Today we visited Duhok to meet up with our supporters there.We were happy to see that more and more people are coming to us to discuss the Change List program. Many of them are disappointed with the KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) and are considering abandoning them in favor for the Change List. It seems that the number of threats are decreasing. But the Asayish (Kurdish security police) and the Parastin (Kurdish intelligence agency) are watching every step we take. And it seems that they take every opportunity to obstruct our campaign by hindering us in any way they can.
This Sunday the Change List official in Dohuk, Ismat Nerwahi, was traveling back from Sulaymanya via Barzan. At the control before entering Barzan they were stopped by the Asayish. They were held there for 40 minutes while they were checking the car and ID's. They were traveling in a car with KNN (Kurdish News Network) symbols and with KNN ID's. Then they let them go. But they had only been driving a few miles when they were stopped by the Parastin. Now they were asked to turn back and take another road to Dohuk. So they had to take the road via Aqrah, on small roads over the mountains. They left Sulaymania at 6 PM so now they had to travel in the dark on unsafe roads and the trip that should have taken half an hour turned in to a several hour excursion.
Four days remain until election day. We will bear all the hindering of our campaign with calm and not let us be provoked. We ask our supporters to do the same.
Showing posts with label campaign. Show all posts
Showing posts with label campaign. Show all posts
July 21, 2009
July 20, 2009
Change on its way in Zakho
Today we in the Change List notice a different attitude in people. More people are taking contact with us and they appear less frightened.They have heard that hundreds of people are abandoning the Kurdistani List parties.It seems that the Kurdistani List tactics are turning on themselves. People do not like what they see and hear. People are showing interest in our program and they actively take contact with us instead of the other way around. And they find us though we do not have an office in Zakho. We have made our own homes to offices and there are no flags and posters on our houses.
The word is however that many fear that the last days of the election campaign will be violent. But we are telling all supporters to keep calm. We will not seek conflict and will not provoke the Kurdistani List supporters by envolving ourselves in discussions with them. People do not see this as weakness. They see that we are strong and that we will not be intimidated. They see that we are here not for ourselves but for them. We are here because our people need a change.
The word is however that many fear that the last days of the election campaign will be violent. But we are telling all supporters to keep calm. We will not seek conflict and will not provoke the Kurdistani List supporters by envolving ourselves in discussions with them. People do not see this as weakness. They see that we are strong and that we will not be intimidated. They see that we are here not for ourselves but for them. We are here because our people need a change.
July 17, 2009
Low-key Change List campaigning
The Change List have no other option than to act low-key and continue to spread its message in a very quiet way. To receive a permit for a public meeting is out of the question, our posters are being torn down, and people are afraid to approach our campaign office. Halima A. Othman, Senior Architect Engineer, Duhok, listed on the Change List and Idris Sheranshi, campaign manager and coordinator for the Change List in Zakho, are trying to keep the election campaign going on despite the obstructions of the Kurdistani List.
Yesterday we spent the whole day paying villages and other areas around Zakho a visit and talked to people door-to-door.
People were mainly positive to our arguments but were reluctant to say anything about their voting preferences openly. The fear for consequences is widely spread among the people. All we could do is to tell people to follow their hearts and their conscience on election day.
As we see it here in the Behdinan areas is that although we have our difficulties in campaigning freely we are full of hope. The Kurdistani List are actually doing most of the campaigning for the Change List. They are showing the people that we are right in what we say about them.
Idris Sheranshi and Halima A. Othman
Idris Sheranshi
Yesterday we spent the whole day paying villages and other areas around Zakho a visit and talked to people door-to-door.
People were mainly positive to our arguments but were reluctant to say anything about their voting preferences openly. The fear for consequences is widely spread among the people. All we could do is to tell people to follow their hearts and their conscience on election day.
As we see it here in the Behdinan areas is that although we have our difficulties in campaigning freely we are full of hope. The Kurdistani List are actually doing most of the campaigning for the Change List. They are showing the people that we are right in what we say about them.
