without any green spaces, the basic services are precarious.

We should believe in the determination and aspirations of our people, young Kurdish generations deserve to live a life devoid of fear, discrimination and poverty.

Clever people can turn initial setbacks into astounding successes later if they have the will and are ready to learn from their mistakes.