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My advice to Dr. Shaho Saeed, Gorran
spokesman
28.1.2012
By Rizgar Khoshnaw, Washington DC
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ekurd.net |
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January
28, 2012
I read the
news today that
many different organizations and individuals in
Sulaimaniyah are thinking about taking the streets
once more to celebrate the one year anniversary of
the demonstration of last year. In this article, you
had mentioned this:
“The political situation
in Kurdistan needs reform, and because reforms are
necessary all options are on the table.”
What I would recommend (as one of your options on
the table) is that you do not only concentrate on
bringing this issue to the attention of the
Kurdistan Democratic Party KDP and Patriotic Union
of Kurdistan PUK, but rather, I would focus on
making my voice loudly and clearly heard by the
American embassy personnel (and other foreign
embassies) and consulates in Baghdad and Erbil. I
think putting a little pressure/acknowledgement of
this very important issue on the Americans will help
a great deal.
I would also bring/allow foreign journalists cover
this demonstration to make it an international
event. You need as much exposure as you can in order
to ensure that the citizens are not abused, and
killed, as it happened last year. Plan for this
event better than you did last year. Expose it to
its fullest!
I say that simply because the KDP and PUK do not
work or fear you if you do not have the support of
an outsider! These two parties do not care how many
Kurds take the street and what their citizens demand
and they have proved that in the past. That is not
how Barzani and Talabani work! If you are quite,
weak, reasonable and a nice guy, you will never
succeed with them. I am only speaking from real life
experiences with them!
In my opinion, the KDP now realizes that the PUK is
pretty much on it "last breath" and not much longer
before the PUK will no longer matter or have a
voice! For this reason, the KDP is now focusing on
having a "better relationship" with Gorran.
If I was advising your party, I would tell you to
negotiate from a "position of strength" and that is
how you will succeed in your demands. If your party
ends up controlling Sulaimaniyah,www.ekurd.net
which I truly believe you can because you have the
citizens supporting you, then you will be 50-50 with
KDP and at that point, you can succeed and implement
your honest/just agenda as you please.
Believe me, the KDP does NOT have the support of
most Kurds living in Erbil. In the past 14 years, I
have spoken with thousands of Kurds in Arbil and the
majority do not agree/like what is going on in
Kurdistan all due to the open corruption and abuse
by the KDP.
I would also advice you to not allow the KDP to use
their usual method of "divide and conquer" as they
already have tried by corrupting/buying four of your
members! This is what they are planning on doing to
weaken you just like the PUK now. If you fall for
this trick, then you are finished.
It is so ironic that I read this corruption news
today when just two weeks ago I had written ( sent
an e-mail) about this exact scenario to a member of
your party and told that member to be aware for such
move!! I was right.
In the same article/news I also read that Mr.
Salahaddin Babekir, the Islamic Union spokesman,
saying the followings:
“Whenever the protests
begin, we will declare our stance by either
supporting it or not. People and the opposition have
become hopeless in waiting for reforms and the
implementation of our reform proposals.”
Once more, my advice to Mr. Babekir is that if you
keep waiting for KDP and PUK to act and give you
your rights, you will have to wait till, as we say
in American, pigs fly !! I have spent the past 14
years with Barzani/KRG and I know how things work.
You must demand your rights and do not settle for
anything less. Barzani and Talabani are experts at
ignoring people. They think by ignoring you, you
will eventually give up and settle for what you have
and keep quite and go a way. This method can not be
used on everyone and they should know that.
Now let me explain to you why I know this and why I
am giving you this advice.
It was July 1999 when I was in Mr. Salah's office
(he is the second secretary of Mr. Nechirvan
Barzani) meeting with Mr. Yousif Barzani,
Nechirvan's, younger brother. While Mr. Y. Barzani
and I were talking, Mr. Salah came in to the room
and told Mr. Y. Barzani that Kamal Kirkuki was at
the reception's room wanting to talk with him.
I will never forget what Mr. Yousif Barzani told Mr.
Sabah. He looked at him and said, " Just ignore
him!" Actually, and to quote him exactly, Mr.
Barzani said, " Ehmally Beka" in Kurdish which of
course, means ignore him and he will eventually go a
way!
This is how you get treated whenever the KDP does
not want to do something. They hope by ignoring you
and avoiding you that you will go a way and the
subject will be forgotten. This is far from the
truth and they need to realize that.
We live in a different world nowadays and people do
not want/tolerate to live under corrupt, abusive and
unfair rulers and leaders. I do not need to remind
anyone that this is exactly how the leaders of
Tunisia , Egypt, Libya, Yemen ( and Syria soon)
thought! Those days are long gone. People now are
demanding justices and fairness and will no longer
tolerate/accept abuse and neglect. It is basic human
rights that all people deserve. I only wish to knew
why the KRG does not think this way.
Rizgar Khoshnaw, Washington, DC, he has lived in
the US for the past 35 years. He attended North
Carolina State University for a period of six years
and obtained the degrees in Economics, business
management and two years of Pre-Medical. He began to
travel to Kurdistan fourteen years ago after being
absent from Kurdistan for more than 23 years. from
the first visit in 1997 to 2001, He traveled to
Kurdistan 25 times to investigate the oil-for-food
program and wrote a book (and had over 50 articles
published) about the dishonest program. In the past
eight years, he has been representing an American
based company trying to implement certain projects.
Read more at my newly created
Facebook page
(Iraqi Kurdish issue, Rizgar Xoshnaw)
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