KDP and PUK politicians are corrupt, dishonest in Iraqi Kurdistan

KDP and PUK politicians are corrupt and dishonest in Iraqi Kurdistan — From right to left: Deputy PM of Kurdistan from the PUK and Jalal Talabani’s son Qubad Talabani, ex-president of Kurdistan and the KDP’s chief Massoud Barzani, PUK acting leader Kosrat Rasul, Kurdistan PM and Massoud Barzani’s nephew Nechirvan, Kurdistan KDP security head and Massoud’s son Masrour, 2015. Photo: KRG

Araz Barwari | Exclusive to iKurd.net

People get into politics for all sorts of reasons. Some do it because there is a specific issue such as poverty, unemployment, poor healthcare system, human right abuse, lack of the rule of law which they care about, and they want to take the lead in changing it, whether for themselves or for all people in general.

Some do it because they wish to leave a legacy, to acquire power, money, fame, fortune, and immortality. Some do it because they want to rule and destroy their political opponents.

However, looking at the historical experience and poor service record of most politicians around the world, I assume most of people become politicians mostly for the greed of money and power rather than serving people genuinely and making a change for better in their countries. Because with the power, politicians can do many things that they cannot when they are not in power.

Once politicians gain power of the government, they can implement their ideologies. They can serve their own personal interests. They can defeat or even kill their opponents. They can do business and make money from bribe, and scams, off nation’s wealth in different illegal ways. They can get protection and immunity from being prosecuted when they break law.

There are also other advantages they can have like traveling around the world when they serve in the public offices. They can have best cars and houses. They can have best pensions. They can eat best food and sleep with most beautiful women in best hotels at the expenses of public purse when they travel. They can also become popular in media and hence getting lot of public attention when they serve in the government institutions.

In the contemporary political scenario; I see first, politicians grab the sentiment of people and they take the power of government. After that they forget the people sentiment and practice only power. I have seen this practice not only in developing countries like Iraq but also in the developed countries. When they (Politicians) are not in power at that situation they use the people’s voice after that when reach in government the forget previous sayings and promises they had given to people in time of election.

One example of greedy and dishonest politicians would be the case of Kurdish politicians particularly politicians of Kurdish Democratic Party and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan of Iraq. We see since 1992, the Kurdistan regional government (KRG) has been ruled by these two political party members the KDP and the PUK. The Kurdish politics and wealth are entirely controlled by the heads of these two political parties named Barzani and Talabani families. They control all government ministries and agencies.

Key members of these two political parties have been involved in corruptions in many different ways. They have become billionaires by obtaining money through corrupt actions within the Kurdistan regional government (KRG). And no one could hold them accountable for their wrong doing because they control everything, judges, courts, and security forces in Kurdistan.

When it comes to government projects and contracts, the KDP and PUK members who serve in the government as ministers, governors, general managers, security chiefs and Peshmerga generals, have the final say in giving governments contracts to who they wish to give regardless of eligibility and qualifications. As a matter of fact, since they control everything, they can easily give the tender of government to the industry they want. Hence, they can have commission in them. And of course, they usually give the tenders to the companies in which they or their political and family member have a stake in it.

Undoubtedly, there are a lot of behind-the-scenes deals and conversations that take place between KDP government’s administrators and their KDP friends who own good and service companies that win KRG government contracts regularly. They use different ways to give contracts to their own political members, families and friends. They make advanced bid fixing.

They exchange give and take something of value before a contract has been awarded. They take something of value after a contract has been awarded as a form of repayment. They make unnecessary pre-qualification standards to eliminate all unfriendly and political opponent bidder so that the contracts is given to their own friends, their own political members and families, and to other people who want to pay them a percentage off each government contract.

In fact, they give government contracts to companies who are owned by either themselves or to a company who they have a share with, or to a company whose owner or shareholders are people who are loyal to their political party and Barzani or Talabani families. And no wonder that the top rich people in the province of Erbil and Duhok are either business men who belong to KDP political members, or KDP government administrators, such as the minster, governor, chiefs and generals of security forces.

These rich KDP members at the head Barzani family members, are both government administrators and company owners. The top members of KDP have made huge cash benefits out of KRG government contracts. They now own different kind of companies, real states, and business equipments worth millions of dollars in the province of Duhok and Erbil which are the biggest businesses companies in Kurdistan that can take more of KRG government contracts. The KRD members who own these companies have grown bigger and more sophisticated after they made millions of dollars out of government contracts and projects past ten years.

Further, every new contract, auction of resource such as land on lease, new business policies, or lowering of certain business restrictions are in the hand of the KDP and PUK government administrators. They give them to business men who pay them a percentage or who are their own fellow political party members.

However, sometimes the one who usually gives back the maximum return is given these privileges. Also all the deals made with foreign players such as with oil companies or with Turkish or Iranian companies who operate in Kurdistan, have an undisputed share of the ministers closing the deal which is usually collected secretly by some middle man in their name.

And not to mention how much ministers of KRG collect from foreign investors as loans in exchange of shares and donations from other organizations in the name of development and humanitarian work in Kurdistan. Oil smuggling and land scam is another example of corruption that the KDP and PUK members and government administrators who have been involved in the province of Duhok and Erbil and Sulaimani.

Not to generalize, but almost all of politicians including Kurdish KDP and PUK politicians are interested more in power, money and all other privileges that come with power rather than serving all people genuinely equally without political affiliation, background, race and religion. They are not there to only serve people as they claim neither are content with only the monthly salary they get for their public services.

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.