Akam Abdullah Sdiq – Activists
This statement may seem paradoxical, yet it encapsulates a lived reality in today’s Kurdistan Region. Share it with anyone and, if they’re even slightly frustrated, they may well slap their forehead in disbelief. How can it be that we are told we have electricity, while in practice we don’t? This reflects the current condition under the leadership of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and his deputy, Qubad Talabani, ever since the launch of their so-called “Darkness Project.”
Every household was obliged to participate in this project, and from the outset, the injustice was embedded in its pricing model. Mr. Barzani claims that the people themselves are at fault—that they do not know how to use electricity properly. But with all due respect, sir, how is it conceivable that I cannot even switch on a single lightbulb in my home, and yet, at the end of the month, I’m expected to pay 150,000 dinars in electricity fees?
By what moral code, by what law, have you transferred the financial burden of electricity onto a population already struggling under economic pressure? While this project may bear Mr. Barzani’s name, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) is equally involved. Mr. Talabani cannot plausibly deny responsibility. When asked, he states, “This is the statement of a politburo member, not mine.” Still, both parties are complicit—benefiting from the project while ordinary citizens suffer its consequences.
And who are these “poor people” they claim are being served? Where are they, these citizens who are supposedly capable of paying massive electricity bills month after month? Is your salary reasonable? Are the markets fair? Have you secured a dignified life for the people? These same people are now expected to save two dinars from their daily struggle, just to cover your taxes and levies.
If there is any sense of accountability remaining, go spend a single night in the neighborhoods covered by your project. You’ll see that they are pitch-black—not because power is unavailable, but because a single lightbulb does not function. Citizens are too afraid to switch on even one bulb for fear of the bill. You claim to offer 24-hour electricity, yet the streets are filled with flashlights, not light.
Where is this electricity coming from? And more importantly, what position should the public take? The next election is only five months away. Let us see if the people will once again legitimize these exploitative elites or whether they will seek new political forces—new representatives—who will put an end to the oppression of these two ruling families.
