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In respond to their brutality, Kurdistan
should boycott Turkish products
15.1.2008
By Dr Hoshiar Molod, Saudi Arabia
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January 15, 2008
Dr Hoshiar Molod, (eKurd.net), -- We should boycott
all Turkish products. The reason for this is that
boycott is more powerful and is more effective than
demonstrations on the streets of Kurdistan and
overseas. These days Kurdish people are all asking
the same question “What is the Kurdish leader’s move
against Turkey” this is because it is absolutely
clear that the Kurdistan regional government and the
Iraqi Government are vague in their explanation to
the Kurdish public on how they are dealing with the
Turkish invasion of Kurdistan. The Kurdistan
regional government does not have a clear statement
in response to what is happening in Kurdistan at the
moment. A reporter asked Mr. Massoud Barzani about
how he was dealing with the latest Turkish air
strikes; He stated in response that he had ordered
the Peshmarga forces to defend Kurdish cities if
Turkey invaded.www.ekurd.net
I believe that his
statement is vague and is not answering the question
asked by the Kurdish people. Invasion cannot be
defined in terms of cities or villages. An invasion
actually takes place when a foreign army crosses the
international border of a neighboring country.
It appears that it is only Kurdish people who are
participating in demonstrations that are taking
place all over the world to protest against the
Turkish invasion of Kurdistan. The fact of the
matter is that Turkey is invading Kurdistan to
undermine the Kurdish authority in Iraq and that the
Iraqi government is not doing what is needed for
Kurdistan. I think that apart from the Kurdish
public, no one else seems to care about the
situation in Kurdistan.
Demonstrations take place to publicly express a
certain group’s opinions towards a specific matter.
Public opinion is a powerful weapon and could
benefit a cause. But who thinks that a brutal
government like Turkey would ever consider the
Kurdish public’s point of view, when in fact, they
do not recognize Kurdistan and the Kurdish people.
They do not even accept the language and history of
the Kurds. Therefore demonstrations are not the
answer to this problem.
The Turkish government has never recognized the
Kurdistan regional government. Turkey continuously
treats the government of Kurdistan as a nonwanted
entity and tries very hard to bring about its
failure as a government. Whenever needed, Turkey has
closed the border and stopped any movement to or
from Kurdistan. It must be noted that the only
relation Turkey has with Kurdistan is a commercial
one;www.ekurd.net
but what commercial
relation? Turkey considers Kurdistan as an active
market for all its products. If you were to visit
Kurdistan you would think that you were in a Turkish
city. The companies are Turkish, the foods are
Turkish, and the restaurants are Turkish.
Turkey has the power to destroy Kurdistan
financially and politically at any time. How has it
acquired this power? Yes we have given Turkey the
power to destroy us. Kurdistan and Iraq are one of
the biggest markets for Turkish products. We, the
Kurdish public consume the Turkish products that are
strengthening the financial base of Turkey and what
do we get in return? We not only get disrespect as a
nation, but we also receive missiles and bullets. Is
it not time for the Kurdish public to retaliate
against Turkey?
We should influence the Turkish public opinion for
that will force its government to respect the
Kurdish nation and Kurdistan. The Turkish nation is
being misled by its government and being encouraged
not to listen to our problems and not to be affected
by our demonstrations. The only way that we can
affect the Turkish nation is by making it
financially weaker. We should make Turkey realize
that we can stop buying its cheap products. We can
instead buy more expensive products from another
country or make our own products. Our products may
not be as good as the ones manufactured in Turkey,
but at least we know that our nation will not suffer
as a result of using this product.
My plea to my people is to boycott Turkish products
and to demonstrate in protest to the Kurdish
government for the purpose of stopping Turkish
companies from reaping benefits in Kurdistan. The
Kurdish public should demonstrate and send a strong
message to our brothers in Iraq. They are in
beneficial position within the confines of the Iraqi
safe area and therefore be able to boycott Turkish
products and not straddle the fence. We have to move
as a nation and use our power. We should simply not
buy Turkish products. Turkey is using its power to
make us weaker. Why should we make them richer and
stronger.
Turkey has created for itself a large market in
Kurdistan and has greatly benefited a lot from
commercial deals with Kurdistan. This situation
certainly has not been advantageous to Kurdistan.
Also, Turkey is working towards stopping Kurdistan
from being an independent region in the area. We
provide Turkey with money and financial prosperity
while Turkey doles out destruction and poverty in
return. It is imperative that we stop trading with
Turkey.
According to a report from the Sbeiy website, 40% of
Kurdistan’s regional governmental budget for 2007
went to Turkish companies through contracts and the
purchase of goods. This figure is quite overwhelming
and gives Turkey the upper hand in everything
concerning our livelihood. Therefore, we should
consider this threat and act upon it immediately. We
should stop buying Turkish yogurt and only buy
yogurt from Kurdish farmers. We should also stop
buying Turkish carpets and buy Kurdish rugs, or any
other carpets instead as long as they are not
Turkish.
Boycott is a strong weapon. Just take look at the
recent problems between Denmark and Islamic
countries. A Danish artist had drawn some offensive
pictures of the profit Mohammed and this made
Muslims angry. The Islamic public decided to boycott
Danish products and stopped buying them. As a result
Denmark apologized formally to Muslims all over the
world for disrespecting them.
We must stop all dealings with Turkey because of the
threats they are imposing upon us. I think that a
boycott of Turkish products and Turkish brands is
necessary because of the positive effects it could
have on our situation. Below are several reasons for
implementing a boycott of Turkish products.
A. Turkey’s hidden agenda in Kurdistan.
Turkey is forever trying to strengthen its bases in
Kurdistan in the form of intelligence bases, Turkish
political parties, and different commercial
companies. The reason for this move by Turkey is
that Turkey considers Kurdistan to be a direct
threat,www.ekurd.net
and any gains made by
Kurdistan makes Turkey feel threatened. We should
also not forget that Turkey is controlling Kurdistan
and Iraq financially. Kurdistan and Iraq are active
markets for Turkish products. This is weakening the
production and industry sectors of Kurdistan.
B. Turkey is always the beneficiary in any
commercial transactions with Kurdistan because:
i. Turkey’s economy depends primarily on commercial
exchange.
ii. Turkey is more advanced than Iraq in the
industrial sector compared to Iraq and its products
have a good market in Kurdistan and Iraq. This
results in a weakening of the industrial sector in
Kurdistan and Iraq.
iii. More commercial transactions mean more
financial benefits for Turkey, which means better
relations with industrial countries.
C. Negative consequences of commercial
relations between Kurdistan and Turkey on Kurdistan.
Any product Kurdistan buys from Turkey results in:
i. Indirectly increasing the military power of
Turkey.
ii. Furthering and promoting Turkey’s disregard for
Kurdistan’s right of existence.
iii. Furthering and promoting threats to the
national security of Kurdistan.
iv. Weakening Kurdistan’s regional government
politically and financially.
If we stop buying Turkish products, the positive
effects are going to be
1. Turkey’s public opinion will move against the
Turkish stand towards Kurdistan and the Kurds.
2. Kurdistan will be considered as a strong region
and will be respected accordingly.
3. The move will give life back to the industrial
sector of Kurdistan and Iraq, enabling it to produce
again and to replace the Turkish products that
people are not buying.
Dr Hoshiar Molod. You may reach the author via
email at: hoshiaryousif (at) hotmail.com
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