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By Mufid Abdulla:
On 11th July the KRG opposition parties decided to halt the negotiations until the murderers of February are brought to justice.
Now the KRG’s crisis is the Opposition’s opportunity to speed up the process of campaigning and agitating for what they believe in. This should include creating a shadow government embracing the three opposition parties. It is clear to all observers that the two ruling parties under-estimate the strength and reliability of the Opposition. But the fate of this nation in the south of Kurdistan very much depends on them and not on the KRG. The ruling parties have no strategy or desire to resolve the crisis. Instead they are just playing with the Opposition, sometimes making excuses about technical problems stopping them from meeting as agreed. There is no doubt that the Opposition is motivated by the aspirations of the people, while the KRG is motivated by greed.
The two ruling parties have proved for the last two months that they are time wasters and their alleged reform is a sham. Recent negotiations show that they are incapable are grasping reality and have no intention of weakening the corrupt ruling oligarchy which is hated by the people.
We the people demand a democratic constitution for Kurdistan. In the real world of ‘reform’, little has changed since Barzani first graced our TV screens. There is no chance that Barzani will choose to relinquish power after enjoying it for so many years. The state looks like a family-run company and, increasingly, a family imbroglio with intrigues such as Barzani’s move to confer substantial powers on his sons Masrur and Nichiravan.
The KDP and PUK run an empire built on personal loyalty and clannish arrogance. But the game changed in February and the two leaders have lost their clothes. We all know that they made their fortunes out of the misery of ordinary people. The Opposition should not waste any more time on engagement and dialogue with the oligarchs. Instead it should concentrate on campaigning and on restructuring their party organisations. There is almost 24 months until the due date of the next election and, if they work harder, they can achieve a landslide victory. The Gorran Party should elect a leadership committee made up of the bravest leaders in the towns and cities across south Kurdistan.
Three points for action
1. Passion
I recently read an article in the local newspapers about four Gorran MPs complaining about their work inside parliament and their reluctance to do any more work because of a sense of rejection by the two ruling parties. I would like to inform them that Max Weber identified three qualities of political leadership: passion, a sense of responsibility and a sense of proportion. Passion for your cause and for the nation are essential to win this fight. Why has our struggle taken so long – is it not because of a lack of sufficient passion and sense of responsibility? When you talk with the decent, senior Kurdish leaders, you don’t ask them whether they have been to jail but how many times!
You need to take your argument outside Parliament – with all the energy and more that you currently expend inside Parliament. If your struggle is so ineffective, why are the two ruling parties at all concerned? Gorran is a young movement but you have no time for turning on each other. There is time only to go forward and to love your cause. You are young and learning all the time. Think about it, why did some intellectuals become servants of the two parties? Because they are cowards! Your most courageous, passionate leaders should drive the movement forward.
Opposition MPs: don’t imagine this defiance will be painless or without consequence. We all know that you have all received hostile threats but when you fight back, don’t make it personal. If you make it personal, they will make it personal too. In this whirlwind of repression and government lies, keep your eyes fixed firmly on the vital issues. MPs should not reduce politics to a personal journey. Always try to maximise your appeal and display your best qualities. You should be able to win the arguments all the time. The tone of politics in Kurdistan should be set by those politicians who stand up and fight for what they believe in.
2. Unity
The Opposition should campaign with one voice. The three parties should be able to set up a shadow government and give it teeth by choosing MPs capable of building projects for reform and making independent decisions. What counts is that the Opposition is still able to agree on a shared set of values and that the divisions are less about what should be done to public services than about how the political case for change should be made. The Opposition should look forward, talk about the future and ‘keep on trucking’ – that what is unified opposition is about.
3. Clear demands
The Opposition should have clear demands. For example, in the case of the uprising of the people in Azadi Square, the Opposition showed some hesitation in backing up the peoples’ demands. They came back to them, but it was too late. The Opposition’s job is to back up the peoples’ demands and aspirations, mindful of the consequences – referred to long ago by Nelson Mandela – if our corrupt rulers try to prevent a peaceful change.
Finally, if the last meeting made no progress, this means the negotiations have reached their highest level. If you cannot add anything to the negotiation, the talks have gone as far as possible. Take the simple analogy of going up a hill: when you cannot climb any higher, you must be at the top.
