Kurdish Leaders: Lack of Credibility
Rauf Naqishbendi
June 16, 2008
Saddam Hussein´s genocidal campaign against Kurdish civilians is one of the most atrocious and cruelest crimes recorded against humanity. While the Kurds know firsthand the horror of their treatment at the hands of Saddam and his tyrannical regime, the rest of the world is uninformed. Given their past history, it is understandable that the Kurds will do everything in their power to prevent another violation of their human rights. American liberation generated hope for a new future with the possible realization of their dream for an independent Kurdish state. Tragically, Kurdish leaders ignored that possibility, relegating their people to a future even more dismal than their unfortunate past under Saddam Hussein.
In the face of a national uproar regarding the economic and social injustices of the Kurdish leaders, they chose to justify their actions by issuing a proclamation that the criticisms were not grounded in reality, but were simply the byproduct of the new freedom enjoyed by the population. The response of the leaders may help to assuage their consciences, but it does not fool the world. The public outcry induced by the widespread abuse of power was not the consequence of greater freedom. Another proclamation issued by Kurdish leaders insisted that Kurdistan, in comparison to other countries in the Middle East, was doing far better. This assertion is beyond absurd. The Kurds have proven they can do better than their neighbors, even with their unqualified leaders. Ironically, by contrasting themselves with their counterparts in the region, Kurdish leaders demonstrate only that they can be as bad as the worst ones.
Stories of corruption, cronyism, nepotism, and favoritism practiced by Kurdish leaders are not fabricated to wrongly accuse them. The accusations reflect the reality of everyday life for the Kurdish people. Kurdistan has routinely experienced injustice under occupation, but currently it is Kurdish leaders who are the source of shabby social and economic conditions that plague Kurdish society. Kurdish leaders had the power to fashion a thriving economy, social justice, and future security, but they elected instead to pursue their own ravenous need for money, power, and prestige.
The dark cloud of genocide and repression was temporarily lifted through American liberation. Sadly, the Americans in cooperation with the Kurdish leaders sold out the aspirations of the Kurdish people. Even now, America treats Kurds, not as an ally but as a tool to further their own political ends. The primary concern of America , is to manage a way out of Iraq that will not make the U.S. look bad. It is difficult not to conclude that America is willing to sell out its new friend, Kurds for political gain, even though Kurdish troops fought alongside of American troops and the Kurdistan region was considered the bright spot of the war. Arab countries, specifically Saudi Arabia and Turkey, stand as barriers against Kurdish statehood or even an autonomous Kurdish region. Yet, the U.S. views the Saudis and the Turks as staunch friends and allies, while the Kurds have been relegated to fodder in a failed Iraq policy.
Current U.S. policy may not be the result of animosity towards the Kurdish people, but that does not mitigate their actions. The policy is a combination of shortsighted U.S. foreign policy in conjunction with their acceptance of corrupt Kurdish leaders who lack any real public support. If Kurdish leaders had been true advocates for their people, they would have had much greater credibility and their voices would have carried further as the true representatives of their people.
The reality is that Kurdish leaders are not genuinely respected by their people and respected even less by outsiders, especially the White House. American authorities are cognizant of deep seated resentment and disenchantment by the Kurds towards their leaders. They know they have no credibility with their people and they consequently grant them little respect. The U.S. is well aware that Kurdish leaders seek power and money and they willingly let them have both so that the leaders will remain silent on Kurdish national issues, such as dealing with Kirkuk and Mosel, both of which are in conflict with the Turks and the Arabs.
These leaders make a mockery of their history when they discuss Kurdish tragedy and leave the real victims in a state of despondency while providing royal treatment for themselves and their cronies. In Kirkuk(recently sold out), where two Kurdish leaders had it in their power to buy back every Arab property and restore ownership of these properties to their rightful Kurdish owners, the leaders remained indifferent, thus leaving thousands of Kurdish families from Kirkuk to exist in substandard living conditions.
Another noteworthy example is my hometown, Halabja. It was devastated by Saddam´s weapons of mass destruction. With all of the financial resources at the Kurdish officials disposal, the only eye-catching place in town is the graveyard where victims are buried. But it was not, as one might imagine, to honor the victims. The authorities turned the graveyard into a monument so they could show it off to foreign leaders and use it to tell tales of Saddam´s atrocities. The rest of Halabja is as shanty as Saddam left it. It is still without adequate drinking water or public utilities and the various diseases inherited from gassing by Saddam continue to ravage victims. The families of these victims are still destitute and impoverished. Unarguably, this all falls on Saddam´s shoulders, but Kurdish leaders are hard pressed to point to one thing they have done to console victims. Which group deserves more attention to alleviate their circumstances – the victims or the leaders´ cronies? The obvious question is, how can these leaders sleep well in their luxurious life style while the town remains devastated and with the loud outcries of orphans, the crippled, and the diseased? Kurdish leaders keep everything for themselves, their families, and their cronies at the expense of the truly needy.
In headline news and commentary around the world the Kurds were celebrated for their peaceful sentiments and civility when Saddam was toppled. Now all of that has been obscured and overridden by stories of Kurdish leaders´ mismanagement and wickedness. They have caused inequality in Kurdistan and created intolerable economic disparity. Not surprisingly, they cannot defend themselves because their defense is muted by their own actions.
