Erbil protests Tammo's assassination - Kurdish Globe
Erbil protests Tammo's assassination - Kurdish Globe
Erbil protests Tammo's assassination - Kurdish Globe
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The <strong>Kurdish</strong> <strong>Globe</strong> No. 325, Saturday, October 15, 2011 2<br />
Strategic agreement to be reconsidered<br />
<strong>Globe</strong> Editorial<br />
The <strong>Kurdish</strong> media are nowade<br />
days preoccupied with the posse<br />
sibility of the Kurdistan Regionae<br />
al Government’s reshuffle in the<br />
next month. According to the<br />
strategic agreement between the<br />
two powerful <strong>Kurdish</strong> political<br />
forces, the Kurdistan Democratic<br />
Party and the Patriotic Union of<br />
Kurdistan, one party is to run the<br />
government for two subsequent<br />
years, then turnmatters over to<br />
the other party for the remaining<br />
two years. With the most recent<br />
formation of the KRG in 2009,<br />
the premier post went to the<br />
PUK under the leadership of Dr.<br />
Barham Salih, who has run the<br />
government since. According to<br />
the agreement, Salih’s term is to<br />
end this month and the premier<br />
post goes to the KDP.<br />
Even though there is no office<br />
cial statement from either party<br />
about the handover of power,<br />
the speculation is that the KDP<br />
will acquire the premier post.<br />
Another speculation is about<br />
who will get the top post within<br />
the KDP once power is switched<br />
between the KDP and PUK. It is<br />
mostly considered and reported<br />
in the media that former KRG<br />
Prime Minister Nechirvan Barze<br />
zani is the strongest candidate<br />
for the post.<br />
Some media circles argue that<br />
at this sensitive period a governme<br />
ment reshuffle is not the best<br />
time and the current government<br />
under Salih should continue for<br />
another two years. Still other<br />
circles argue that change is nece<br />
essary and would have more of<br />
a positive impact on the current<br />
situation both in Kurdistan and<br />
Iraq.<br />
According to the media specule<br />
lation and internal public discusse<br />
sion around the issue, one can<br />
detect the fact that the governme<br />
ment is going to reshuffle and<br />
most likely Nechirvan Barzani<br />
will lead the next government.<br />
But whether or not the gove<br />
ernment will be reshuffled, the<br />
KRG faces serious challenges<br />
on many fronts. Consolidation<br />
of democratic and economic refe<br />
forms needs to be dealt with sere<br />
REUTERS/Majed Jaber<br />
Supporters of Kurdistan Democratic Party and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan wave their parties' flags at a gathering in downtown <strong>Erbil</strong>, March 11.<br />
riously. Growing aggressiveness<br />
of Turkey and Iran on border<br />
areas under the pretext of PKK<br />
and PJAK military activities is<br />
another issue for which the KRG<br />
needs to develop a very delicate<br />
and balanced policy. Relations<br />
with Baghdad are worsening<br />
as the Iraqi Prime Minister dispe<br />
plays centralized tendencies and<br />
shies away from his promises<br />
to resolve the pending issues<br />
between <strong>Erbil</strong> and Baghdad.<br />
There’s the prospect of the U.S.<br />
troop withdrawal from Iraq,and<br />
unresolved issues over the dispe<br />
puted territories carry serious<br />
potential for a <strong>Kurdish</strong> Arab<br />
civil war. All these are now coupe<br />
pled with the growing tension<br />
in Syria and the Syrian Kurds<br />
position in the possibility of a<br />
regime change there.<br />
These are very serious issues<br />
and require serious and somber<br />
attention. To deal with these<br />
issues, it is absolutely necesse<br />
sary that a strong cabinet with<br />
a strong leader run the gove<br />
ernment in such a dire period.<br />
Whether the incumbent prime<br />
minister remains for another<br />
two years or whether Nechirvan<br />
Barzani acquires the post, the<br />
political parties must unite behe<br />
hind the government in order for<br />
the KRG to smoothly deal with<br />
the burdensome issues.<br />
It does not really matter who<br />
gets the post; what really matte<br />
ters is with what principles and<br />
guidance will the KRG deal with<br />
Baghdad, Ankara or Tehran. No<br />
matter who keeps the post, the<br />
KRG has to make a better policy<br />
and inform the public how it is<br />
going to deal with the issue of<br />
reform and combat corruption in<br />
Kurdistan.<br />
It is also imperative to touch<br />
upon the necessity of the strate<br />
tegic agreement between KDP<br />
and PUK. At the time they<br />
signed this agreement, it served<br />
the <strong>Kurdish</strong> national interests.<br />
As they composed the two powe<br />
erful rivalry political forces in<br />
Kurdistan, a strategic agreement<br />
between them was essential in<br />
order to secure a united Kurdie<br />
ish position in the post-Saddam<br />
period.<br />
The social, political and econe<br />
nomic landscape of Kurdistan<br />
has since changed dramatically.<br />
New forces arrived at the politice<br />
cal arena,and since the establishme<br />
ment of the Kurdistan regional<br />
Parliament there are opposition<br />
forces today. Today, the KDP<br />
and PUK are not the only politice<br />
cal actors in Kurdistan--though<br />
they are strong and powerful<br />
still.<br />
The context of the strategic<br />
agreement between the two<br />
should be reconsidered for<br />
the purpose of creating a new<br />
mechanism of strategic unity to<br />
include all the political forces in<br />
Kurdistan. For this, a coherent<br />
<strong>Kurdish</strong> national strategic polie<br />
icy is to be developed with the<br />
consent and participation of all<br />
the political forces so as to face<br />
the challenges ahead.<br />
Kurdistan region must have<br />
enough maturity to develop a<br />
proper mechanism wherein a<br />
transfer of power takes place<br />
smoothly and properly like any<br />
other democratic regime. Strate<br />
tegic agreement between politice<br />
cal parties should not be about<br />
government formation or powe<br />
ersharing any more. Kurdistan<br />
has passed that stage. Strategic<br />
agreements should be mostly<br />
about protecting <strong>Kurdish</strong> nate<br />
tional interests against those<br />
forces that attempt to diminish<br />
or destroy them. Internal affairs<br />
should run according to democe<br />
cratic principles and justice.<br />
Periodic elections should dete<br />
termine who runs the governme<br />
ment and who is going to be the<br />
opposition. It should be the decise<br />
sion of the people through ballot<br />
boxes to put any political party<br />
in power and the other in the role<br />
of opposition. Parties should dige<br />
gest and recognize the public<br />
decision and act accordingly.<br />
Exchange of power between the<br />
KDP and PUK according to the<br />
strategic agreement was a necesse<br />
sity to build up confidence and<br />
trust between them in order to<br />
remedy the years of civil war. It<br />
is time for these two parties to<br />
realize that neither the <strong>Kurdish</strong><br />
public nor the demographic charae<br />
acter of Kurdistan is the same as<br />
those horrible times. Society is a<br />
dynamic institution and changes<br />
rapidly. Human interactions and<br />
interrelations develop at a much<br />
faster rate in today’s global comme<br />
municative age. Political parties<br />
should pace with such changes<br />
and acts accordingly, if not to<br />
remain behind and gradually be<br />
nostalgia. If they want to be dyne<br />
namic and vibrant, political parte<br />
ties should catch the dynamism<br />
of the people whom they are<br />
supposed to serve.<br />
Azad Amin<br />
Weekly paper printed in <strong>Erbil</strong><br />
First published in 2005<br />
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