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 Reply to a Dishonorable Degree, which was written by Nergiz Duhoki

 Source : ekurd.net, Dana Berzinjy
  Kurd Net does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news information on this page

 


Reply to a Dishonorable Degree, which was written by Nergiz Duhoki  2.6.2008 
By Dana Berzinjy - eKurd.net contributing writer

 



















June 2, 2008

Sydney, Dana Berzinjy, (eKurd.net),

PART 1

An honorary Doctor of Public Service was received on 17th May 2008, by the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Mr. Nechirvan Barzani on behalf of the Kurdish Nation. This is just a short response to the author of the article (A Dishonorable Degree, by Nergiz Duhoki).

I am terribly sorry to say that the “Kurds sometimes are the worse and the first enemy among themselves ”, and the history has approved that in the past in all the regions of Kurdistan, and even in the last years of the Kurdish struggle in South Kurdistan.           
Dana Berzinjy
I hope that never happens again to disappoint the struggle of the Kurdish nation. It’s very important for the Kurds to start a new page of friendship among all the Kurds, and put our personal and political differences aside, where they live and where they struggle against the hostile regimes which occupied Kurdistan. The united struggle should always be a symbol of the Kurds and to get together ironically especially in today’s dirty political situation in the world.

I read an article on the 14/05/2008, which was written by Nergiz Duhoki, cited on www.kurdishmedia.com. She said that “The Washington and Jefferson College will award an honorary Doctor of Public Service to the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Mr. Nechirvan Barzani, on May 17th, 2008. This decision of the Washington and Jefferson College has disappointed many Kurds and will damage the credibility of the college” (1). I don’t believe the decision by Washington and Jefferson College to give out Awards to the people who deserve them because they disappointed the Kurds and has nothing to do with the Kurds, we as a Kurdish nation need to be proud of that including you too. Receiving an Award is not shame, its pride. I think what you said about the University is vice versa. I believe it will give a good name to the University,www.ekurd.net because the Awards which were given to five people including the Prime Minister of the Regional Government, as he has done a lot for the people and for the humanity. The Awards were given by professional lecturers and Professors, which were approved legally under the rules and the regulations of the University. The expertise would have assessed very well who deserves what, not outsiders.

I want to say to Nergiz, it is a shame that you and other people that criticise things that have no true bases, and you have no right whatsoever, to damage the creditability of individuals and the dignity of the Kurds. If the Kurds have people like you, our nation will not need an enemy. Your criticism looks very personal, and it damages the credibility of all the Kurds.

Nergiz Duhoki said that, “Many Kurds are very disheartened by the decision of the college because the performance of the recipient as prime minister has been very dissatisfactory and never deserves an honorary recognition of contribution to the Public Service in Iraqi Kurdistan” (1).

In my view every single Kurd and the people that lived and still live in Kurdistan deserve to be given an award or honorary Doctor of Public Service not just to the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government. The people who struggled with the Kurds, such as Armenians, Assyrians, and Kurdish Jewish, the men and the women villagers who struggled or still struggle, and always give their own food and shelters to the Kurdish Freedom Fighters. Even the Kurdish martyrs who scarified their lives for the interest of the Kurdish struggle, revolution, in order to keep the Kurdish nation a live. We should put a crown of gold on their graves.

Mr. Nechirvan Barzani is also a Kurd he deserves an Award for his struggle too. If he did not struggle he would have finished his studies like other Kurds. In addition to that, the Award he received on 17th May 2008 from The Washington and Jefferson College is an honorary Doctor of Public Service to the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Mr. Nechirvan Barzani. This achievement was received by him on behalf of the Kurdish nation. It means this achievement is for the Kurdistan Regional Government, Kurdish Parliament, KDP, PUK, all other political parties, and the Kurds in general for their efforts and struggle against terrorism and for supporting democracy in Iraq, the Iraqi Kurdistan, and the Middle East. The safety of Kurdistan is not a gift that has been given by someone, but the Kurdistan Regional Government and the people in Kurdistan have been sacrificing and working very hard in order to achieve today’s victory over the enemy.

