A Peshmerga soldier poses for a portrait at the DPK Peshmerga base. Picture by Le Caer Vianney ABACA/PA Images. All rights reserved. Some people in the Kurdistan region of Iraq think of security in terms of security of Kurdish people and their territory from military attacks by neighboring countries or the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL). This understanding of security, however, is a limited one. Security should be thought of as a shared freedom from fear, from want, from medically preventable deaths, and freedom to live in dignity. Today, the people of Kurdistan and their land are secure from ISIL threats, because Peshmerga forces (literally meaning those facing death or seeking death) were successful in fighting back and protecting the Kurdistan territory from falling into ISIL's hands. However, the main and serious security threats on Kurdish people's lives derive from within the Kurdistan region and the failure of its regional government (KRG).
Corruption and economic inequality are at their highest, and the KRG is unable to provide salaries for its public employees. Under a recently announced plan named the ‘savings process’, the KRG proposed wage cuts to all public employees in a bid to reduce costs. Government employees are facing cuts ranging between 15 and 75 percent, depending on their position and pay-grade. Furthermore, employees have not been paid four monthly salaries in 2015, and two salaries have been delayed in 2016. Having said that, KRG’s economic reforms are at the expense of poor people: "Making the rich richer and the poor poorer". Many Kurds believe that the ruling political parties are still rich and corrupt, since they still finance their media outlets and institutions, and have even started new projects during the financial crisis, including opening new TV channels. The results are clear: economically speaking, people live in severe conditions, and therefore tens of thousands migrate from the area. Another consequence is that, according to recent reports the crime rate is going up in Iraqi Kurdistan.
KRG’s economic reforms are at the expense of poor people: "Making the rich richer and the poor poorer"
