Rebwar Fattah – Activists
The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) — the two dominant ruling parties — must be held accountable.
These parties have become the most ineffective and corrupt political entities in the Kurdistan Region. The worst condition a society can endure is to live under the authority of a tyrannical regime that tolerates no dissent, accepts no criticism, and monopolizes power entirely. In such a system, the existence of opposition is not permitted, differing opinions are suppressed, and only the voice of the rulers is amplified. These parties have transformed governance into a competition over power, wealth, security forces, and personal interests, using state institutions as tools to preserve their own dominance.
In most functioning states, political parties may gain influence through governance, but here, they have become disproportionately wealthy by diverting public funds for private benefit. The national revenue has been converted into luxurious apartments, villas, and assets for the elite. Party officials who once claimed to live modestly now reside in palatial homes while ordinary citizens struggle, many going months without receiving even a single dinar in salary.
Meanwhile, the political elite continues to launch media outlets and expand their personal empires. It is common for affiliated journalists and party spokespersons to receive monthly salaries exceeding $5,000, far beyond the standard of living of the general public. Corrupt officials, unethical journalists, and loyal propagandists are rewarded handsomely while public resources are plundered. In response to criticism, they blame the central government in Baghdad, while simultaneously looting local revenues and exploiting oil wealth without accountability.
They claim they will never submit to Baghdad, yet simultaneously refuse to be transparent with their own people. If they had even a semblance of moral responsibility, they would at least allocate a portion of internal revenues and oil profits to pay the salaries of public sector workers, rather than demanding further taxes from citizens already burdened by poverty.
How long will these ruling families gamble with the fate of the Kurdish people solely to protect their own interests and those of their children?
The current system of authoritarianism, oppression, and systemic injustice cannot sustain itself indefinitely. History shows that popular resistance eventually brings down unjust regimes. As the daily struggles of the people intensify, the likelihood of political upheaval grows. Past experiences teach us that the starvation of a population never leads to a stable outcome.
> “A full stomach cannot understand the pain of the hungry.”
Silence is no longer acceptable. A clear stance is necessary — as always, my loyalty remains with the people and against this deteriorating political reality.
In the Kurdistan Region, those in power refuse to pay salaries with impunity. There is no functioning opposition to hold them accountable, and they no longer fear public outrage or mass protests. In the absence of both institutional opposition and civil pressure, they act freely, boasting of paying six months’ worth of salaries in a year as if it were a generous favor.
Let us be clear: the delay or denial of salaries is not the fault of Baghdad. The responsibility lies squarely with the ruling authorities in the Region, who — despite claiming otherwise — fail to act in the public’s interest. They continue to use public funds not for public welfare, but to finance projects that benefit foreign elites and celebrities, turning Kurdistan into a playground for outside interests from the Middle East and beyond. Is this what Kurdish nationalism has become?
Those who vowed to take serious action if salaries were not paid before Eid al-Adha — where are they now? Their seriousness appears to apply only to their own comfort, not the people’s welfare. Their promises have proven empty.
This is governance in decay.
The most dysfunctional cabinet to date is that of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani. It has failed to pay salaries, resorted to threats, and continued to confiscate the people’s oil, gas, electricity, and every vital resource. They are not only robbing the present but also jeopardizing the future.
Anyone daring to speak up faces the same fate as those who paid with their lives — Sardasht Osman, Widad Hussein, Kawa Germiyani, Soran Mama Hama, and Sherwan Sherwani.
