University Lecturer,

PhD , Business with Management from University of Plymouth.

 

 

For a century, Kurds have endured struggle, shedding blood and sweat, in their quest to establish their own state and be governed by their own people, aiming to escape discrimination and unjust treatment from Arabs, Turks, and Persians. After the 1991 Gulf War, the dream of Iraqi Kurds to self-govern in a quasi-state became a reality. People believed that Kurdish leaders would serve the nation and guide the region towards independence, celebrating their liberation from Saddam's grip and feeling secure under new leadership.

April 14th stands as a memorial for the heinous so-called Anfal Operation, where the majority of Kurds in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) remember the atrocities of Saddam's regime: the massacres of eight thousand Barzanis, 182 thousand during the Anfal operations, five thousand in the Halabja chemical attack, and countless others who suffered and perished under Saddam's tenure. This history has solidified Kurds' perception of Saddam as the ultimate evil.

Paradoxically, the past three decades of rule by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), marked by a history of corruption and oppression, have reshaped the image of Saddam from devil to saviour in the eyes of many Kurds.

In a Facebook post on March 15th, 2024, Mariwan Othman posed a poignant question: "Did Saddam oppress the people as much as these (the two ruling parties in KRG) do?" The responses from Kurdish people may surprise many. Among the 368 comments analysed, only 14 individuals agreed that Saddam was more malevolent than the current leaders in power (CLP), comprising 3.8% of respondents. Another 25 people, accounting for 6.79%, provided neutral responses. However, a staggering 82.8%, totaling 305 individuals, asserted that the CLP is more oppressive than Saddam. Notably, 165 of these vehemently disagreed, and 192 not only disagreed but also criticized the CLP in their comments. Some of these remarks are shocking and illustrate the depth of discontent among Kurds towards their current leadership.

Answering the above question “did Saddam oppressed the people as mush these (the two ruling parties in KRG) do?  Among the many, some have written the following comments:

"No, Saddam did nothing to us; all that happened was the fault of our CLP."

"Never, even the chemical attack and Anfal operation were the fault of these (CLP)."

"No, he never oppressed us until the (pro-Saddam) Kurdish mercenaries and militia leaders helped him; otherwise, he did not know what was going on in Kurdistan. We had a happy life."

"He had never oppressed anyone in his life. The Kurds themselves were traitors. They (CLP) were nothing and still traitors."

"The current regime (KRG) would have done much more than Saddam if it were not for the international community."

"Sayyid al-Rais was not a tyrant. He was against the mountain gangsters; he gave them a proper nickname (saboteurs). These people, (CLP), are empty of any values."

"By God, no matter what Saddam did, he would not have starved his people."

"He was an honest man. He has not done as much wrong as these."

"Many people are missing from the civil war to this day; no one knows if they have been buried or what happened to them. They are the same."

"Saddam was a tyrant, but these are saboteurs, thieves, gangsters, bloodthirsty, oppressors, and dirty. Whatever bad name comes to mind applies to this group. Any bad thing Saddam could not do, these people have done and more."

"Saddam killed 5,000 people with chemical weapons; it was known as genocide. They have exterminated 7 million Kurds. They say you should not even speak up; when death is death."

"A thousand blessings on his grave."

"They (CLP) are not fit to shine his shoes."

"Don’t you feel that it is unfair to compare Saddam with these traitors?"

The comments reveal a resounding sentiment among Kurds, describing the CLP with the most derogatory terms imaginable. Many believe that even Saddam's atrocities were attributable to the CLP, painting a bleak picture of their current rulers. The sentiment expressed in the last comment encapsulates the prevailing sentiment succinctly.