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The Other Iraq Campaign / Kurdistan's
Economic Predicament
26.7.2008
By Rauf Naqishbendi
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July
26, 2008
No nation can reach the pinnacle of its economic
prosperity without genuine leadership and a good
governing system. It is the governing body of a
society that fuels economic advancements through
legislative enactment, and fiscal and monetary
policies. The most crucial task before any
government is to strive for self-sufficiency while
balancing trade with other nations. Domestic
industries need to be promoted and protected from
unfair foreign competition. Developed nations have
matured in managing these fundamentals. Just so,
young nations must set their economic agenda. The
emphasis of this inquiry is the Kurdistan region of
Iraq, whose leaders continue to abuse their power,
thus compromising the health of the nation's
economy. |
Rauf Naqishbendi |
The economic well-being of any nation has to begin
with self reliance, for economic prosperity is not a
finished product that can be purchased or borrowed
from other nations. Nations need to utilize their
resources and creativity in order to advance
economically. In areas requiring outside assistance,
that assistance must be acquired without the subtle
dependency of political influence compromising the
well-being of the nation. The influence of foreign
powers must be minimized. History has shown that
many nations have crumpled under the weight of
excessive foreign influence.
Well developed nations have a mature level of
planning, banking systems, and rules governing
commerce with other nations, but younger nations,
such as the Kurds, need to start from a much lower
level and work their way up more nimbly. This
mandates incentives for local industries to produce
what is necessary for domestic consumption. At the
beginning of this phase,www.ekurd.net
locals may need
protection from fierce outside competition, which
the government ought to provide. This protection
will be short-lived as industries mature and exhaust
competition through more efficient and cost
effective means of production. Encouragement and
incentives are necessary and must be provided
transparently to all involved parties, without
favoring one against another. This is contradicted
in the current situation, where Kurdish leaders
allow kickbacks from every main business
transactions. This is one of the most damaging
obstacles hindering better business.
In ameliorating economic conditions, the role of
government is to pave the way for business by
providing capital at a low interest rate, waving
taxation on imported raw materials and machineries,
and simplifying the process for obtaining real
estate to build manufacturing facilities. Contrary
to what has been said, Kurdish leaders have been
ignoring domestic impetus in favor of promoting
foreign enterprises, so that they can reap their
share of profit quietly.
The Kurdistan Development Corporation, formed and
sponsored by Kurdistan Regional Government chaired
by Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, has consumed millions of
dollars advertising American media in a campaign
called, "The Other Iraq". Not long ago, Ms. Bayan
told The City Paper, "In Kurdistan, we need
everything. Whether it's hospitals, better roads or
improving our school system ... these needs present
opportunity for investors and American companies."
To be sure, Kurdish needs are overwhelming, but not
everything should be handed over on a silver
platter. People are eager to participate in
providing solutions, if only the Kurdish leaders
would stay out in their way. After all, the Kurds
are more than capable of finding solutions and
building businesses.
There is nothing wrong with striving to attract
business investment into Kurdistan. But the problem
with this campaign is seeking foreign enterprises to
do the projects which Kurdish people themselves can
manage. Bringing foreign entities in to build
hospitals and roads, or improving schools, as Ms.
Sami states, is a nuisance. These foreign
enterprises come into Kurdistan and subcontract
everything back to the locals. The Kurds do the job
and the foreign contractors get away with lucrative
profits. For instance, Ms. Sami talks about
improving schools. Without question, she did not
mean enhancing school curriculums, for Americans
would not be suited for that purpose. What she meant
was that the schools needed to be remodeled and
expanded. Does anyone believe that the Kurds could
not handle this basic task themselves?
On its face, this is an absurd proposition - having
a group of American businessmen, engineers, and
handymen traveling to Kurdistan to remodel schools.
The Kurds have been able to build their own roads,www.ekurd.net
hospitals, and schools
for as long as memory serves. Ms. Sami should have
asked American investment groups to help Kurds to
build factories and dams, or she could have enticed
Americans to help in teaching Kurdish doctors how to
use expensive medical equipment, which has been
rusting and molding in hospital basements. Some of
this medical equipment is high-end, expensive
devices bought with the oil-for-food fund. Much of
the equipment has even been taken apart and the
pieces sold to recycling outlets in neighboring
countries. In this instance, The Kurdistan
Development Corporation has been a wasteful endeavor
not benefiting the people in Kurdistan. Ms. Sami
owes the Kurdish people an explanation regarding how
much business she has recruited, at the cost of
millions of dollars, from "The Other Iraq" campaign
Another example is awarding dozens of main projects
to Turkish companies. The Turks do not posses any
skills Kurds are lacking, and they also subcontract
piece by piece to locals. These are big construction
projects with big budgets. The question becomes, why
not award these contracts to the locals? The answer
is: Kurdish leaders are expert in cheating the
public out of their money, and there is no better
way to get huge kickbacks than from the construction
projects. People complaining that most of these
construction projects are tied to the leaders´
circle of friends, who arrange a good kickback for
themselves. Leadership has been condemned in the
court of public opinion, with these and many similar
charges. If the leaders are not guilty of these
charges, then why not publicly defend their names
and reputations, and regain public trust? The
problem is, while they admit there is corruption,
they endorse it through their aloofness.
It is true that leaders cannot be experts in every
subject matter but with the help of expert advisors,
they can determine the right course of action. This
would have been the case if their intention was to
do well for the good of the nation. Sadly, the
leaders are not public servants intent on doing good
for the nation. They are profiteers using their
positions for personal profit.
Rauf Naqishbendi is a contributing columnist for
Kurdish Websites, American Chronicle and has written
Op/Ed pages for the Los Angeles Times. He has just
completed his memoirs entitled "The Garden Of The
Poets" which reads as a novel depicting his
experience and the subsequent 1988 bombing of his
hometown with chemical and biological weapons by
Saddam Hussein. It is the story of his people's
suffering. Rauf Naqishbendi is a software engineer
in San Francisco Bay Area.
The contents of this article reflect the author's
personal opinions, and we accept no responsibility
for the views or opinions expressed in the articles
either direct or indirect.
Copyright, respective author or news agency,
americanchronicle com
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