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Two Kings Is No Solution For Kurdistan
19.6.2008
By Rauf Naqishbendi
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June
19, 2008
Liberation from the grip of occupation is one of the
most arduous tasks facing any nation. At times, its
bloody struggle can stretch over decades, as is the
case with the Kurds. Kurdish independence is
complicated by its geographical location and its
bountiful natural resources. It has been divided
between the countries of Iraq, Syria, Iran and
Turkey. Each of these countries has been notorious
for its violation of human rights and each is a
staunch opponent of not only a sovereign Kurdish
state, but also an autonomous Kurdish region within
their federated state. These countries disagree on
every issue except that of subduing the Kurds and
their revolutionary movement for freedom and
national recognition.
They have all demonized
and marginalized Kurdish minorities in their states.
Turkey has constitutionally disenfranchised the
Kurds; in Syria, Kurds are forbidden Syrian
citizenship and treated as second class citizens;
Iran has been similarly opposed to Kurdish equality. |
Rauf Naqishbendi |
In Iraq, where Kurds have suffered genocide under
Saddam Hussein, the American liberation has allowed
the Kurds some breathing space for the moment. Kurds
have attempted to free themselves through numerous
but unsuccessful armed rebellions throughout their
history. In each case, it was primarily the lack of
effective leadership that led to brutal suppression
of the rebellions. And even now, under American
liberation, the Kurds are threatened with a return
to old dark days – or worse – unless Kurdish leaders
embrace their responsibility to their people. More
than any time in their history, Kurdish leadership
is in the spotlight.
Kurdish liberation is complicated not only by its
geography, centered as it is between the most
violent nations in the world, but also by its
inability to produce an effective leadership that
can address the Kurdish cause with a united stand.
The priority, of course, is an urgent need for a
leader who represents the national desire for
independence and who can mobilize the nation,www.ekurd.net
as he seeks to turn
dream into reality. It is perfectly sensible for any
nation to have more than one political party, each
reflecting a different view of how best to implement
a commonly accepted system of governance. But it is
detrimental and counterproductive to have more than
one leader in a revolutionary stage of development.
No nation in modern history has been able to pursue
liberation with multiple leaders, for multiple
leaderships can only divide a house, sacrificing
much needed unity in favor of personal advantage.
Iraqi Kurds have been engaged in an armed struggle
for their statehood for more than four decades and
have not yet reached a point that promises success
and future security. During most of this period,
Kurdistan has been divided into two kingdoms, each
with its own king, where only one is needed. This
situation has more to do with the personal ambitions
of the leaders, and their desire for dynasty, than
the interest and well being of the nation. There is
no ideological or fundamental difference that
distinguishes one from the other except their
personal desires for power. Kurdistan could only
benefit from the rise of a new popular leader with a
national agenda rather than a personal one, as seems
to be the case with the two reigning leaders.
The nation has clearly suffered civil war and
thousands have been sacrificed in the decades of
living under two leaders. Without question, these
lives have been lost only to satisfy the power
struggle of two selfish individuals who have brought
shame to the nation. Instead of unifying the nation
and directing its resources toward a common good,
they divided Kurdistan into two separate regions,
each governed by an opposing political party, each
with their own armed force, separate budget, and
inconsistency in governance. Moreover, each of the
appointed leaders was more concerned with appeasing
their own cronies, thus ignoring the well being of
commonwealth.
The current divided house is demoralizing and serves
as a constant reminder of a potential renewed civil
war. The reason for the past civil war, the struggle
for power, has not evaporated. It is very much alive
and will only be resolved through a united front
that cannot be thwarted. The problem is any
confrontation or disagreement between the two
dominant forces can re-ignite civil war and lead to
an ultimate national catastrophe.
Time is ticking, and time is not on the side of the
Kurds. It is time for both leaders to agree to act
in accordance with the national interest. One must
step down, but if they cannot come to an agreement
on which one, let them both step aside and pave the
way for a new leadership that people can trust.
After all, neither of the two have any credibility.
People are tired of them both. The two leaders have
done everything in their power to accommodate
themselves, their families, and their cronies. They
have acquired lands, wealth, and prestigious jobs,
and all at the expense of the people whose interests
they profess to represent. Now it is the people's
turn.
The gloomy days of the past national annihilation
resulting from civil war will easily be repeated
unless the leadership is consolidated into one
sensible leader, mindful of past national tragedy
and future threats. Kurds have endured this heinous
phenomena of multiple leaders whose tyranny has
crippled their choices. The pages of history portray
many dictators who were undone by their own sins,www.ekurd.net
while other nations
ended ruinously due to their arrogant or wicked
leaders. This, without any doubt, will happen to the
Kurds. When it does happen, let us hope it will
happen to the leaders and not the people of
Kurdistan, for they do not deserve another tragedy
because of the guilty actions of corrupt leaders.
Rauf Naqishbendi is a contributing columnist for
Kurdishaspect com, American Chronicle, Kurdishmedia
com and has written Op/Ed pages for the Los Angeles
Times. He has just completed his memoirs entitled
"The Garden Of The Poets" which reads as a novel
depicting his experience and the subsequent 1988
bombing of his hometown with chemical and biological
weapons by Saddam Hussein. It is the story of his
people's suffering. Rauf Naqishbendi is a software
engineer in San Francisco Bay Area.
Copyright, respective author or news agency,
americanchronicle com
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