On the matter of salaries, the Iraqi authorities are not truthful either!

Hoshyar Abdullah
(The truth as it is)

The lie that connects everything to the blame of the Kurdistan Region’s authorities in the salary crisis is clear and has been discussed at length. But what follows is another lie against the salary earners of the Region.

What began in 2014 is that the Kurdistan Region’s authorities were taught to violate agreements and commitments. Since then, the successive Iraqi governments have continued this trend, always at the expense of the Region’s salary earners.

Here are a few short examples to clarify that part of the blame for this injustice against the Region’s employees also lies with the Iraqi political system, especially the Shiite factions who have led successive federal governments in Baghdad. In truth, the guilt is shared between the KRG and Baghdad:

During Haider al-Abadi’s term:
Abadi took over during a financial crisis and the war with ISIS. Instead of addressing the root of the issue, he said:

“We sell our own oil and pay salaries. You sell yours and pay your own salaries!”
While he criticized oil sales in the media and filed lawsuits in federal courts, in the actual budget laws, he acted as if the Region hadn’t sent oil — and instead of stopping illegal oil sales, he cut salaries.

During Adel Abdul-Mahdi’s term:
Though his time in office was short, he showed good intentions to resolve the issue. For the first time, he offset KRG’s budget share with the value of the oil it failed to deliver, and declared it legally binding.

During Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s term:
Kadhimi tried hard to appease KRG authorities, imposing no conditions or rules, as he came to power after the Tishreen protests and was preoccupied with his own agenda. He made no structural reforms, only worked to satisfy the KRG leaders instead of solving the salary issue.

During Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani’s term:
Sudani built very close ties with the KRG leadership. They praised him more than anyone else. He passed a deeply flawed four-year budget law, which intentionally avoided dealing with the Region’s oil revenue obligations.
For four years, he turned a blind eye to illegal oil sales and made no effort to recover internal revenue from the Region. Now, ahead of elections, he needs victories on Shiite streets and has become hardline toward the KRG yet he himself taught them this soft treatment!

Let’s ask: For the past four years, while the KRG hasn’t sent oil or non-oil revenue, weren’t Sudani and his team fully in control and didn’t they accept it quietly?
Was that not a deliberate choice? Isn’t it a question worth asking?

There are legal and constitutional mechanisms the Iraqi government could use to force KRG to return revenues but they won’t use them because they are not honest. In fact, Sudani proudly acts as if he were part of the KRG leadership and not bound by law!

Who gave them this immunity from law?
Why doesn’t he, if he is truthful, issue a travel ban on the KRG officials who refuse to return revenues?

No. He won’t.
And as always, the only ones who suffer are the public sector employees of the Kurdistan Region.