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The Upcoming Election: Overcoming
Corrupted Leadership in Kurdistan
6.6.2009
By Rauf Naqishbendi
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June
6, 2009
" I do have an unyielding belief that all people
yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your
mind and have a say in how you are governed,
confidence in the rule of law and the equal
administration of justice, government that is
transparent and doesn't steal from the people, the
freedom to live as you choose. These are not just
American ideas. They are human rights. And that is
why we will support them everywhere. "
President Barack Obama |
Rauf Naqishbendi |
Election is a democratic
procedure, not a contest about the personalities and
popularity of the candidates. On both the local and
national levels, elections should be a process of
electing capable individuals who can manage the
affairs of their constituents. Democracy is a new
political phenomenon in Kurdistan. It started in the
1990s with the help of the United States,www.ekurd.net
who provided protection
for the Iraqi Kurds. Most importantly, it marked the
end of Kurdish Civil War through peacemaking between
the two Kurdish rival leaders, Barzani and Talabani.
Even though Kurdistan of Iraq is anything but
democratic, at least people are allowed to cast
their vote for the political parties. This inquiry
dissects the dangers facing Iraqi Kurds and how to
obviate them, and the roadmap to true democracy and
subsequent economic prosperity.
The prevailing power struggle between the two
Kurdish rival leaders, Barzani and Talabani, has had
the most devastating impact on the Kurdish cause for
freedom and Kurdish recognition for more than four
decades. These two leaders have divided Kurdistan.
Each has his own cronies and separate militia armed
forces. They have control over the appointment of
all high-ranking government posts and other public
offices. Barzani and Talabani have an exclusive
club, and nonmembers are deprived from well-paying
public and government jobs and all other contracts
granted by the government. In the meantime, the full
budget for the Kurdistan region has been divided
among the two leaders, from which they siphon every
dollar they possibly can into their own coffers,
leaving the general public deprived from their
entitlement. In a nutshell, Barzani and Talabani
have no concern for their people´s hardship and the
people´s rights, using their power and political
influence to advance their own personal and family
interests.
People in Kurdistan must realize that social justice
and economic prosperity cannot be achieved under the
current circumstances, where unethical and corrupted
leadership reign. Therefore, it is incumbent on the
people to use every civilized means on every
possible occasion to free themselves from leaders
who are in utter disconnect with the people´s
well-being and inspiration.
In just about a month an election will be held. In
the short run, the outcome of this election will not
serve as a social contract whereby people will
attain their rights as citizens, abrogating the
leadership of corrupted looters. The first thing
Kurds need to do is to cleanse their government from
these corrupted officials who have used the blood of
their people to advance their own interests. This is
not a reform, but rather bringing the criminal
elements of the society to justice. These criminals
should not be free with impunity but rather should
be held responsible for all their actions, past and
present.
It is imperative that the armed militia headed by
the two leaders be submitted to the control of the
regional government. In the past, the lives and
blood of the members of these militia groups have
been used frequently in the power struggle
confrontations between the two leaders, and the same
can happen again in the future should any
confrontation arise between the two. Rendering these
militia groups as a national army under the
government, independent of political parties, will
leave no blood for the power mangers to shed during
their confrontations. With regard to the national
budget, it should be under the control of government
and used for the good of greater public,www.ekurd.net
instead of being used by
Talabani and Barzani as their own family money. The
national budget should be used at the discretion of
Parliament, to be appropriated to social programs
according to the needs and priorities of the people,
with measures in place to provide for
accountability.
The problem with this election is that it does not
address any of the aforementioned debilitating
social, national, or economic problems. One might
say the election is completely useless because the
makeup of the parliament is predetermined and the
rule of election is outlined and agreed upon by the
old oligarchy. But there is one thing that might
make a difference, and that is the reformist group
headed by
Nawshirwan
Mustafa, who has squeezed his group´s name into the
list of the political parties. Even this will not
immediately end the practices of the corrupted
current leadership, but it promises affirmative
changes upon the reformist group´s victory, but
until then people must ask their leaders for
transparency and accountability.
Should there be any glimpse of hope in this
election, it is the one that is accompanies the
reformist group. Their success may not immediately
bring about the desired reformation and elimination
of ubiquitous corruption, but it is a crucial
development. Their success will move Kurdistan
toward a better future and more desirable
leadership. They will face nasty hurdles and many
barriers in fighting the self-imposed leaders who
have taken the people´s silence for granted.
Overall, a vote for the reformist group is the right
step in the right direction. Nevertheless, how well
this group progresses in their reformation endeavors
will depend on their perseverance in attaining their
ideals.
Rauf Naqishbendi is a contributing columnist for
Kurdish Websites, American Chronicle ,
americanchronicle com 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.
Rauf Naqishbendi´s
memoirs The Garden Of The Poets recently published
(Unedited).
You may order through the publisher,
Publish America
or at
Amazon.com:
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by Rauf Naqishbendi
To read some other
article by Rauf Naqishbendi, please visit:
Americanchronicle com,
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