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Kurds will no longer be condemned to
poverty amidst wealth: Syrian Kurdistan's Jazeera...
18.2.2014 |
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Ramziya Mohammed, Finance Minister of the Cizîre [Jazeera]
Canton in Western Kurdistan [northern Syria]. Photo:
ANF
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February 18, 2014
QAMISHLI, Syrian Kurdistan,— Ramziya
Mohammed, Finance Minister of the Jazeera [Cizîre]
Canton, has spoke with ANF about the work of her
ministry and the development of a new economic model
in Rojava [Syrian Kurdistan] more generally.
Mohammed told ANF that a financial policy will be
implemented and natural resources will be put to use
in a way that is in line with the needs of the
people. “Everyone except for the Kurds had the right
to use and manage our rich natural resources. Kurds
were condemned to poverty while surrounded by all
kinds of wealth” – said Mohammed – “Together with
the system of Democratic Autonomy the people are
building their own, independent economies.”
The Cizîre Canton declared its autonomy on January
21 of this year and work on building a government
began immediately. Of the 22-person government, the
Finance Ministry and the Ministry of Economy and
Commerce are run by women. In the following
interview, Mohammed speaks about the role of women
in the new government, their attempts to put
resources to work for the people, and the importance
of ecological development and conservation.
You have a place in the government of the Canton
that was the first to declare autonomy. You will now
represent the gains women have made in Rojava at the
governmental level. What are you feeling?
For me it was not perhaps such a strange situation.
Because before this I was the president of the
Qamişo [People’s] Assembly. At that time I also
experienced much excitement. However taking a
position within a governmental framework founded on
a system of Democratic Autonomy for the first time
was a different kind of excitement. Within the
government I was given the position of finance
minister. A women has never been a finance minister
before in the Middle East. It was within the system
of Democratic Autonomy that a woman was able to have
such an opportunity for the first time. This is a
demonstration of how much Kurdish women have moved
forward.
How was the financial
policy directed at Rojava before? How will your
financial policies be shaped?
The Assad regime until now never used its financial
resource will the goal of serving the people of
Kurdistan. Our people were forced to migrate to
Aleppo or to Damascus in order to make ends meet.
There was a policy of state bribery in place. That
is to say the possibility of working here was very
restricted. An example of this was that there was
not even a factory or textile workshop here that
could employ a small number of people. It was
impossible to install three sewing-machines in a
textile workshop. A day or two later regime
authorities could come and put a seal on the shop’s
door. The tried everything to keep the people from
developing communal labor or from coming together
and working in common. They always implemented
policies that kept society dependent on [the regime]
in this way they encouraged Kurds to emigrate abroad
or to other cities within Syria.
On the other hand agricultural products that were
produced here were taken to cities such as Aleppo
and Damascus, processed, and sold back. For example
cotton was harvested here however it was taken to
Aleppo to be processed. In the same way our wheat
was taken to Damascus, Homs and Hama to be turned
into flower. Also oil, our most important source of
income, was managed from outside. In short everyone
except for the Kurds had the right to use and manage
our rich natural resources. Kurds were condemned to
poverty while surrounded by all kinds of wealth.
Together with the Rojava Revolutionwww.Ekurd.net
and the system of Democratic Autonomy which we are
constructing are independent economies, that is the
people are constructing their own independent
economies. We in the Finance Ministry will direct
our work that that the rich natural resources in
Rojava, both above and below ground, will be managed
in Rojava and the income they generate will be
returned to the people.
Right now there is a state of war. We are forced to
bring in tools for production due to the embargo
directed against some of our region. This also has
an effect on our work.
For the same reason we are experiencing difficulties
in developing large-scale projects. Because of this
the development of smaller-scale projects is more
suitable for our people and in this way we are also
paving the way for large-scale projects. For example
tailor workshops and bakeries are being opened.
These are small steps that began before the
proclamation of the cantons but are steps directed
at production within an environment of war and thus
not to be belittled none the less. Outside of the
Finance Ministry the Ministry of Economy and
Commerce are also involved with many projects. Of
course we have relationships and common projects
around this subject, because spheres formed within
the system of Democratic Autonomy are never
independent of one another.
Are you working to
construct economic independence for women?
During the regime era it was even a problem for
women to leave their homes. The Rojava Revolution
became at the same time a women’s revolution. In
order to form an understanding of women centered
finance we will support the women’s organizations.
We will always be read to give support to current
projects and future projects. In the most recent
period there were projects realized that were
directed toward women, such as bakeries, clothing
retail, tailor workshops. We are showing every kind
of material and moral support to those developing
such projects.
It is still a very new
government and ministry but what projects have you
prioritized within this process?
As your have pointed out because the cantons are
just being formed we are still at the phase of
putting together this system. We are preparing the
Finance Ministry’s procedures. According to them we
will prepare projects and present them to the
government, and after they are approved we will put
them into practice. That is to say right now we are
only managing systematic work.
The headquarters of the Finance Ministry, like the
government, will be in Qamişlo [Qamishli]. We in the
Finance Ministry will have relations with 21 other
ministries in the Cizîre region. We will work on
projects open to the people in a way that the people
will be able to develop their own finance. Within
the framework of the Democratic Autonomous
government, we are working to put together a tax law
designed in accordance with the character of
society.
Who is Remziye Mohammed?
Remziye Mohammed has been involved in work around
women’s issues in Rojava since 2000 and in 2005 she
was selected to be a member of the Yekitiya Star
coordination committee. She continued to work on
women’s issues in the Cizîre region until 2011. In
2011 she was chosen as the co-president of the
Qamişlo People’s Assembly. On January 21st she was
appointed to the Finance Ministry. Remziye Mohammed
was born in 1978 and graduated from middle school.
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