Becoming Kurdistan: Are we ready?

By Raz Salihy:

It is a question rarely met with “No”. But critical analysts will beg to differ.

Following the Hawler (Erbil) conference held for the Kurdish opposition in Syria, the internet and media became ripe with rumours of a declaration of independence believed soon to be issued by the president of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Massoud Barzani, though no official source backed this statement. Naturally, such a long-awaited piece of news would hardly have a negative reaction from the average Kurd. However, there are those who pose the question of whether we are ready.

Though the present, let alone the future, looks bleak for Iraq, its Kurdistan region continues to thrive.  Its coalition government is currently going through a cabinet re-shuffle as it is time for the candidate of Kurdistan Democratic Party to take on the post of Prime Minister. The peaceful transition it’s going through is exemplary in contrast to the state of the government in Iraq.

Over the last decade the Kurdish region has prospered and created ties, known and unknown. Its economy is predicted to be one of the fastest growing ones in the world, in the years to come. In addition, the government is continuously improving education through programmes such as the Human Capacity Development Programme that provides scholarships to take on post-graduate studies abroad. So, progress is on-going and can be seen by comparing year to year. Many of those who lived abroad have made the choice to return home and reside there permanently due to the improvement of living standards and security. In December 2011, in an interview Barzani told Voice of America Persian that the security that the Kurdistan region enjoyed was not something the American had brought, it was due to the unity of the people and their vigilance.

But can it stand on its own if Kurdistan decides to become “Kurdistan”? Will those who are friends of the semi-autonomous region today become enemies once it’s independent?

On closer examination, traces of Turkish influence are everywhere in Kurdistan. From oil companies to universities, Turkey has become majorly involved in the prospering of the region. Its grip on the Kurdish attitude towards Turkey is tight, and it does so through the most important aspects of the people’s lives: education and employment. Speaking to a business management student who attends the Turkish university Ishk, in Hawler (Erbil), she tells me that “It is vital that I learn Turkish. Without it I can’t get that far in my career. Everything here is Turkey-owned”. The university provides a variety of courses in English and Turkish. So the economy and education system, have a giant player who, at the moment, would never accept an independent Kurdistan that would provoke its own 14 million Kurdish population into further protest.

The suspicion arises from Turkey’s treatment to its own Kurdish population. Though it recently relaxed the prohibition on the use of the Kurdish language, the Turkish government still forbids it in government institutions and offices.  Kurdish children have no access to a Kurdish education system like that in the Kurdish region of Iraq. Can Turkey really be in Kurdistan with “strictly business” intentions?

Though people, after decades of setback, strive to push forward by working with Turkey-owned bodies and letting in its influence, they are unaware of whom exactly they’re associating with. The worst thought is that they are aware but have no other choice. Have they given up on the dream? The same, however, cannot be said for all of the leaders and politicians. It is a fact that in any interview president Barzani has always said that the main goal has and always will be independence, that this unites Kurds across the world in their efforts.  In 2007, speaking to Al-Arabiya, Barzani said he does not encourage violence but when it is imposed upon a people, they have no other choice but to fight back. He also said, “If Kurds realise a particular country is opposing them, there will be opposition, and the situation will explode.”

The KRG does portray itself as quite independent, already, from the Iraq rule. However, does that suffice? In late 2011, the Saudi Arabia-owned Asharq al-Awsat published a column saying that some may be shocked but the Kurds of northern Iraq are on the verge of declaring independence.  More recently, Turkish media has published headlines along the same lines. The article explained that it was proposed by the KDP leader and opposed by members of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). In response to which a Kurdish MP, Mahmoud Othman, warned the government of Turkish agitators who, through the media, seek to cause conflict within the KRG as it’s going through its cabinet reshuffle.

He said that no doubt the intention of efforts for independence is 100% in the hearts of all Kurds and their leaders, but this was not the right timing. With issues of budget and the Article 140 still unresolved, Kurdistan is not yet ready to be separated any more than it is. He also added that these headlines of Turkish media were aimed at portraying a lack of partnership in the coalition government in Kurdistan. A fact that is far from the truth.

In a recent gathering at the Kurdish Community Centre in London, the Kurdish Co-head of the Peace and Democracy Party in Turkey was asked what he thought of the rumours of Barzani’s declaration of independence. In response Mr Demirtas said Kurds would stand with one another in every decision they make and respect their wishes. He added “If the Kurdish people want more than just autonomy, their demand must be heard, it will be heard” and “Kurds will never accept anything less than democracy.” However, it was his view that at the moment political autonomy was the solution to the Kurdish problems.

Looking at events and the situation of the Kurdish regions within each occupying country, it would seem that political autonomy is the way to, first of all, put an end to the on-going violence in the Kurdish region of Turkey, and enable Kurds to grow strong in economy, power and influence.  It would be hard to argue that the KRG was not a success. It has been able to protect itself from the horrific events in Iraq, all the while continuing its work and development in its region. In the recent conference in Hawler, Barzani advised the Kurdish opposition in Syria to be ready for the changes coming to Syria and that the KRG fully supported any decision they made, but would not interfere.

Though the goal remains to gain independence, it seems this would be achieved easier if the Kurdish regions of Turkey, Syria and Iran gained political autonomy. Gaining allies, power and a vastly educated and aware people, in building up towards that goal, would ensure we stay there when we get there.

Raz Salihy was born in Hawler in 1989 and moved to the UK in 2000. She is currently in her final year of an undergraduate degree in Law and Human Rights, with Medical Law as an extra, and hopes to do postgraduate studies in the same field. She is an activist for, and a true believer in, an independent Kurdistan.

Copyright © 2011 Kurdistantribune.com