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By Mufid Abdulla:
While the president of Kurdistan and his party pursues its disputes with Baghdad – over oil revenues, the budget, Kirkuk and the idea, at least, of a Kurdish state – the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP’s) strategic partner, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), is muted and appears unconcerned about these vital issues.
The KDP is forced to work harder in its manoeuvres with Baghdad because of the PUK’s blunders and because PUK leader and Iraqi president Jalal Talabani has distanced himself from Kurdistan Regional president Masud Barzani. This has been damaging for the coalition but especially for the PUK. KDP political analysts reckon that the domination of Talabani over the PUK could lead to that party’s destruction in next year’s elections – and they don’t want the KDP to be associated with this.
Talabani is a notoriously unreliable ally for the KDP and it is no secret that the KDP leadership believes the PUK – and especially Talabani – lacks communication skills. The KDP will not be helped by its alliance with the PUK. Instead its leaders will no doubt consider how well the Gorran party did by standing on its own in 2009.
Many of the KDP’s members and leaders who used to dismiss Gorran leader Nawshirwan Mustafa as little more than a clever show off are now talking seriously about his potential to rescue them from the doldrums. The grassroots of the Gorran party has never hidden its preference – on the right terms – for an alliance with the KDP. And the KDP is well aware of the personal popularity of Nawshirwan. During the 2009 elections, KDP activists knocking on doors in supposedly safe “yellow” areas were dismayed by how many people said they would vote for Nawshirwan, not because they particularly liked his policies, but because they liked him and found him fun.
Although Nawshirwan enjoys tweaking Barzani’s tail, their relationship is largely amiable and Barzani knows that Nawshirwan is decent, especially since he attended Barzani’s mother’s funeral in Sulaymani.
As Sigmud Freud pointed out, the things that people once found frightening and revolting can eventually seem normal. This is happening now with the beginnings of a good relationship between the KDP and Gorran.
By and large, Kurdistan’s prime minster Nichervan Barzani is grown up enough to understand that Gorran is the second force in Kurdistan. That is the reason why he has just reinstated those state employees who were sacked by the PUK for supporting Gorran. The KDP leadership is serious about a partnership with Gorran and this is why Masud and Nichervan visited Gorran’s headquarters a few months ago.
The PUK is in deep trouble. It underestimated Nawshirwan from the start while the KDP took the measure of the man. Now Talabani is going back to Erbil and opening a new PUK headquarters there – in ‘KDP territory’ – for the first time since 1996. This means the end of the PUK love affair with the KDP.
The KDP is looking for a much better partner in Kurdish politics than Talabani. It knows that the PUK organisation cannot develop into a modern and formidable party. Two recent examples of this are the mysterious death of a PUK mayor in a security cell and the strange behaviour of the PUK’s media central committee in telling President Barzani’s advisor to “shut up”.
I believe the PUK is essentially a vehicle for Jalal Talabani. He likes being in the public arena and the party guarantees his celebrity. I don’t think he cares a jot about the future of his party.
The PUK has lost its central command structure and each leader is singing his own song. The party is motivated by sleaze, corruption and money and – when this dries up – the whole machine will dissolve and we will be in the post-Talabani era.
Copyright © 2012 Kurdistantribune.com
PUK is Talabani,
and Talabani is ***** 66,
AND ***** 66 means deviding Kurdistan in 2 parts and that meant a deadly dagger in the neck of the Kurdistan liberation movement.
This has been the mission of Talabani & PUK and regardless of their disguise they did nothing else than weakening Kurdistan and thus giving the enemies of Kurdistan the chance to control Kurdistan and the aspiration of it’s people.
PUK & Talabani have created and deepened the regional divide between Slemani (Baban) and the rest of it (Soran).
Ever since 1966, Talabani’s start of fighting the Barzanis and the Kurdistan liberation movement, they have made it “im-possible” to have a united South-Kurdistan and that is what we see since 1991 in the form of 2 administrations in Slemani and Hewler.
And exactly this fact is the main reason of most of the shortcomings and dysfunctionalities that the so called intellectuals criticize about the situation in Kurdistan (the issue of corruption, mismanagement, 2 administrations and lack of democracy etc.).
It is a pitty that almost no one in the kurdish political arena dares to point out to the fatal regional and cultural division in Kurdistan which is the reason for almost all evil and prevents any meaningful advance of the affairs in Kurdistan.
The separation of Newshirwan/Gorran from PUK was a glim of hope for so many Kurds who were unhappy with PUK/PDK.
But from the beginning(in July 2009) I have been telling everyone who wanted to listen that the PUK/Gorran split is nothing but a show to deceive the Kurds who were unhappy with the PUK/PDK.