She continued in her article and said “On academic grounds, Mr. Nechrivan is a high school graduate and never attended university. Yes; a successful academic background is not a condition to receive an honorary degree, but a remarkable contribution by the recipient to the field for which he/she is receiving the honorary degree is a major condition” (1). It is not true when Mr. Nechrivan escaped with his family in 1974, then in 1984, he went to University of Tehran to study political science, but due to his father’s death after three years he withdrew from the University (2). But, it’s not important to be given an award to have a strong academic background, but his Government has contributed a remarkable contribution directly to the lives of million citizens in Kurdistan, and in Iraq. During the uprising in Kurdistan the Kurdish freedom Fighters had captured tens of thousands of Iraqi Arab soldiers, but no one was hurt. This was another achievement of the Kurds. Tens of thousands of Arabs and Christian refugees live in Kurdistan, I can say this is another victory, and all of theses are contributions for the humanity and respecting the rights of individuals, women, the other nationalities, democracy and freedom of speech. If Nergiz wants to compare the Kurdistan Regional Government for instance with the Turkish Government, no single nation can use its own language in education system in Turkey, but in Kurdistan all the nations are free to do that. So, tell the people of Kurdistan that, who is eligible to get an Award our Prime Minister or the Turkish Prime Minister? If you believe in democracy, in practical this is a real contribution to American, the (Washington & Jefferson Colleges’) democratic system and the World. This is the real democracy that the University and the USA Government are based on.

The following people are also support my critical argument, for instance, Jess Baily, the state department representative in Erbil said. "Prime Minister Barzani projects a progressive vision for the Kurdistan Region and the rest of Iraq, with an emphasis on education, the rights of women and minorities, and economic development." It is also the Washington & Jefferson President Tori Haring-Smith said, "Prime Minister Barzani has been a strong and outspoken ally of the United States throughout his time in public service, and Washington & Jefferson College is taking the initiative to recognize his contributions in the region and his efforts to make a difference through democracy there," W&J President Tori Haring-Smith said (2). Mr. Nechrivan has struggled firmly like other displaced and exiled Kurds against the former dictator executed Saddam’s regime. In 1988 when the 10, 000 Barzanis were taken by the Iraqi troops from Qooshtape, his family was not excluded from the campaign of that genocide, three of his uncles also were killed. Nergiz Duhoki said that “The performance of Mr. Nechrivan as prime minister of the KRG has been very dissatisfactory. Nepotism is a major problem within the KRG. Mr. Nechirvan’s blood connection to Massoud Barzani awarded him the position as Prime Minister of the KRG. Under his leadership, the level of administrative corruption goes beyond imagination, for which his party KDP and the rival party PUK are responsible. The people of Iraqi Kurdistan suffer from, limited availability or at certain times, lack of basic living provisions, such as electricity, clean water. Health sector and educational institutions are falling back. Business monopoly and lack of transparency run deep, and inflation have reached an unimaginable number”(1). I want to say to Nergiz that not only Nechrivan Barazani is responsible for the corruption in Kurdistan and Iraq in general. The Iraqi Government has a main responsibility and all the ministers of Federal and the Kurdish state as well. You need to know that the Kurds in South of Kurdistan have not got an independent State to do the things on their way; they have to go to Baghdad, because they belong to the Federal Government. They are still dealing from the ashes of the former Iraqi Government some of those ministers still think that the Kurds do not deserve to have a share from the Iraqi oil or to have a share from the Iraqi budget. They are not happy that the Kurds have an autonomy, freedom and to enjoy democracy.

The Oil Minister Mr. Sharistani always says that the Kurdistan Regional Government illegally has given the oil contracts out. So that is what the Kurdish Regional Government faces on the daily bases. On the other hand, you are mistaken if you compare the Iraqi Regional Government to American Democratic system, which has been a government for 232 years and has the best democratic system among the other countries in the world. The Kurds have had a civil war for many decades and the Kurdistan Regional Government had been under two economic blockades, the one from the former the Iraqi Government, and the other one was from the United Nation until 2003. The blockade was removed after the collapse of the former the Iraqi Government. In addition to that more than 4000 villages were flattened with the ground in Kurdistan. The Kurdistan Regional Government has started everything from zero. The Kurds came to power after Kurdistan had been under the control of many racist Arabic Nationalist Governments; they treated the Kurds ironically by fire, steal, and bullet for almost centaury.

