|
Conservatism does not mean anti-Kurd!
29.6.2007
By Brady Edholm
|
|
|
|
June
29, 2007
Over the past several months articles depicting the
president of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG)
as Benito Mussolini and suggesting the deployment of
Turkish troops in Kirkuk have appeared on The
Conservative Voice.
As someone who cast his first vote for Ronald Regan,
I have become increasingly frustrated in my struggle
to find a connection between conservatism and being
anti-Kurd or anti-KRG. A review of Iraqi Kurdistan
Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani’s comments over the
past year reveals at attitude in harmony with the
ideals of most conservatives. Below are quotes from
some his recent speeches and articles:
Education
“Our greatest resource is our people and only our
people can build our country, and a new future for
themselves. Government alone can never build a
future for our people. We as the KRG are obligated
and committed to creating an environment where our
people can build their own future.“ (Conference on
Education, 22 May 2007) “Nothing is more important
for improving the quality of life than receiving a
quality education. We cannot have genuine freedom
and prosperity until we have effective and
contemporary education throughout our Region, for
all our people. “ (Conference on Education, 22 May
2007)
Democracy
”Even under the best of circumstances, building a
civilized and democratic society is never an easy
task. We in the Kurdistan Region face great
challenges because of our difficult and painful
past, and the complicated situation we find
ourselves in today. We must, however, understand
that democracy is not a luxury we can wait for.
Democracy is the answer to many of the challenges
that the Kurdistan Region faces today.” (Conference
on Civil Society, 6 June 2007)
Corruption
”This is a problem confronting all of us in both
government and the private sector. Corruption is not
just an economic problem; it is a moral, ethical,
and social one.” (Conference on Civil Society, 6
June 2007)
Labor
”I reiterate that we have to be honest with
ourselves and each other. Because of the oppression
and suffering of the past, many of our people have
learned to be lazy, to rely on the government and
the state to provide for their needs. Our people do
not show that spirit and dynamism that is needed for
economic development. They are not ready to take on
difficult work.” (Conference on Civil Society, 6
June 2007)
Moral and Ethical Education
”Civil society has a very important role in the
field of moral and ethical education in the Region.
The government has no role in this area. We cannot
impose this subject on schools, mosques, churches,
villages, institutions or families. The moral and
ethical aspect of our society is, however, a subject
which needs attention. Civil society should try to
strengthen respect for the family, promote core
values, stress respect for one’s fellow citizens and
the importance of collective work, charity work and
service to society.” (Conference on Civil Society, 6
June 2007)
Foreign Investment
“We will do all that we can to encourage foreign
investment so that the Kurdistan region becomes the
commercial gateway to all Iraq,”
“The Kurdistan Region is open for business! We have
many needs and thus many opportunities. Nearly
everything we use and consume, including much of our
food, is now imported from abroad. We need foreign
investment in every area of our economy, and my
advice is: come here, look at our markets, our
people, and our infrastructure, and help us to build
our economy…. Fly into our new airports, drive our
improving roads, and bring your expertise and
knowledge. You will not be disappointed.” (Interview
with Soma Digest. 22 May 2006)
As a conservative, I would like to express my
admiration for the courage and determination Prime
Minister Barzani and other leaders in the Kurdistan
Regional Government continue to demonstrate in the
region’s fight for economic and social development.
Source: theconservativevoice com
** Scott Sullivan is witting the most Anti-Kurd
articles on the web and published only by The (The
Conservative Voice)
Have a look on his Anti-Kurds
articles
The views expressed in this article or news are
those of the author and do not necessarily represent
the views of ekurd.net
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 