Maliki hangs on to power with Talabani’s backing

By Mufid Abdulla:

As we see with every passing day in Iraq, the problems are worsening and there is no easy fix to the political crisis between Baghdad and Erbil. Last week around 170 signatures were collected from MPs calling on Maliki to resign but Talabani would not accept them at face value because this wouldn’t meet with Iran’s approval.

Kurds and other non-Shia political parties in Iraq must give greater priority to forming a strategy to escape from this crisis. There are no maps, no pain-free fixes, no battle-ready alternative strategies with instant credibility. No columnist or politician has offered any clear solution.

But our minimum demand is to throw out the Maliki government and elect a different one that can be trusted. Talabani is protecting the Maliki government because Iran wants him to. Talabani has made several visits to the border of Iran and Iraq just to see Iranian officials and to wheel and deal. He owes the Iranian mullahs a lot for saving him on 31 August 1996 when he had to retreat from Kurdistan into Iran.  But his relationship with the mullahs goes back to the start of the era of Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979 and he is famous for placing a flower on Khomeini’s grave. Talabani’s role in the new Iraq has not only harmed the whole of Iraq but it also presents a distorted image of the Kurdish nation in the south of Kurdistan. How come the president of Iraq – a Kurdish leader – cannot do more to ensure the implementation of Article 140, over Kirkuk, and other key concerns for Kurds?

Iraq needs strong leadership and a fresh start in a bloodied arena complicated by so many rival groups and conflicting demands. We have so many sleeping leaders who have had no opportunity to prove their capabilities. Definitely the new Iraq doesn’t need Talabani and Maliki’s style of leadership. We have a president of Iraq who cannot provide a rational response to uncertainty. He may be unsure what to do, and believe that simplistic solutions may make things worse not better, but doing nothing has a bad consequence for the whole Iraq and south of Kurdistan. Defeating Maliki will enhance the nature of democracy in Iraq.

Admitting the root cause of Iraq’s problems does not guarantee a decent solution. However, there are two major questions here. Why is Maliki not ready to step down when a majority of the parliament wants him to? And why is Talabani acting in this way? The interests of the people of the south of Kurdistan and Iraq should outweigh the Iranian mullahs’ wish to keep Maliki in power.

Kurdish MPs in the Iraq parliament should unite to demand the following. First, the election of a new prime minister. Second, the constitution must be reviewed and revised to provide Iraq with greater stability.  Third, the resolution of all outstanding issues between Baghdad and Erbil – concerning Article 140, oil and gas and Peshmarga forces – within a reasonable and unchanging time frame.

Copyright © 2012 Kurdistantribune.com

One Response to Maliki hangs on to power with Talabani’s backing
  1. Aso
    June 10, 2012 | 14:31

    Talabani has a dark history, so does Barzani. People know this but still clap for them because we are still not pilitically mature enough to realize our long term future is more important than a piece of land or a car we obtain from the parties today. Dont blame the leaders for being corrupt. Rather, blame the people who feed their egos and greed.

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