|
Iraqi Kurdish magazine reflects on tension between political
parties |
|
Source : Levin, Sulaimaniyah, in Sorani Kurdish |
BBC |
|
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the
content of news information on this page |
|
Iraqi Kurdish magazine reflects on tension
between political parties
28.7.2008
|
|
|
Tension among the political parties in Iraqi
Kurdistan Region might ultimately result in creating
a new alliance between liberals and Islamic moderate
parties, privately-owned Iraqi Kurdish fortnightly
magazine Levin reported in a feature article by
Mamand Rozhe on 15 July.
July
28, 2008
Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan region "Iraq"
Rozhe commented in Levin that the spirit of
nationalism is still a positive force behind the
Kurdish political parties in Iraqi Kurdistan, saying
that this is the same impetus that helps the
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic
Union of Kurdistan (PUK) to remain two major
national political parties in the region.
He said: "The PUK and the KDP went through a period
of internal armed conflict. The first party is a
pro-left one while the latter is conservative. In
its second conference, the PUK declared that it is
no longer an orthodox Marxist party",www.ekurd.net
adding that it was
trying to adopt an European leftist approach and had
joined the Socialist International.
Rozhe added: "The PUK and the KDP approve of other
political parties in the region; therefore, we
cannot call them totalitarian parties. Nevertheless,
they have monopolized the politics and the economy
of the region."
Furthermore, "the two [parties] have been
characterized as nationalist and autocratic and are
expected to lead the national liberation movement.
Although the KDP and the PUK have not been able to
achieve the nation's expectations, to some extent
they have been able to create a national political
model." He added: "The two are not willing to enter
into the democratic political process, and cannot
adapt to the power shifting process."
Leftists in Iraqi Kurdistan
Rozhe said that the leftist movements had failed in
Iraqi Kurdistan, adding that segregation had
weakened them further. They created a front called
Berey Goran (changing front) which they later
abandoned.
Armed Islamists extremists
He said: The armed Islamic groups have failed too.
"The Islamic Movement of Kurdistan, the third
largest party in the 1990s, retreated after it
failed in the battle for power with the nationalist
parties. It later scattered into different groups
and failed to maintain its balance in Kurdistan's
political ground."
The Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) is regarded as a
centrist party. "The KIU did not enter into the
armed conflict. However, the internal armed
conflicts in the early 1990s helped the KIU to grow.
But the party's growth died down a lot when the PUK
and the KDP ended fighting and reached an
agreement." He added that, as the armed Islamic
parties had failed to settle the disputes by
fighting, the interest in an Islamic moderate
approach increased.
In recent years, the Kurdistan Islamic Group (Komal)
returned to the political struggle. Although the
party still holds extremist views, it is trying to
find a place in the political process, he said.
The oppositions
Rozhe said: "The political struggle in Iraqi
Kurdistan has found a different direction. Liberal
standpoints in the region are taking shape. The free
media created a stage for the political struggle in
the region," adding that the KIU, the Kurdistan
Islamic Group, the Kurdistan Toilers' Party and the
Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party (KSDP) - the
four-party alliance - was an example that showed
that Kurdistan Region was entering a new era.
Rozhe said: The question here is whether this
approach will make Iraqi Kurdistan Region like
Turkey, where Islamists, democrats and liberals
united against the Nationalist autocrats. He added:
"Although liberals have not formed their parties
yet,www.ekurd.net
they significantly
influence the political scene. The KIU's second-
generation member, unlike the first generation,
might be more liberal and help strengthen Islamic
democracy. This model has been used by the Turkish
Justice and Development Party (AKP)."
Originally published by Levin, Sulaimaniyah, in
Sorani Kurdish 15 Jul 2008.
Copyright, respective author or news agency Levin
| BBC Monitoring
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
|
|
® 