I would urge you to spend time inside Iraqi Kurdistan. It is people like you whose hope is to see a war and bloodshed in Iraqi Kurdistan. This will not happen.

Are there problems? Of course. Should we work to fix them? Definitely.

An uprising? If there was one, you would see it. For you to imply that Kurds are NOT capable of uprising if they WANTED to, is to call us cowards. We have lost hundreds of thousands of martyrs, show them a little bit of respect.

After the demonstration in February in Suleimani which people were killed the Freedom Umbrella group requested a meeting with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Kurdistan Region in Iraq. We arranged a meeting within days as we feel that we should listen to a wide range of voices from Iraqi Kurdistan and because we are not aligned with any particular group in Kurdistan.

We heard their case, expressed some disagreements and followed up with questions most of which remain unanswered.

We then launched our report at a meeting in the Commons which was attended by over 100 people including about 10 FU supporters some of who were called to speak according to normal rules of courtesy. However, they had clearly decided to disrupt the meeting, barrack the speakers and prevent others from speaking so we had no choice but to call the police to keep order.

Jamal is entitled to disagree with our view of developments in Iraqi Kurdistan. Jamal is also entitled to pour scorn on the two ruling parties but they and the President have been elected in free elections which have been vouched for by the UN and the EU. The Region now has a formal opposition with whom we have met and will do so again.

Jamal’s view of Kurdish opinion is somewhat contradicted by a detailed opinion poll undertaken by a respected international organisation (the International Republican Institute, IRI) in December 2010 which revealed significant snapshots across its three provinces.

Between 64-80% of its people thought the economic situation to be somewhat good or good. Between 53-62% thought household finances had been somewhat good or good in the previous year and between 41-52% expected them to be better or much better. Overall 52-67% thought the region was going in the right direction. The most positive views were found in Dohuk, then Erbil and lastly Suleimani.

The top three problems were identified as unemployment, corruption and poor services. Corruption, nepotism, incompetence and lack of accountability attracted scores of around 90%. However between 69-80% of people had never paid a bribe or been asked to do a favour while those with personal experience was about 8%. Between 52-60% said that there was progress in ending corruption. The Prime Minister won 69% approval versus 12% disapproving.

A further survey would be interesting following the demonstrations which began in February this year. The only poll that counts is the one at the ballot box, of course and there will be early provincial elections and possibly a general election in the coming months.

We have on the basis of four fact-finding visits in the past few years given a generally positive assessment of developments in Iraqi Kurdistan but have also highlighted its defects and our reports will continue to do so. We take no view on which party should win elections as that is for the people to decide.

We take a warts and all approach on our fact-finding missions – praising where possible and criticising where necessary. Jamal makes some highly improbable allegations – that Iraqi Kurds have running water for an hour once every two days and electricity for only 7 hours a day. It’s not a picture we recognise but we will check these claims on our next visit.

We seek to engage in a respectful dialogue with all those who wish to make Iraqi Kurdistan succeed. This had included the FU group but their own thuggish actions have led us to break off contacts with them.
The reports of the four trips have been drafted by me as the voluntary Administrator and approved by the parliamentarians who participated in the visits. I am also employed – for one day a month – as a Parliamentary adviser to the KRG in the UK. Our visits have been funded by the KRG and/or the Kurdistan Parliament but we decide who we meet and the reports are independent. All interests are openly declared in the relevant parliamentary registers.