CORRECTED COPY--SULAIMANIYAH: YOUTH GROUPS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003007

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/07/2017
TAGS: PGOV KCOR KDEM PHUM IZ
SUBJECT: CORRECTED COPY--SULAIMANIYAH: YOUTH GROUPS
STIFFLED BY PUK INTERFERENCE

Classified By: Classified By: Regional Coordinator Jess Baily for reaso
ns 1.4 (b) and (d).

This is a Regional Reconstruction Team (RRT) Erbil Cable.


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Youth groups in Sulaimaniyah Province,
Iraqi Kurdistan, complain of wide-spread political party
interference in the leadership and day to day operations of
their activities. They expected greater freedom after 2003
but are still unable to act independently or discuss reform
proposals which aim to make the political process more
democratic. The youth feel the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
(PUK) dominates most spheres of public life: education,
employment, the economy, and the media - and their efforts to
become independent will require endorsement and financial
support from international organizations or foreign
governments. END SUMMARY.

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BACKGROUND
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2. (C) This telegram summarizes the discussions RRT Off had
in Sulaimaniyah Province on July 1, August 3 and 15, and in
Erbil, August 21. Among the participants were Kurdistan
Student Development Organization (KSDO),Kurdistan Youth
Development Association (KYDA),Student Solidarity
Organization (SSO),Association for Scientific Research
(ARA),Youth Activities Developing Center (YADC),Kurdistan
Student Union, and the Governor of Sulaimaniyah, Dana Ahmed
Majid. Some of the members of the youth organizations are
PUK members but none are in a leadership position.


3. (C) The youth groups told RRTOff that the young
generation in Sulaimaniyah falls into two broad categories.
The first are the educated and urban youth who have traveled
outside Iraq or speak a foreign language. Some of them are
former or current PUK members and feel stifled by the party
while others struggle with being excluded by PUK in terms of
funding and economic opportunities. The second category is
the apolitical, uneducated, unskilled working class youth who
fight to survive economically and live in both the cities and
rural, isolated areas.

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CRITIQUE OF THE PUK
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4. (C) The young people had the following common remarks on
the impact of the PUK on youth development:

-- the party denies youth groups the basic freedom of
expression, public assembly, and open dialogue with a broad
sector of society. It also discourages interaction with
foreign youth groups via the internet or with the independent
press.

-- the party interferes in program design and leadership
election of youth groups. Party members also use
intimidation techniques to prevent youth groups from
discussing freely the future of Iraqi Kurdistan politics.

-- the PUK is out of touch with the youth and public opinion.
PUK youth organizations do not represent the views of the
new generation or support the rights of the youth. The PUK
promotes the status quo and the interest of the party and has
little interest in the general public.

-- employment and educational opportunities depend on party
membership and connections. In particular, admission into
graduate programs is linked to party membership rather than
academic excellence. The party-dominated university uses
outmoded curriculum that fails to meet current demands of the
labor market. Party-affiliation over merit drives decisions
about staffing, scholarships, grading, and access to
resources. The university therefore lacks the impetus to
make needed changes or hold administration and faculty
accountable for student performance.

-- party members who are directors of secondary schools or

university professors use the educational facilities as
venues for party recruitment.

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CONSEQUENCES
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5. (C) As a result of perceived injustices and limited
freedoms in the PUK, KYDA said in June 2007, 133 of the 369
KYDA members left the party and announced it was establishing
an independent youth association, making them the first youth

BAGHDAD 00003007 002 OF 002


group to split entirely from the PUK.


6. (C) Since the establishment of the Kurdistan Youth
Development Association (KYDA),its members report having
greater difficulty with finding jobs and are being watched by
intelligence services (Asayish). They also mentioned the
licensing process for KYDA has slowed down; if the license is
not granted, they will launch a youth demonstration.


7. (C) The various youth groups said the culture of party
dominance has prevented the younger generation from
developing self-reliance and critical thinking. They added
these qualities are crucial for devising independent reform
programs. KYDA members observed that the youth lack the
experience of saying no to government and political parties
or working through disagreements and debating with political
leaders. Since 2003, the youth perceive the PUK to be
financially stronger but less popular.


8. (C) Youth groups told RRT they have not become the "motor
of change" in Iraqi Kurdistan with a stake in influencing
society and the political process. So they were complaining
about their inability to effect change and reform. They
stressed that university students should be the source of
alternative social values and reform ideas but the university
has become a place for promoting the party and rewarding PUK
family members with degrees.


9. (C) The Governor of Sulaimaniyah told RRT Off that the PUK
pressures the student unions of Sulaimaniyah Province to
elect party members to their leadership positions. In the
recent 2007 elections, the PUK won leadership positions by 20
votes whereas secretary level vacancies were
filled by other candidates.

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THE WAY FORWARD
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10. (SBU) The youth groups had a long list of program
activities to implement and assistance requests. The first
is a series of awareness campaigns on individual rights
(notably for the youth in isolated rural areas),social
issues such as basic health care, drug addiction, women's
rights, and family values.


11. (C) Second, these young people want to do public
outreach to a broad spectrum of civil society and then
disseminate their findings through an independent newspaper,
website, and radio station. Their reporting activities would
include government and PUK corruption practices.


12. (SBU) Third, the youth groups want increased linkages to
USG officials and foreign youth organizations. This could be
through exchange programs, training opportunities, or
financial assistance to cover operation costs or to build
youth centers. They believe independent youth centers can
structure leisure time productively and provide a venue for
the exchange of ideas and public meetings.


13. (SBU) Fourth, the student groups want to create an
English-language association at the University of
Sulaimaniyah to lobby the administration for changes to the
English curriculum.


14. (C) COMMENT: The young people of Sulaimaniyah are
frustrated with pervasive party interference in the public
space, including the spheres of education, employment, the
media, and the market. It is clear that the events of 2003
raised expectations among them regarding freedom of
expression, assembly, and individual rights. The PUK,
however, continues to keep the youth as well as NGO
activities under their direct or indirect control through
intimidation and wide-reaching political and economic power
bases.


15. (C) The KYDA break from the PUK is a relatively bold
move but the members feel without political backing from a
prominent international organizations or the USG, they remain
vulnerable. RRT Off confirmed her willingness to keep a
dialogue open with the groups, informed them of US public
affairs programs, Quick Response Funds for specific projects,
and training opportunities with National Democratic Institute
and the International Republican Institute.
BUTENIS