Gorran: We the Kurds have always pursued a democratic path
Gorran: We the Kurds have always pursued a democratic path
Speaking at a meeting in Rome, organised by the Europa Levante association, Hishyar Abid, representative of the Gorran (Change) movement in London, underlined that "wherever it has been possible, we, the Kurds, have pursued a democratic path, often against a great deal of opposition and antagonism. We have achieved a great deal more through our democratic strategies than we ever had through armed struggle. It is only a pity that even in this day and age our people find themselves still obliged to resort to armed means to defend themselves, as it is still the case in Iran, and occasionally still in Turkey too. The democratic path would be beneficial to all involved nations, not just the Kurds. We have successfully instilled our democratic institutions into Iraq and have enshrined it in the Iraqi Constitution, which has benefitted the whole of Iraq".
Talking about the success of Gorran in the Federal Region of Kurdistan, Abid underlined that "the emergence of Gorran as a credible and effective opposition force, sweeping the board with 25 seats of the 111 seat strong Kurdistan Parliament, is a testimony to the credibility of our democratic institutions. The manner in which this new movement came to the fro, reconstructing the political alignment of the Kurdish people and forcing its’ position to be the second largest single political party in Kurdistan, all that took place in a breathtaking pace of a single year, but without any violence to speak off and no blood-shedding. This is unheard of in the Middle East. It is a phenomenon that we all can take pride in and claim credit for. Still, there have been many adverse reactive measures from political establishment, in term of unduly influencing the elections, chastising Gorran’s supporters by expelling them from their salaried jobs, and orchestrating vicious propaganda campaigns designed to intimidate and alienate our supporters."
Nevertheless Abid recognised that "a combination of corrupt greed (on the part of our leadership) and the precarious security situation kept our democratic institutions in a limbo where badly needed reforms couldn’t take place. Many serious attempts to reform the parties or the institutions were derailed and blocked to protect narrow and limited party interest. I was part of a group of loyal members of PUK who, in October 2008, declared the establishment of a pressure group within the party by the name of Movement for Democratic Change. We condemned the rife corruption within the party’s rank-and-file as well as the leadership and called for radical reforms. Our group was expelled from the party 3 days after our announcement. "
The representative of Goran then went on underlining the efforts for peace made by Kurds in Turkey. Efforts that, he said, are met with an attitude of closure by the government.
Likewise, he said "the Islamic regime in Iran not only pauses threat to the Kurdish people that fall under their control, but it is becoming a serious menace in the whole region."
Talking about the success of Gorran in the Federal Region of Kurdistan, Abid underlined that "the emergence of Gorran as a credible and effective opposition force, sweeping the board with 25 seats of the 111 seat strong Kurdistan Parliament, is a testimony to the credibility of our democratic institutions. The manner in which this new movement came to the fro, reconstructing the political alignment of the Kurdish people and forcing its’ position to be the second largest single political party in Kurdistan, all that took place in a breathtaking pace of a single year, but without any violence to speak off and no blood-shedding. This is unheard of in the Middle East. It is a phenomenon that we all can take pride in and claim credit for. Still, there have been many adverse reactive measures from political establishment, in term of unduly influencing the elections, chastising Gorran’s supporters by expelling them from their salaried jobs, and orchestrating vicious propaganda campaigns designed to intimidate and alienate our supporters."
Nevertheless Abid recognised that "a combination of corrupt greed (on the part of our leadership) and the precarious security situation kept our democratic institutions in a limbo where badly needed reforms couldn’t take place. Many serious attempts to reform the parties or the institutions were derailed and blocked to protect narrow and limited party interest. I was part of a group of loyal members of PUK who, in October 2008, declared the establishment of a pressure group within the party by the name of Movement for Democratic Change. We condemned the rife corruption within the party’s rank-and-file as well as the leadership and called for radical reforms. Our group was expelled from the party 3 days after our announcement. "
The representative of Goran then went on underlining the efforts for peace made by Kurds in Turkey. Efforts that, he said, are met with an attitude of closure by the government.
Likewise, he said "the Islamic regime in Iran not only pauses threat to the Kurdish people that fall under their control, but it is becoming a serious menace in the whole region."