All American colonies united in order to declare their independence from Great Britain. John Hancock, as the elected President of Congress signed the Declaration of Independence on 4th July. Then The United States of America declared Independence on 4th, July 1776. This means the Thirteen Colonies in North America were "Free and Independent States" and the political links between the thirteen Colonies and the State of Great Britain, was entirely melted. So this day since 4th July became an Independence Day and the nation's birthday and people in the USA every year celebrate this National Day. The day was a remarkable day in American history (3).

The electricity Minister should be directly responsible for the electricity problems in Kurdistan not the Prime Minister, but the KRG has tried to solve this problem and according to the Spokesperson of PUK political bureau Mala Bakhtyar, said on PUK KURDSAT TV Channel, that the electricity problems will be solved by the end of year 2008. It is also the province of Hewler project of clean water has already finished, and it’s the biggest project in the Middle East. Many hospitals are also opened in Hewler and other cities in Kurdistan. Your allegation about education is not true as well,www.ekurd.net because the Ministry of Education has amended the old and an expiry system in Kurdistan, and it has been replaced by Western Education System. The Educational Institutions are not falling back in Kurdistan as you have said in this regard and you need to find out about these things before you try to write something that has no bases. You should compare these things with our neighbouring countries which they have been independent for almost a centaury, but their systems are the worst system in the world. But the Kurdistan Regional Government has in the short period of time achieved a lot, but you have ignored the reality and you did not want to talk about it. You have mentioned the negative points but you should have mentioned the positive side of it as well.

Nergiz Duhoki in her article continued and said “Awarding an honorary Doctor of Public Service to Mr. Nechrivan, “the University is indirectly supporting corruption, monopoly and nepotism”. You are as an American citizen you should be proud of the University of W&J and the United States of America that has given an Award to someone who deserves it. She said also “In the United States, officials found guilty of these practices are severely punished by law”. On the other hand if you think that the United States of America punishes the people that are guilty of committing crimes against humanity and you need to take the Bill Clinton’s Government to court and punish the President of supporting the Turkish Government and allowed the Turkish Army to occupy Iraqi Kurdistan in 1995 and at the result of the attack thousands of innocent Kurds were killed. It is also in 1990 the US Government helped the Turkish Army to destroy more than 4000 villages in North of Kurdistan in, and millions of the Kurds were exiled and removed from their land (Kurdistan of Turkey)(4). You need to ask yourself in order to find out the truth.

At the end, I hope that you and other people, who criticise the Kurdistan Regional Government in the future, would criticise in a constructive way rather than a negative way, not a criticism which has no proper bases. The Kurdistan Regional Government is a great achievement of almost a centaury of the Kurdish struggle. It’s everyone’s Government and more than 40 million Kurds are looking at this Symbol, and it’s our hope and we need to protect it, and build more on it. It’s our pride, our passion and our dignity.

Bibliography
1. A dishonorable degree, 14/05/2008, by Nergiz Duhoki,cited on www.kurdishmedia.com USA
2. .Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government to Receive Honorary at W&J Commencement Ceremony, PA (April 25, 2008) WASHINGTON.
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence
4. Fernandes, D., 1990, Turkey’s US-Backed War On Terror: A Cause For Concern? USA.

Dana Berzinjy, a freelance writer, Sydney/Australia, June 2, 2008, Exclusively for eKURD.NET © All Rights Reserved. You may reach the author via email at: danaberzinjy (at) ekurd.net

About the Author: Master in TESOL from University of Western Sydney in 1995. Bachelor of Teaching (Secondary) Faculty of Education {University of Western Sydney macarthur} 2001-2002. Postgraduate Diploma in Adult Education (Teaching English of Speakers Other Languages) Faculty of Education {University of Western Sydney macarthur} 1999-2001. Postgraduate Diploma in Business ( Employment Relations Law) Faculty of Business ( University of Technology Sydney) 1997-1999. Bachelor of Business (Commerce and Human Resource management) ( Southern Cross University) 1992-1996 Lismore.

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