President
of the Iraqi Kurdish Autonomous region, Masoud
Barzani [left] and Iraqi President JalalTalabani. Some Kurds
charge
that the two are amongst the most corrupt leaders
in
a nation 'far more corrupt' than under Saddam.
Kurdish Media, Kurdish Autonomous Region of Iraq
Corruption Under
U.S. Occupation 'Far Worse Than Under Saddam'
"For a nation already on the
precipice, the ascendancy of poor leadership can be fatal … ruinous. A case in
point is Iraq's flourishing corruption under American occupation. … We have
created a system of corruption far worse than anything that existed during
Saddam Hussein’s regime, and which is unprecedented in Iraqi history."
There's no
substitute for effective, positive leadership in the life of any nation. Great
leaders can lift a nation from despair and disappointment to hope and a
re-kindling of belief that anything is possible. On the other hand, poor and
ineffective leadership can deny a nation health and burden it with overwhelming
difficulties. For a nation already on the precipice, the ascendancy of poor
leadership can be fatal … ruinous.
A case in point
is Iraq's flourishing corruption under American occupation. The crooked
behavior of Kurdish leaders casts a pall over the entire future of the Kurds.
And nowhere is this more conspicuously manifest than in the barter of the
rights of the Kurdish people in pursuit of monetary gain.
Two kings reign
in Kurdistan: MasoudBarzani
and JalalTalibani [MasoudBarzani is President of
the Autonomous Kurdish Government in Iraq and JalalTalibani is President of Iraq]. Their claim to legitimacy
is that they've been elected by the people. And it's true that there was an
election some years ago. As often happens, the choice was not so much about
electing the better of the two candidates, but rather for the lesser of two
evils. Now these two leaders have built a system whereby each leads their own
political party, and to safeguard against dissension within the rank and file,
they pick members of their executive committees from amongst loyal friends and
members of their own families. Furthermore, these two political parties have
control over every national resource. They also control iron-fisted militia so
no one can effectively challenge or dispute their legitimacy. And ironically -
despite their dictatorial rule - they call themselves democrats.
A BRIEF PRIMER ON THE PLIGHT OF
THE KURDS
In a democratic
system, the head of state is meant to be bound by law. He can't go and siphon
off State revenues and deposit them into his personal account. He's allotted a
stipend and other perquisites approved by lawmakers. Barzani,
for example, has had his bank account sealed from public examination for over a
decade. He treats the people's treasury as his own and believes it to be his
birth right. Democracy, in Mr. Barzani’s view, leaves
no room for national obligations and responsibilities. Democracy is the
recognition that he is the undisputed ultimate leader. As for his constituents,
people are free to agree and bow. Furthermore, he places the prestige, power
and interest of his clan ahead of the people's interest.
With all of its
intelligence resources, the Bush Administration has known for a decade that Barzani has been taxing Iraqi oil at IbrahimKhalil (the oil pipelines that pass through Kurdistan
into Turkey) and siphoning off the money into his own coffers. No one will ever
account for the billions he has collected. What should have been a matter of
public accounting has remained in his secret personal account. And one must add
to that, the billions Mr. Barzani has pocketed since
the occupation - again with no public record.
In every
democratic civil society, lawmakers are mandated to endorse a budget and
disburse funds to government agencies to finance social programs. But there is
no such process in the Kurdistan region. American administrators in Iraq have
simply handed over the entire budget of Kurdistan to Talibani
and Barzani to share equally among themselves. Such a
thing would never fly in American and it shouldn't be condoned in Iraq.
The budget for
the Kurdistan region should have been entrusted to a committee of responsible
citizens unaffiliated with either dominant political party. This is how Kurdish
leaders "manage" the Kurdistan region. And the leaders of Iraq's Arab
areas are even worse. In essence, the prevailing corruption is due to America’s
mismanagement in administering Iraqi affairs, and the emboldening of corrupt
leaders who prey on the public interest.
How budgets have
been administered is one of the most telling chapters in America's failed
mission in Iraq. We have created a system of corruption far worse than anything
that existed during Saddam Hussein’s regime, and which is unprecedented in
Iraqi history. Yet our young men and women are asked to sacrifice their lives
in the name of national security and the freedom of the Iraqi people. By
creating an environment in which corrupt leaders - both Kurdish and Arab -
pursue power and prestige while ignoring the real needs of the people, Iraq has
become a death trap for our soldiers.
There has been no
interruption in the flow of Iraqi oil to the global market. The nation obtains
formidable revenue from its export - even as the United States contributes tens
of billions to rebuilding.
Surely there
should be a system of accountability in regard to what is done with these funds
and whose bank accounts they land in! They certainly haven't gone into
rebuilding the infrastructure. There isn't an adequate utility like clean
drinking water or electricity in the entire country! In fact public services,
even during the economic blockade in the Saddam era, were far more efficient
than they are under American occupation.
Although Iraq is
an oil-producing country, we have a shortage of gasoline and home heating oil.
Sometimes people are forced to resort to the expense of the black market to
obtain such necessities. Deficiencies like these must be laid at the doorstep
of the U.S. administration - along with Iraq's corrupt leadership.
In Kurdistan,
these two leaders aren't subject to questioning by Parliament or any other
institution. They are kings and a law unto themselves. In a real civil society,
the head of state is held accountable for his actions and when they get too far
off the path desired by the people, they are subject to impeachment by
legislators.
If Kurdistan has
a same civil society with a system of real accountability, these leaders would
have been impeached long ago and branded as the criminals they are - the mark
of disgrace discrediting their rest of their political lives. The Kurdistan
Regional Government has been created may appear real since it resembles a
government, having all the usual trappings. But it's an illusion thanks to the
Kurdish leadership.
It remains
unrecognized by the world and can't be located on any world map. The Kurdish
dream has always been to have our own government. If Kurdish leaders were
conscious of the aspirations and dreams of their people, a real Kurdish state
would have been their impetus to lead. But instead, they are driven only by the
greed for power and selfish monetary considerations. If there is ever to be a
real Kurdish future, the rule of these kings must be ended.