Kurdistan is a sad state of affairs. Kurds are not so naïve as to willingly accept these depraved leaders. But the leaders coerce people through their access to power. They control everything, from the media to the army to the budget. If the people of Kurdistan had a real choice, they would waste little time in ridding themselves of these corrupt leaders and their shameless cronies.
In the face of a national uproar regarding the economic and social injustices of the Kurdish leaders, they chose to justify their actions by issuing a proclamation that the criticisms were not grounded in reality, but were simply the byproduct of the new freedom enjoyed by the population. The response of the leaders may help to assuage their consciences, but it does not fool the world. The public outcry induced by the widespread abuse of power was not the consequence of greater freedom. Another proclamation issued by Kurdish leaders insisted that Kurdistan, in comparison to other countries in the Middle East, was doing far better. This assertion is beyond absurd. The Kurds have proven they can do better than their neighbors, even with their unqualified leaders. Ironically, by contrasting themselves with their counterparts in the region, Kurdish leaders demonstrate only that they can be as bad as the worst ones.
Stories of corruption, cronyism, nepotism, and favoritism practiced by Kurdish leaders are not fabricated to wrongly accuse them. The accusations reflect the reality of everyday life for the Kurdish people. Kurdistan has routinely experienced injustice under occupation, but currently it is Kurdish leaders who are the source of shabby social and economic conditions that plague Kurdish society. Kurdish leaders had the power to fashion a thriving economy, social justice, and future security, but they elected instead to pursue their own ravenous need for money, power, and prestige.
The dark cloud of genocide and repression was temporarily lifted through American liberation. Sadly, the Americans in cooperation with the Kurdish leaders sold out the aspirations of the Kurdish people. Even now, America treats Kurds, not as an ally but as a tool to further their own political ends. The primary concern of America , is to manage a way out of Iraq that will not make the U.S. look bad. It is difficult not to conclude that America is willing to sell out its new friend, Kurds for political gain, even though Kurdish troops fought alongside of American troops and the Kurdistan region was considered the bright spot of the war. Arab countries, specifically Saudi Arabia and Turkey, stand as barriers against Kurdish statehood or even an autonomous Kurdish region. Yet, the U.S. views the Saudis and the Turks as staunch friends and allies, while the Kurds have been relegated to fodder in a failed Iraq policy.
Current U.S. policy may not be the result of animosity towards the Kurdish people, but that does not mitigate their actions. The policy is a combination of shortsighted U.S. foreign policy in conjunction with their acceptance of corrupt Kurdish leaders who lack any real public support. If Kurdish leaders had been true advocates for their people, they would have had much greater credibility and their voices would have carried further as the true representatives of their people.
The reality is that Kurdish leaders are not genuinely respected by their people and respected even less by outsiders, especially the White House. American authorities are cognizant of deep seated resentment and disenchantment by the Kurds towards their leaders. They know they have no credibility with their people and they consequently grant them little respect. The U.S. is well aware that Kurdish leaders seek power and money and they willingly let them have both so that the leaders will remain silent on Kurdish national issues, such as dealing with Kirkuk and Mosel, both of which are in conflict with the Turks and the Arabs.
These leaders make a mockery of their history when they discuss Kurdish tragedy and leave the real victims in a state of despondency while providing royal treatment for themselves and their cronies. In Kirkuk(recently sold out), where two Kurdish leaders had it in their power to buy back every Arab property and restore ownership of these properties to their rightful Kurdish owners, the leaders remained indifferent, thus leaving thousands of Kurdish families from Kirkuk to exist in substandard living conditions.
Another noteworthy example is my hometown, Halabja. It was devastated by Saddam´s weapons of mass destruction. With all of the financial resources at the Kurdish officials disposal, the only eye-catching place in town is the graveyard where victims are buried. But it was not, as one might imagine, to honor the victims. The authorities turned the graveyard into a monument so they could show it off to foreign leaders and use it to tell tales of Saddam´s atrocities. The rest of Halabja is as shanty as Saddam left it. It is still without adequate drinking water or public utilities and the various diseases inherited from gassing by Saddam continue to ravage victims. The families of these victims are still destitute and impoverished. Unarguably, this all falls on Saddam´s shoulders, but Kurdish leaders are hard pressed to point to one thing they have done to console victims. Which group deserves more attention to alleviate their circumstances – the victims or the leaders´ cronies? The obvious question is, how can these leaders sleep well in their luxurious life style while the town remains devastated and with the loud outcries of orphans, the crippled, and the diseased? Kurdish leaders keep everything for themselves, their families, and their cronies at the expense of the truly needy.
In headline news and commentary around the world the Kurds were celebrated for their peaceful sentiments and civility when Saddam was toppled. Now all of that has been obscured and overridden by stories of Kurdish leaders´ mismanagement and wickedness. They have caused inequality in Kurdistan and created intolerable economic disparity. Not surprisingly, they cannot defend themselves because their defense is muted by their own actions.
Kurdistan is a sad state of affairs. Kurds are not so naïve as to willingly accept these depraved leaders. But the leaders coerce people through their access to power. They control everything, from the media to the army to the budget. If the people of Kurdistan had a real choice, they would waste little time in ridding themselves of these corrupt leaders and their shameless cronies.
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