For the first time, Gorran is in the driving seat

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By Mufid Abdulla:

President Masud Barzani invited all the Kurdistan political parties to a meeting at his holiday resort in Permam to discuss the recent stand-off between the Iraqi army and Peshmarga forces on the Syria-Iraq border. The Gorran party refused to join the summit although the two other opposition parties parties did participate in a meeting that reached no conclusions.

Gorran accused the government of remembering the smaller parties only when it is in trouble but ignoring them in good times. Furthermore, the spokesman for Gorran, Shaho Saeed, told  Sbeiy.com that the party is disinclined to ally itself with any other party.

The President’s son, Masrour Barzani, accused Gorran of breaking Kurdish unity by boycotting the meeting and of treason.

Several Gorran leaders in Sulaymani and Erbil,  from a high level to the grassroots, responded strongly through several news agencies, stating: “We do not have to reply to the KDP comment because history will tell who is the traitor to this nation …”

For the first time in the last three years, encompassing the street  uprising and national protests, I can see the Gorran movement in the driving seat of a political struggle which is taking shape in Kurdistan. After several months of silence, Gorran has come out strongly.

Since the opposition movement first emerged three years ago, this is the most striking challenge to Barzani’s rule. The political apparatus in Erbil should realise that political repression and deceit has bred resistance and public awareness to the point that most of the news in Kurdistan has been about the Gorran movement and its boycott of Barzani’s meeting. This new phenomena in Kurdistan has been noted by a lot of observers. It cuts across attempts by the Barzani family to dominate the news for their own benefit, telling the people that they are the architect of all progress in the south of Kurdistan.

The majority in Kurdistan will doubt the sincerity of Barzani’s conflict with Baghdad, and question his warm relationship with Turkey .

The prominent Kurdish writer, Nabaz Goran, told Lvin: “ The KDP doesn’t have any right to talk about the unity of Kurds and the nationalist movement … this party has betrayed the whole dream of Kurdish people by killing Iranian Kurds in 1979, the collapse of the 1975 revolution and by joining Saddam’s force in 1996”. Asos Hardi, the prominent Kurdish journalist, stated: “The KDP wants to exploited the national cause for their own benefit and advantages”.

The KDP should know very well that the Kurdish people have not chosen the Barzani  family to rule this nation. The evidence is growing that the Gorran political leaders are on the top of this crisis. In this process, Gorran have become much more capable, especially of late. The KDP leadership knows that their days in this political game are numbered while the PUK has been slowly demolished and, whether they like it or not, the balance of power is shifting towards Gorran.

The KDP’s political forces have clearly been stretched to breaking point by the latest crises, such as their dispute with Baghdad, their fraught relationship with the opposition and their rampant corruption. The burden of these crises has fallen on the shoulders of the majority of people of Kurdistan. The people are paying a heavy price, not the Barzani rulers.

However, no one should be under any illusion about the vast resources the KDP has to protect its rule and its cronies. The KDP leadership knows that their popularity is fading away: If they do not act, they will be politically bankrupt by this time next year.

Copyright © 2012 Kurdistantribune.com

16 Responses to For the first time, Gorran is in the driving seat
  1. Hamma Mirwaisi
    August 1, 2012 | 10:29

    Gorran Must take this opportunity to confront Barzani Thieves

    Talabani is already dead physically and mentally.

    Barzani failed in many front.

    Barzani Sheiks family members are standing up against Massoud Barzani because he and his brothers are more Zebari’s than Barzani.

    Majority of Kurdish people are not supporting Barzani according to study done in the US recently.

    The US Government is not returning to Iraq for Barzani family protection.

    Turkey knows that the effect of Massoud Barzani support is not going to be more than the effect of 62 thousand Kurdish village guards whom they are fighting PKK along one million of Turkish armies.
    Israel is the only country in the world helping Massoud Barzani now.

    Israeli’s helps are generating animosity toward Massoud Barzani. By Iran, Iraqi Sh’a, Syria, Arab people, Turkish people and majority of Kurdish people too.

    The Zebari (Massod Barzani) thieve is cornered now. It is time for Kurdish people to hit him with iron fist to eliminate his unjust rule forever.

    It is time for Kurdish people to revolt against Massoud Barzani now.

    Gorran need to lead the Kurdish people liberation forcefully without Talabani’s support. Majority of Kurdish people and Peshmergahs are going to join Gorran in the fight against Massoud Barzani and his family unjust practice.

  2. Not a nationalist
    August 1, 2012 | 15:29

    Barzani’s fate is sealed. He has openly sided with Zionist Isra-hell, enemies of everyone in the region, not just Kurds and Arabs. It is written in Qur’an al-Kareem not to take such people for your friends and allies. Barzani did the opposite and now he and anyone supporting his actions will live to regret it.

