One of the biggest corruption cases in the Kurdistan Region is the lack of accurate information on the region’s revenues.
If you are a student of political science and have studied at any university in the world, even if it is not accredited, or learn politics like Nechirvan Idris Barzani – the current president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and a member of the political office of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iraq – at a prestigious university such as Tehran University, probably, after about a year of study, from constant repetition, you have understood the principle that institutions and organizations were born to solve the problem of corruption. While studying and in the hustle and bustle of classes, during each lesson, you will find out more that political institutions form the rules that humans follow and this consensus between establishing rules and following human behavior has been achieved to suppress corruption. You will be surer that it is the suffering of corruption that has driven people towards social mechanisms and organizations.
On the other hand, in the same classrooms, definition of corruption is using political power for personal and illegitimate purposes and it is also stated that political parties are a special form of social organization based on a specific constitution, detailed mechanism and national mission statement which instead of abusing power for personal interests, commits the party to the macro view. All these mentioned along with financial transparency and providing equal opportunities are among the characteristics of the parties. In this case, after a period of study and simple searches, it becomes clear what dimensions corruption has and what are the special functions of parties, and it becomes clear that the role of parties in the game of corruption is towards citizens or corrupters!
Well, the student returns to his own country after completing scientific degrees, acquiring information and understanding the material, to combine this knowledge with his political life. Ironically, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the birthplace of Mr. Nechirvan Idris Barzani, is one of the areas that he claims is governed by a party system. The two parties that have taken power in this area and have divided responsibilities for years are the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. The Kurdistan Democratic Party, with its headquarters in Erbil, is present in Duhok and Erbil and led by the Barzani family. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, which is based in two provinces of Sulaymaniyah (center) and Halabja, is managed by the Talabani family. These two political currents, which are very inclined to carry the name of the party, have a wide and multi-layered influence in the region, and all the pillars and currents of power, both at the financial and economic level and at the political and social level, end up with them.
The Kurdistan Region is living in a very difficult situation with the focus of these two parties, the growing economic problems, popular protests, the inability of ruling party system to manage the region are among the most prominent chaotic conditions. It was in 2020 that the people of the region protested against lack of services and job opportunities and the corruption of the two ruling parties. Or it was just a few months ago that Iraq’s Hizb al-Jail al-Jadeed (New Generation) announced in a statement that “the two main parties, the “Patriotic Union” and the “Democrats”, are involved in dozens of corruption cases.” And they demanded to participate in Kurdistan’s parliamentary elections and to form monitoring committees to deal with corruption and punish the main accused in the corruption case. Everyone acknowledges the corruption of these two political currents in the Kurdistan region.
One of the biggest corruption cases in the Kurdistan Region is the lack of accurate information on the region’s revenues, which are provided by border crossings, oil and gas sales and exports, international aid, airport revenues, and public taxes. In fact, no one has specific information about the incomes of the region, Meanwhile, the annual enrichment of the families of the two ruling parties in the Kurdistan region and the publication of media reports about the bank accounts, properties and large assets of these two families outside Iraq have become an excuse for a new round of social protests in northern Iraq. Armed activities and dubious relations with the Israeli regime and some countries in the region such as Türkiye and some Arab sheikdoms in the Persian Gulf have led corruption in the region to not only be a local issue, but also have regional and international dimensions.
Finally, after mentioning all these cases and the hidden and obvious aspects of region problems, it should be said that the party has components such as macro view, nationalism and transpersonalism, transparency of structure and mechanisms, equal opportunity to achieve opportunities away from special family and family privileges, enumerating all these cases creates a big question in sensitive and questioning minds, by the way, the answer should also be asked from Mr. Nechirvan Idris Barzani, as a student of politics. Which of these party components exist in the two ruling currents in the Kurdistan Region, which call themselves the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union Party? Is there anything visible more than two corrupt armed groups?
