The Bahdinan needs Gorran

Change has a lot going on now after the elections. But it seems as if the Bahdinan has been left out in the equation. I wish that those who care about the Bahdinan put pressure on Gorran leadership to remember to include us too.

Gorran need to actively engage in a long-term commitment to the Bahdinan area and allocate resources, both human and financial. We need to work close to the people. But we also need to understand that to achieve progress in this area may take a long time. It is a special area, with special people, in a very special situation.

In Bahdinan, the KDP controls everything. It will be very difficult to break their firm grip on people. People are in the hands of the KDP just to get by in their daily lives.

The KDP use their party membership as a mean to control every aspect in life. If you are going to apply for a job, you need to go to the KDP and get a written affidavit of your membership to go with your application. Without being a KDP member you cannot get an employment, you cannot keep your job, you cannot start or keep a business, your children will not make progress in school, you cannot put food on your table... If you want to become a member of another political party, you will get sacked and your food-for-oil card will be taken away from you.

The KDP have in the Zakho area 142 offices. The rexsten, KDP party workers, see eveyone and hear everything. News travel faster between the rexsten than through TV and radio... The rexsten are on a constant watch on people and immediately intervene if they see anything that goes against being a lojal KDP member.

This is why Gorran need to have a long-term plan on how we shall help people out of this situation. The first step is to show the Bahdinan people that we are here to stay and that we are also in the Bahdinan to make a change.