    • halmet
      August 4, 2012 | 21:43

      The Israeli flag flies openly on the top its embassies in Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and Turkey, and some other Arab and Islamic countries. How come your Quran al-kareem hasn’t punished those countries?
      Please don’t use those hypocritical and worthless phrases next time unless you have solid evidence to support your claim.

  3. Suleiman
    August 1, 2012 | 17:40

    Gurran still has not demonstrated its complete dissociation from PUK.

  4. P
    August 2, 2012 | 09:46

    Gorran is by no mean some kind angels. The kurds will never forget their betrayal in kirkuk and their undermining of KRG.

    • Soran
      August 2, 2012 | 15:26

      Kurditan is the only place in the world where a Government blames opposition for its faliure!!

      • Pete Shield
        August 2, 2012 | 16:28

        I think Soran you will find the US administration do it all the time as well. Here in France you often hear Govt minsters blaming the previous government for all the faults of today- that one is a little difficult for the KDP as they have been in power for 20 years!

  5. Mahmud
    August 2, 2012 | 16:35

    P,
    what is your point? Are you putting some blame on Gorran to take away blame from the KRG? Would you enlighten us by telling us what you think about the current corrupted KDP and PUK parties performance?

    • P
      August 2, 2012 | 22:32

      I think that a law should be introduced severly punishing corruption. KDP and PUK have some corruption within their ranks, nobody can deny that. If Gorran really is the anti-corruption Party, they would find it easy to attract voters. We shall see how they perform in the next election.

  6. Pete Shield
    August 2, 2012 | 18:18

    Mahmud,
    Sorry for any misunderstanding- I wasn’t really commenting on the state of the political discourse in the KRG but on the Soren’s comment that it only happened in Kurdistan.

    What I would say on Gorran is that while they have broken the KDP/PUK duopoly I see lots of tactical attacks on the KRG /KDP but I find it hard to detect a underlining medium term strategy for winning influence. Similarly I don’t really see a coherent set of policies that would transform the life of the people in the Kurdish region, but this could be because of my inability to read either Kurdish or Arabic.

  7. Dr.N. Hawramany
    August 3, 2012 | 08:42

    The danger is in the surge of Islamic parties in Kurdistan with their hidden agenda of antiprogression antisecularism and the goal of turning Kurdistan back to middle ages.
    KDP and PUK and Gorran are secular political parties, and while corruption and nepotism are serious problems, the alternaive of Islamic parties having upper hand in Kurdistan is gloomy.

  8. Kawa Hadad
    August 3, 2012 | 12:43

    There is one danger in Kurdistan , barzanies totalitarian and autocratic tendencies , attempt to establish family cult and corruption of public resources. barzanies must be confronted and stopped or Masroor will end up taking over . A nightmare scenario .

  9. Suleiman
    August 3, 2012 | 13:54

    Dr. Hawramany,
    the logic you are using is the same logic that was used by Mubarak, Qaddafi, Saddam, and now Asad. That logic is what has kept the current dictators in their place for decades. Change is change no matter who comes. I am not for an Islamic government in Kurdistan, but to say lets keep the current corrupted KDP and PUK because we are worried Islamists may take over is a very politically immature statement. We have to grow out of the propaganda and generalization which has been pumped into our countries from the west and their tails of Middle East dictators. Give everyone a chance in a democratic state and if they don’t perform well remove them.

    I am surprised an educated person like yourself would think in this narrow-minded way. Our first priority is not to worry about who will take over next, rather it should be the creation of a democratic environment which gives everyone a chance to represent. Just as you are accusing the Islamists of taking the land back to the dark ages, the Islamists can also make a case that Secular ruling has taken the Middle East back hundreds of years with their dictatorship and complete oppostion to change. As you see, things can always be generalized.

    • halmet
      August 5, 2012 | 09:49

      Suleiman and Dr. Hawramany,
      Your statements make sense. Both secular dictators and Islamic parties will not make much progress in the current system. One thing we need to establish is a parliamentarian, progressive and modern constitution. without a democratic constitution, we will be changing from one dictatorship to another. We need a real transformation from current lawless system to a democratic one.

      i think all human have sense of dictatorship to some degree.

      When was the last time you heard that a president of country stepped down for his comrades to lead?

      Obama will elect himself 15 times if the U.S constitution allows him to.

      Khomeini before coming to power promised Iranian to have a democratic country. look what happened to Iran. History will repeat itself in Egypt, Libya, and Syria. We will see!

      We all kurds need to redirect our focus from blaming one another to establishing a democratic constitution. once again, without a democratic constitution, we will be changing from one dictatorship to another. A democratic constitution is an ultimate solution to our current political problem.

  10. Ari
    August 3, 2012 | 14:46

    Bele .min legel qsey Dr.N.hawmanim

  11. Kurd
    August 4, 2012 | 23:36

    I don’t believe we should cut ties with Israel or prevent them from opening a consulate in Kurdistan. At the same time, we all know Israel has complicated regional agendas and their Mossad is involved in activities no other country can keep up with.

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