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By Shwan Zulal:
“At Erbil Governor’s office in Kurdistan; It’s the weekend but the governor and his team are at work like any other working day”, tweeted Bayan Rahman, KRG (Kurdistan Regional Government) Representative to the UK. The penny appears to have finally dropped in the Kurdistan Region. There are frantic activities in most governmental departments. Demotions and promotions are taking place. General Managers have been sacked and even a deputy minister has been issued with an arrest warrant to face corruption charges. Sub-standard hospitals have been closed and there are plans to withdraw licenses from unhygienic dental and health clinics.
The PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan) and KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) appear to be in a competition to be seen carrying out reforms and putting their houses in order. The KDP has dismissed the deputy finance minister and the PUK has started to return public property to the government. Companies in Sulaymani, which are all but free enterprises belonging to the ruling parties, announced that they are returning public property to the Government.
This type of competition between politicians is what the Kurdish public has craved for in previous years, when competition was more about the size of swimming pools and country mansions.
One wonders what has happen to the Kurdish Government in the space of a month. The authorities have been moving at a leisurely pace for a long time and then the government went into a spasm when protest flared in the Sulaymani region in February. In the last few weeks, many changes are taking place and this could be the start of a comprehensive reform programme, which the incumbent parties have promised but never implemented for over a decade.
While pressure is mounting and the public has had enough of inept rule, the current government has a golden opportunity to drive forward radical and bold plans for the much-needed reforms in the Region. Such is the public’s anger at the lack of services and accountability that, the bolder the reforms, the more support it will receive.
Meanwhile, hopes are high as talks continue among the largest five political parties in the Kurdistan Region.
Protesters and opposition have managed to give the government a wake-up call and it appears that the languid machine of government is waking up. While the activities are promising and this could be the start of a new era in Kurdish politics, one cannot help but be cynical about the changes – doubting their motives and authenticity- mainly because of so many broken promises in the past.
If the incumbents succeed and make systemic changes to the government and the political and military structure in Kurdistan, the public may give both parties the benefit of the doubt for one last time. Otherwise, failing to introduce the overdue reforms and building a just society as well bringing an end to corruption would mean the PUK and KDP could only stay in power by imposing themselves rather than being elected in the future.
This article first appeared on Kurdish Views
