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Kurdish opposition leader remains critical
of Kurdistan government
2.12.2009
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December 2, 2009
SULAIMANIYAH,
Kurdistan region 'Iraq', — The Change List is headed
by Nawshirwan Mustafa; a former PUK party leader who
left the party in December 2006 in protest at the
lack of internal reform. In an interview with Rudaw
he says the new Kurdish government won’t be
successful. He also said that he doesn’t rule out a
coalition with an Iraqi party.
The Change List is considered as the biggest Kurdish
opposition party in the federal Kurdistan region of
Iraq, which enjoys an autonomous status and has it’s
own local Kurdish government. The party gets is
votes from the people who are not happy with the
ruling parties PUK and KDP. According to Change, the
regional Kurdish government is corrupt and must be
changed into a modern institution.
What’s going to happen with
the Change movement? Is it going to remain a
movement only? Or a political party? |
Nawshirwan Mustafa, prominent former PUK leader and
co-founder of the PUK party. The head of the Change
list which is considered as the biggest
Kurdish opposition party in the federal Kurdistan
region |
We don’t have plans to
become a party. I mean with that we don’t want to
become a ruling party in the government. It must be
a movement with support during the elections. We
don’t want to be like other Kurdish parties, we want
to bring politics into movement in a new way. I
don’t say we copy France or England, but we do look
to Pakistan and India.
The new Kurdish cabinet is
known and the new Prime Minister is a member of the
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). How do you see
this change?
In our view the sixth cabinet is the same as the
fifth cabinet, when we talk about the way of forming
and changing the political system. Just like in many
countries, the party chairmen get the assignment
after the parliamentary elections to form the
government and to pick ministers,www.ekurd.netwho
will be voted for in the parliament. But this time,
the government itself picked some ministers and gave
them to the party chairmen. This is exactly the same
as the last time and that’s why I am not convinced
that they will perform their job well, this means
that political parties have direct power over the
parliament.
The Kurdish Prime Minsiter
Barham Salih and Azad Barwary visited Gorran to
participate in the government. But you refused it.
What were the opinion differences?
People gave their votes to us, so that we could get
the most votes and form the new cabinet. But we
declared that if we didn’t get the majority of
votes, we would form the opposition. As a result Dr.
Barham Salih and Azad Barwary, didn’t offer us
anything and we didn’t refuse anything. It was more
about their concerns of forming the cabinet and I
told them my opinion about this.
Is it true that you would
meet with the Kurdish president Barzani?
No, but the reason why I didn’t participate in this
meetings, because many people that supported us
during the elections were punished by losing their
jobs or positions. We didn’t expect that the Kurdish
regional president would accept expect people to be
punished for political differences.
Isn’t it time [considering
the Iraqi elections] to have meetings both with KDP
and PUK? Like other parties do?
We are ready for this, even with PUK, if our rivals
are also ready for this.
The Kurdish politicians
Ehmed Ahmad told Rudaw that there are unofficial
contacts between you and the KDP. Is this true?
No, until now we didn’t have official contacts with
the KDP, only within the parliament. The Regional
President Massoud Barzani also hold a meeting with
all Kurdish parties.
Are you prepared to form an
opposition with the Islamic Group of Kurdistan (Komal)
and the Islamic Union of Kurdistan (IUK?)
If we have the same needs, we can cooperate. Not
only with them, but also other political blocs that
participate in the government. We also discussed
this with other opposition parties.
Do you plan to get a
position in the Iraqi parliament? Or if Gorran gets
the most votes?
No, I’m too old for that. I won’t go to the Iraqi
parliament, but I support some people to form a
block in the Iraqi parliament.
A lot of people ask you to
cooperate with the PUK and KDP (ruling government
parties) for the upcoming Iraqi elections. What is
your decision?
Sadly, both parties have minimized the contact
between Iraq and Kurdistan and Kurdish nationalism.
It’s a communication of two parties with Baghdad. We
want to change this. Our political movement is
different from PUK and KDP and we want our relations
with the Iraqi parliament to be based on two
nationalities, not on the basis of a few parties
with the government.
Will you join KDP and PUK
after the Iraqi elections or will you join the State
of Law coalition of the Iraqi Prime Minister?
This is a question can I answer after the elections,
because it’s not clear who will get the most votes.
Do you want an alliance
with an Iraqi list?
If we share the same political needs, why not?
Is there any chance that
Gorran is forming a list in Kirkuk with KDP and PUK?
We will have a separate list in Kirkuk and it’s true
that the KDP and PUK will participate with a list in
Kirkuk. They work with two different guide lines
there.
In Turkey, there is a
democratic opening. As a result, the PKK has sent
two groups to Turkey. How do you see this
development and what kind of role the Region of
Kurdistan should play in this process?
This is a very good process, I think there is more
democracy [in Turkey] then in the past and I think
the Kurds get more chances in the Turkish
government. I hope the region Kurdistan and all
Iraqi parties will offer their support to solve the
Kurdish problems.
Translated by Hiran Ali
Copyright, respective author or news agency,
rudaw net
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