It was an attempt to outplay PDK/ Barzani and gather the unhappy votes by Gorran and the traditional votes by the PUK.
And just in the few recent days PUK & Gorran representatives declare that they would come together and form a block to participate in the coming elections.
It’s ashaming that neither Talabani/PUK nor Newshirwan/Gorran are defending kurdish rights against Maliki, instead they are either silent or are defending Maliki and if they open their mouths, it is about attacking Barzani.
PUK & Gorran have been alleging that they are the real kurdish patriots and not PDK/Barzani.
And now that it is time to show real patriotism and defend kurdish rights they are allying with the enemy and stand against kurdish rights just because they hate PDK and the Barzanis so much.
As far as I am concerned I don’t regard PUK & Gorran as kurdish patriots.
On the contrary they are worse than any enemies of the Kurds because the enemy within is 1000 times worse than the outside enemy.
These are facts that cause this unbelievable failure of Kurds to achieve anything despite all the positive conditions in the region and the world.
The sad thing is neither PDK/Barzani are getting into such discussions because that would definitely lead to a new civil war in Kurdistan NOR the so called intellectual realize that or dare to discuss that because most of them are bound to party lines and don’t feel obliged to what an intellectual should feel bound to, which is the truth, his conscience and in our case the desire to do his people good.
Just the fact that today Maliki insults the whole of Kurdistan by visiting Kerkuk, defying Kurds and showing that he is in Command and Kurds should forget Kerkuk and the fact that the PUK mayor of Kerkuk Nejmeddin is receiving Mailik is a scandal par excelence.
This is PUK & Talabani and thus they will stay for ever.
So Kurds (mainly in Slemani) should decide whether they are Kurds in the first degree or rather something else.
I mention Slemani because it not only was the basis fro the PUK they are now the home for Gorran, and Gorran is silent about Maliki or they are shooting at Barzani and just yesterday on of their MP members in Baghdad has a new suggestion which would be applying the Hong Kong model for Kurdistan and it’s relation with Baghdad.
No Kurd seems to see how scandalous that is!
Slaw u rez
Dilshad Xoshnaw
The PUK sure did their share of damage, but Kak Dilshad, I am disappointed you didn’t mention the KDP and their corruption. In the last year or so, Masoud Barzani has done more damage to the Kurdish rights movement than any other group, through his public circus and display of poor leadership. Who calls for the announcement of an independent Kurdish state when your own parliament cabinet had not been formed? And isn’t an independent Kurdistan the ultimate goal for Kurds? Then what is stopping Barzani from announcing it and working for it anyways, regardless of what Hashimi or Maliki? I don’t understand the bias towards KDp by so many people. Both PUK and KDP are corrupted and don’t deserve to lead our people, and if you are going to say Talabani is corrupt and outdated (which he is both) then for the sake of history and fairness, lets put some spotlights on Barzani as well. The tribal backwardness within the KDP is way more dangerous and damaging than the corrupted disassociation within the PUK. Lets call it as it is and enough of hypocricy. Our people deserve someone better than Barzani and Talabani. Some young blood with no tribal affiliation.
Some young blood with no tribal affiliation!? I am of the same opinion.
Some one with no prejudice. Some one who can unite Kurdistan. Some one who can merge all these departments and admins. Some one who can reconstruct Kurdistan. Who can create jobs for our youth. Who can enable our farmers to produce on their own rather than depending on others.Who can invest on strengthening the infrastructure. How can put an end to administrative and fiscal corruption. Who can immediately unite and create a robust national force to protect KRG versus foreign invasions and prevent the replication of genocide, mass murders or Kurd-killings. Who can come clean with KRG budget allocation and spending, including revenues from oil transactions, costume tariff ,Baghdad funds, UNO, as forth. Some one has the ability to zero out poverty.Some one who is not affiliated to KDP, PUK, GOran.
That some one is missing? But I know for fact it will not be one of those some ones currently leading in S. Kurdistan. Must be some foreign-born or raised some one.
I feel very disillusioned when I see our educated, brilliant Youths such as: Harem Karem, Kamal Chomani, Shwan Zulal and Mariwan Salihi are residing and serving other countries.
How is S.Kurdistan ever going to make progress when these youths, who are our national capital and future generation, are absent in Kurdistan.
That some one will be molded from one of these youths.
Baqi Barzani,
Don’t you also live in another country?
I have no interest in seeking fame or position in my life. Nor do I love politics. Sometimes I criticize KRG but it is only implied to exert pressure on them for the betterment of Kurdistan. We must constantly be willing to change. That is what will make us different compared to the rest of Iraq. I love simplicity. Perhaps when S.Kurdistan declares its independence, I will then join the ranks and files of an only and only a national, neutral,and nonpartisan KDF (Peshmarga.