Rauf Naqishbendi | Exclusive to iKurd.net
Barzani and Talabani’s dynasty complacently thought they could drill oil and natural gas forever without challenges. The most they shared with people was paying public employee wages which is a small fraction of the proceed and a lion share of proceed from oil and revenue sharing with Iraq funneled into their bank accounts abroad.
They ignored the needs of people and social services. As a result, the education system, healthcare, infostructure and social services in general suffered. They felt secure and invincible for they had American’s backing, but now they can’t drill oil and American will not be able to protect them as Iraqi government is about bringing back Kurdistan under Iraqi government control. As a result, their reign is in doubt and so is the fate of the nation.
Good leadership is a conrnerstone of achieving economic health and social justice, integrity is in the core of leadership. These leaders acted like Mafia thugs and corrupt authorities involved in power abuse, looting natural resources, assassinating, and jailing their oppositions. When a nation is ruled by wicked authorities like these, it warrants the collapse of society with tragic consequences.
Since American invasion of Iraq money has been flowing to Kurdistan unprecedented from Iraqi revenue sharing, American fund for the reconstruction of Kurdistan, and oil-for-food. Where did that money end up? Here is an example where some of that money is landed:
As reported by Shan Press, the daughter of Sirwan Barzani admitted her family’s investment in America as the followings:
27 companies, 14 hotels, 6 manufacturing companies, 287 cafeterias, 540 condominiums, 48 restaurants, 8 swimming facilities, a bank, and holding company and several hospitals.
Those abovementioned enterprises are owned by only one member of Barzani’s clan, and there are dozens of them. Add to that Talabani’s clan who is also complicit, should we sum all the stolen money we talk about hundreds of billions of dollars.
After American invasion of Iraq, President George W. Bush initiated an agreement for Baghdad to share the revenue of oil with Kurds. His formula was 20% of Iraqi’s oil revenue to be allocated to Kurdistan region, about $20 billion at that time; accordingly, $10 billion check to be written to both Talabani and Barzani.
The problem with that agreement was it didn’t stipulate checks and accountability but rather left it to vices natural to men. This is an example of how America exported corruption to Kurdistan as it can be traced wherever America engaged. Should George W. Bush be at the helm, that fund would have been deposited into people’s account rather than Talabani’s and Barzani’s account; and have a group of respected citizens along with the United Nations representatives to monitor the allocation of that fund.
Kurds has been suffering at the hand of these two clans and their leaders for many decades. The deep-seated smoldering resentment would have exploded to topple authoritarian mobs, but their actions has been muted by brutalities of authorities who have been willing to gun down any numbers of people to maintain the status quo.
Iraqi government encumbered Kurdish authorities from selling oil & gas, as a result Kurdish authorities are left without revenue. Now it has been months public employees have not paid their salaries. This has resulted in financial difficulties for people. For lack of a private sector, the government is primary employer, and the public employee’s wages trickle down through the economy supporting the region.
Recently, Iraqi supreme court ordered federal government to pay Kurdistan public servants, the Supreme Court said the central administration would pay government workers, employees at public institutions, that means the Kurdish Regional Government will not be involved. That will discard the shadow payroll whereby thugs of Barzani and Talabani have been enrolling their family members and cronies to draw salary from multiple departments.
Gradually, Iraqi government will regain control of Kurdistan, at the end, Talabani and Barzani will be at the edge of demise. Thanks to Barzani and Talabani, not only the independent Kurdistan but the notion of autonomous Kurdistan is a dead dream without hope of resurrection in the foreseeable future.
Kurdish authorities were in their mission to abuse power and accumulate wealth with impunity and felt invincible for they had American backing. Surely, America counted on Kurds to be a beacon of freedom in the Middle East and has invested it’s hope and money knowing the rise of a democratic Kurdistan would justify its invasion of Iraq. For a few years after American invasion of Iraq, Kurds were well-respected internationally and gained sympathy from the western world for keeping their country safe and fighting terrorism. But American faith on Kurds soon evaporated after they found Barzani’s corroboration with ISIS and genocide of Yazidi Kurds; and knowing that Kurdish authorities are not only undemocratic but further one of corrupted and dictatorial authorities. Now, knowing their demise is near Barzani clan pleading for American support. Any American support to these abominable authorities is betrayal of Kurds; and investment in a country whose failure is warranted due to the wicked leaderships and lack of support from their own people.
Now you Talabani’s and Barzani’s have invited these dreadful and sorrowful days to the life of Kurds. You both know your end is neigh, and you betrayed your people. At the end, you may not be able to exit as your ancestor did, hopefully you will be judged in a court of law. If not, like your ancestors Mustafa Barzani and Jalal Talabani will be forced to flee the country with your treasures hoarded abroad and leave your people at the mercy of their enemies. Congratulations on how you did so well for yourselves; and left your people with grievances and teras of sorrows in their coming days and years. Last but not least, nothing new under the sun, it’s Kurdish history keeps on repeating itself.
Rauf Naqishbendi is a retired software engineer in the San Francisco Bay Area. A long-time senior contributing writer for iKurd.net. His memoirs entitled “The Garden Of The Poets”, recently published. It reads as a novel depicting his experience and the subsequent 1988 bombing of his hometown with chemical and biological weapons by Saddam Hussein. It is the story of his people´s suffering, and a sneak preview of their culture and history.
The opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of iKurd.net or its editors.
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