KDP in Zakho - where is the money?

In Zakho, the KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) has asked the businessmen to pay for the refreshments for the voters and the workers at the polling stations . This is for all of the polling stations. Most of them have had four businessmen that paid 280$-350$ each, but some of the richest have had to pay for a polling station on their own, 1100$-1400$. There was around 50-60 polling stations in Zakho.

We know the KRG (Kurdistan Regional Government) allocated money for this in all other cities. Did the KRG just forget to allocate money for Zakho? Or have the KDP just kept the money?

This is not the first time this has happened. After Newroz celebrations this year in Zakho, the businessmen were all called to the KDP headquarters and asked to pay for the fireworks that had been used during the celebrations. Every company in Zakho paid 1000$ dollars each for these.

The businessmen are not in the position to refuse to abide. They are afraid that it will affect their business. They all paid up.

Has the KRG been allocating money for these things? Is the KRG allocating money for the Zakho area that is not been used for the benefit of the people? Or are they just neglecting Zakho? Before I accuse the KDP for embezzlement I would like to have these questions answered.

If the KRG pays for these things - who is it that takes this money? I want to ask Dr. Rizgar, head of the KDP in Zakho this question.

Post-election discussions

I am now back in Zakho after being in Sulaymaniya this week after the election. Gorran, The Change List, have been busy the last couple of days in conferences discussing how to proceed now after the elections. We are discussing the parliament seats and our future work to bring about change in the KRG (Kurdistan Regional Government and for the Kurdish people.

We are also discussing how to proceed with legal actions concerning the election fraud. We will not let this pass and have had our lawyers look into our options.

Furthermore, we are having talks with the 4PartyList (Sevice and Reform List) about forming a joint opposition in parliament. They can choose inclusion in government or staying in opposition. The governing parties, KDP/PUK, have made it clear that they will not tolerate any criticism of the government by joining parties.

We are also looking ahead to local elections within the upcoming Iraqi elections in about six months. These elections will have a more decisive influence on future developments of Gorran in the Behdinan area. In Zakho and Duhok we will work for making a difference, a change, for the Behdinan which have for too long been neglected by the KRG.

Preparing for the elections

The last two days here in Zakho there has been a hugh increase in the number of people that are coming to us at the Change List office or are calling us by telephone, telling us they will vote for us. But most of them ask us not to mention their names to anybody. They are afraid to loose their paycheck from the KRG (Kurdistan Regional Government) if they find out that they renounced the KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party). This is widespread because in Kurdistan 1 of 4 has a job with a wage from the KRG. Most of these people are poor and they are disappointed in the KRG for neglecting their needs. But there are also some that enthusiasticly offer to work with us openly.

Today we also held a conference and discussed how our election observers should be organized. We will have an observer in every polling station during the elections. We will supervise the registration, voting, counting of votes until they leave in seeled boxes to Baghdad where the IHEC (Independent High Electoral Commision) will recount the votes. We hope that the international independent observers are present in as many polling stations as possible.

Wednesday 22 of July was the last of the campaigning days and now the election starts. No campaigning is allowed from now until election day. Thursday 23 of July all personnel within security, the police, the fire department, hospitals etc. will vote so that they can maintain preparedness over the elections. Hopefully this means that the Asayish (Kurdish security police) will leave us alone this day or will they follow us around anyway...

Visit at a poor family in Zakho

During our door-to-door campaign visits we were not invited in by one of the families we had planned to visit. This man have always supported the KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) and all his family have been lojal to them. But surprisingly he then called Halima A. Othman, posted on the Change List as no.48, and asked if the Change List would like to come for a visit. So we went to talk to him. He lives with his wife and seven children in a small concrete house with a roof made of mud and with very poor hygienic sanitation facilities. He has been unemployed for several years and struggles hard to support his family. He has no direct connections with the KDP but have tried over and over again to get their help in finding a job. He has applied many times to get a post at the Peshmerga (Kurdish police) in Zakho. He tries to make a living by selling parts for guns but he cannot earn enough to support his family. He is very disappointed in the KRG (the Kurdish Regional Government) and in the KDP for not helping the people in Zakho.

The unemployment rate in Zakho were 4% in 2001 and was the lowest in the Dohuk governate (9%). There are no official statistics for today but we know that the unemployment rate in Zakho has tripled since then. The unemployment rate for the Dohuk governate today is 20%. This is due to the KRG neglecting the whole Behdinan area. There are no strategic plans for reform or social development programs. There are no employment agencies to help our people to find work and many of the job opportunities are filled with imported labour force from Georgia, Pakistan, Sudan, Ethiopia etc.

There are many poor families like this here in the Dohuk governate. And people are disappointed in the KRG. The man we visited said that he hoped now that the Change List really can make a change for families like his and said that he would lay his vote for us in the elections.


Halima A. Othman,
posted on the Change List as no.48