Since the announcement of the plan for a referendum in the Kurdistan Region to decide whether to stay with Iraq or leave and build an independent state some worry that such a project would lead to the establishment of a dictatorial state.
Others have come up with a long list of preconditions to be met before going for a referendum such as writing a fantastic constitution, good institutions, strong economic infrastructure and a functioning parliament.
At the end of all their negative comments they say they are not against independence, they are only against referendum especially the one planned for September.
How do they think you can decide on your future if not through a referendum? Also a date has to be set for a referendum whether it is now or ten years from now.
Besides, their concerns and fears are misplaced. They worry about a dictatorial Kurdish state as if right now we are part of the most democratic country in the world. They warn of lack of institutions and a constitution and Iraq miserably fails at all of those.
Part of their fear is that one party and one man should not be in charge of the referendum project and that it is a national ambition. But historically and everywhere in the world it has always been one man and one party that have pushed for independence and the rest of the nation follows.
Who cares at this stage what kind of state Kurdistan will be. It would certainly be nice to have a successful democratic state with a strong economy, high standards of living and a useful member of the international community. But right now, the biggest thing is to make sure we successfully separate from Iraq. Then those questions could be addressed.
You can’t have your dream state without declaring it first. Also, being part of Iraq for a hundred years has made many Kurds unable to invest in the land. Almost everything, whether it is building a highway or a dam or a family home is put on hold because no one is sure what happens next and when we might face another attack from Iraq or a group like ISIS.
An independent state would finally give people some breathing space and a chance to invest in their own future and that of the country.
If anyone has issues with the political parties here or with corruption or lack of institutions, they will better be able to hold them accountable in an independent state than a de facto region that is neither fully independent nor fully part of Iraq.
In many aspects now, the Kurdistan Region is doing better than Iraq and as an independent state it will do better still.
Tens of years of fighting the Iraqi regime, all the mass graves and sacrifice was for Kurds to be able to have their own country. Now that that chance is upon us there is no excuse not to seize it.
Concerns about corruption, fear of dictatorship, philosophizing or texts from political science books are irrelevant here. It is a simple yet historical project for a people to separate from a country they have never been proud or felt part of.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rudaw.
