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Can a democratic election change our
society for the better in the South of Kurdistan?
19.6.2009
By Mufid Abdulla - opinion
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June
19, 2009
We only have to consider elections around the world
in both developed and developing countries to see
the huge potential impact for change they have in
their respective societies, both positive and
negative, they certainly shape the future of a
nation.
In the post-communist countries of eastern Europe we
can see many changes have resulted to these
societies since gaining independence. The main and
common one for all is that they are now all part of
the European Union which has had a huge impact to
them economically, despite the economic crises, they
have more security now that outside help is better
co-ordinated, such as the IMF’s newfound cooperation
with the European Commission, national governments
and the banks.
It is no wonder that we are so cautious when it
comes to the election process and that the majority
of the public are fearful of who to trust in such
cases. In Russia, for example, last year we saw
President Putin step-down and new Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev take over. Although on the outside
this appeared to be a positive change with Medvedev
being the first Russian president to not have any
links to the communist party or KGB, we still have
to ask ourselves what role Putin is still playing in
the background and the fact that he still has the
possibility to be re-elected in 2012.
Last November we witnessed what was possibly the
biggest positive change in American history with the
election result in which Barack Obama became the
first black president in American history. We are
waiting to see the extent to which this will change
American society for the better and the relationship
of the U.S with other nations worldwide. However, we
only have to look back at the previous President,
George W Bush, to see that the potential of
corruption is just as rife in developed nations.
Although we cannot prove that this was the case we
only have to consider the convenience of the former
President’s brother holding the position as Governor
of Florida,www.ekurd.net
the controversy surrounding the
methods of vote counting, the handling of the
recount and the fact that in the state of Florida
which has a population of more than 18 million, Bush
won by just 537 votes.
In Iran this week we have seen the devastating
effects corrupt elections can have with the disputed
re-election of President Ahmadinejad and Iranian
society is now faced with the complete loss of any
kind of democracy which existed there. The huge
rallies and demonstrations taking place in Tehran at
the moment are evidence that the majority of
citizens are not willing to stand for such obvious
fraud and so many innocent citizens are losing their
lives and being tortured in their fight for justice.
This should act as a warning to our own corrupt
Kurdish leaders that we are not prepared to continue
with such acts and are at a vital point now in our
history where change can take place for the better
and we want this to occur in a non-violent and just
manner.
Our upcoming election in the south of Kurdistan will
decide the fate of our society and the direction of
our political system for the next four years.
Nevertheless, the economic and social systems in the
south of Kurdistan have gradually been changing
since the collapse of the dictator in 2003 and the
inflow of Foreign Direct Investment. That has
brought a huge increase in wealth to certain classes
and at the same time has brought a deep poverty to
others. Today’s anger in Kurdistan does not belong
to a tiny fraction of the people. This is
reminiscent to the Paris Commune government in 1871
when teachers, farmers, doctors and other workers
all joined together in revolution. People hated the
central government to such an extent that they
decided to refer to the local councils and no longer
considered the government as a main tool for ruling
the economy and social justice. The Paris Commune
only existed for a short time, just three months,
but that example remains vivid and relevant in our
history forever.
The Change List lead by Nawshirwan Mustafa could be
a potential winner now in Kurdistan. The anger and
hatred of people towards the KRG is increasing day
by day. People do realise that the richness of
Kurdistan is not less than Dubai or Kuwait, yet
still people are living in poverty. If anybody has
read the article ‘Rush for ‘easiest oil in the
world’’ by Danny Fortson, published in The Sunday
Times on 14/06/09, this refers to the current
economic situation in the south of Kurdistan and
after reading this people will realise exactly what
has happened to our nation over the last 18 years.
The only reason for the spreading of poverty and
deprivation for the whole nation in the south of
Kurdistan is the mismanagement amongst the leaders,
who are in effect Bonaparte leaders.
According to the Kurdish website, Kurdistan Post (www.kurdistanpost.com)
and relying on their trustworthy sources, this week
some more shocking news was declared. According to
these sources, someone from the offices of the
Independent Election Commission has confirmed to
some of the groups and parties who have registered
their name with them for the upcoming elections on
25th July about a new software system, which in
effect amounts to a new method of corruption.
These sources confirmed that the Commission has set
up a sort of software to reverse the result of the
election and that the software is costing the KDP
and PUK millions of pounds. The source also
confirmed that the software has been programmed to
such a complex extent that the percentage of KDP and
PUK votes can not amount to less than 70%. Even if
the other groups and parties get 50% of the vote,www.ekurd.net
this programme will add all
non-voter ballots to the KDP / PUK list. In
addition, the same source has confirmed that the
programme has been completed and tested properly and
that this is probably the reason why some leaders
such as Mula Bakhtiar have said that the KDP and PUK
will get not less than 70% of the vote.
Finally, this election is unique because people want
it to be unique and this time people want to
register their vote for good. The biggest injustice
has happened to the people living outside Kurdistan,
who have not been given any rights to vote because
of the mismanagement and excuses of the KRG. Surely,
if Kurdish leaders love their people and their
country they should take care of that issue and the
fact that they are disregarding the Kurdish
community abroad is very significant,www.ekurd.net
that is another nail in the
coffin of the KRG. However, thousands of people have
decided to go back home during the election time to
make their presence and support a reality in front
of the ballot boxes. This time, the election will
change the fate of Kurdish people because the people
of Kurdistan have had enough from these leaders who
have been acting unfaithfully for the last 18 years.
Copyright, respective
author or news agency,
Mufid Abdulla
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