Idris Sheranshi and Halima A. Othman
Idris Sheranshi
July 15, 2009
Dirty tricks in the Kurdish Election
The Change List here in the Behdinan areas, Duhok and Zakho, are not experiencing that people are feeling the same kind of excitement over the election as in Sulemaniya. People here are afraid. The Change List will not accept that people get hurt or loose their livelihoods in showing us their support. We are forced to work in diffrent ways. Instead of normal election campaigning our work is focused on spreading our message in a more quiet way than rallies and direct konfrontation with the Kurdistani List supporters.
The Change List are also trying to avoid being provoked by the Kurdistani List. We see that the Kurdistani List are using every dirty trick in the book. Not only are they trying to threat or bribe our supporters, they also are following us around, "spying" on us to see what we are up to and who are speaking to us. Another dirty trick is to provoke us in to making mistakes. When tomato throwing children were sent out to attack our caravan of cars July 13 large numbers of police were also waiting there for us. We have heard from a reliable source that the police were waiting for us to be provoked by these children. They were hoping that some of us should have jumped out of our cars. And they would have had us arrested on the spot.
But people are also getting angry now. The provocations of the Kurdistani List are not invisible for the people on the streets. When the Kurdistani List are trying to stop the Change List from campaigning in every way they can, they probably are digging their own graves...
The Change List are also trying to avoid being provoked by the Kurdistani List. We see that the Kurdistani List are using every dirty trick in the book. Not only are they trying to threat or bribe our supporters, they also are following us around, "spying" on us to see what we are up to and who are speaking to us. Another dirty trick is to provoke us in to making mistakes. When tomato throwing children were sent out to attack our caravan of cars July 13 large numbers of police were also waiting there for us. We have heard from a reliable source that the police were waiting for us to be provoked by these children. They were hoping that some of us should have jumped out of our cars. And they would have had us arrested on the spot.
But people are also getting angry now. The provocations of the Kurdistani List are not invisible for the people on the streets. When the Kurdistani List are trying to stop the Change List from campaigning in every way they can, they probably are digging their own graves...
July 14, 2009
Obstacles in campaigning for the Change List
The Change List are really experiencing how the Kurdistani List parties (KDP/PUK) in every way are trying to hinder our election campaign. For example, when the Change List are trying to open up a campaign office the owner of the facilities receives threats and we are forced out. A couple of weeks ago we moved into a buliding. But as soon as we put our flags and posters up we were asked to move out again. The owner and his family had received death threats and were too afraid to let us stay.
So we searched for another place. And again when we had moved in and put our flags up the owner told us about threats he had received. The threats were not directed to him directly but to his relatives who then pleaded him to not let the Change List use his buildning. We in the Change List will not let any threats stop us but we cannot let people who are afraid take any consequences. So now on our third try we were about to move in to our new campaign office yesterday. But again the owner came to us and told us about how his family and relatives had received threats and that he is too afraid to let us have our office in his building.
The Kurdistani List does not have these problems. They use municipal buildings for their campaign although this is not allowed. Also, all posters that the Change List are putting up are within half an hour torn down. Usually children are used for this task...
Children were also used yesterday in attacking us. We planned a drive through Zakho in our cars plastered with Gorran posters and flags. But we heard that children with tomatoes were placed on the streets waiting for us. So instead of driving through the main streets in the city we took other roads. The caravan of cars managed to avoid the tomatoes but were attacked by stones. The children were deliberately brought along in their cars to execute their dirty work.The police were just standing by - watching.
So we searched for another place. And again when we had moved in and put our flags up the owner told us about threats he had received. The threats were not directed to him directly but to his relatives who then pleaded him to not let the Change List use his buildning. We in the Change List will not let any threats stop us but we cannot let people who are afraid take any consequences. So now on our third try we were about to move in to our new campaign office yesterday. But again the owner came to us and told us about how his family and relatives had received threats and that he is too afraid to let us have our office in his building.
The Kurdistani List does not have these problems. They use municipal buildings for their campaign although this is not allowed. Also, all posters that the Change List are putting up are within half an hour torn down. Usually children are used for this task...
Children were also used yesterday in attacking us. We planned a drive through Zakho in our cars plastered with Gorran posters and flags. But we heard that children with tomatoes were placed on the streets waiting for us. So instead of driving through the main streets in the city we took other roads. The caravan of cars managed to avoid the tomatoes but were attacked by stones. The children were deliberately brought along in their cars to execute their dirty work.The police were just standing by - watching.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
