All previous Iraqi Kurdistan parliaments were weak and ineffective

Araz Barwari | Exclusive to iKurd.net

Democracy in any country needs a strong parliament to succeed. A strong and true democratic parliament is representative of the political will and social diversity of the population, and is effective in its legislative and oversight functions on the executive branch of government, at the national and international level. Very importantly, it is transparent, accessible and accountable to the citizens.

However, in some parts of the world like Kurdistan of Iraq, parliament is just a tool of political parties that’s often exploited through theirs MPs to secure power and economic incentives. In another words, MPs are more concerned with working for the interests of their own parties, and retaining their seats than with working in the interests of voters or holding the executive to account.

Looking at the history and records of performance of the Kurdistan parliaments in the past, all the previous Iraqi Kurdistan parliaments regarding performance of assemblies and constitutional duties, betrayed the true role of the parliament.

In terms of summoning government minsters, and prime minister for scrutiny regarding corruption, and regarding enacting laws that are in consistent with international laws, or in terms of checking the activities of the government and in general promoting the welfare of the people, these duties and obligations, have never been performed with efficiency and effectiveness by legislative assemblies in Kurdistan.

As a result, the rate of poverty and unemployment remained high, public services and infrastructure remained poor too, and hundreds of human rights violations acts were gone unpunished, committed by security forces of Kurdistan regional government against journalists and protestors.

This shows either the parliamentarians lack the knowledge or skills to do their jobs effectively or they are controlled by political party leaders. And therefor parliaments themselves lack the institutional capacity, which they need to discharge their responsibilities.

Parliamentary committees were also weak or non-existent in the previous parliaments of Iraqi Kurdistan. So, the ability of the parliament to address issues of major concern to society such as corruption, human right abuse, poverty, in the region, remains weak and limited.

Furthermore, parliamentary performance is also shaped by the peculiarities of the political system. The nature of political parties in Kurdistan of Iraq does not facilitate strong parliaments. The party leadership in consultation with a close circle of leaders takes major decisions, and the rest of party parliamentarians are merely asked to stamp those decisions without question.

The social system in Kurdistan region is still characterized by patrimonialism, a system in which big men look after their constituents through providing them with the resources to which their position within the government allows them access.

Budget and spending decisions were not in line with region and national priorities. Money was spent on unimportant expensive projects such as gigantic sport facilities and government offices rather on roads, hospitals, and other public service project such electricity.

Effective modes of public participation in pre-legislative scrutiny, the right of open consultation for interested parties, public’s right of petition, systematic grievance procedures and the possibility for lobbying, within the limits of agreed legal provisions are essential components of a transparent parliament which is non-existent in Kurdistan of Iraq.

Good governance is key to development something that Kurdistan of Iraq does not have. Parliaments have an important role to play in delivering such good governance, which is effective, both in terms of upholding justice, reducing poverty, and in terms of building democracy.

Functional legislative bodies with requisite capacities will be critical to the consolidation of democracy in Kurdistan of Iraq, as these bodies will empower ordinary people to participate in the decision-making processes that affect or shape their lives.

Araz Barwari is a law student at the University of Nawroz in Kurdistan of Iraq.

The opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of iKurd.net or its editors.