New Generation dissidents demand separation of business, family, politics
SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region – The New Generation has been serving the interests of the business of its founder while ignoring the demands of people who voted for the party, said a member who is one of a growing number of dissenting voices within the party.
New Generation was formed to shake up Kurdistan Region politics by confronting what it saw as major ills plaguing the region: the dominance of family ties and business interests in political parties, and leaders who make unilateral decision, explained Sarkawt Shamsulddin, a New Generation lawmaker in the Iraqi parliament.
This was the party’s goal when it challenged its first elections last year, but it “failed,” he said in an interview with Rudaw’s Hiwa Jamal on April 24.
The party has been shaken by a string of statements, counter-statements, and allegations this week, starting with one from Shamsulddin and Rabun Maroof on Monday. They revealed their opposition to the path leader Shaswar Abdulrahman was taking the party down, accusing him of drifting away from their ideals.
“The New Generation has been shifted from a political movement different from the dominant political model to a political band in which all of its institutions and the important decision-making bodies have been marginalized,” read the statement from both lawmakers. They claimed that the statement was issued jointly with the party’s Supreme Council, but seven of the council’s 13 members later denied any involvement.
Shamsulddin said they still consider Abdulwahid the leader of the party, though they are not currently following instructions from him, and raised their concerns with him before going public.
Businessman-turned-politician Abdulwahid owns Nalia Company. Shamsulddin said they have tried to make the party financially independent, but it is still “under the control of the [Nalia] company which financially supported it.”
The situation worsened when Abdulwahid’s sister Srwa joined the party and he assigned her head public relations in Baghdad “without discussing it with us,” said Shamsulddin. He was one of two MPs in Baghdad who boycotted a meeting of the New Generation delegation with Iraqi officials after they found out Srwa would lead them.
The situation will improve “only if the leader of the movement returns to his work in business,” said Shamsulddin. “We will not accept the dominance of family over the movement anymore.”
The internal party crisis exploded to another level on Wednesday when Shadi Nawzad said Abdulwahid and his supporters were blackmailing her, threatening to release nude videos of her if she did not stop her criticism of the party leadership.
Kurdistan Parliament’s human rights committee released a statement late on Wednesday condemning the alleged threats against her and people who “resort to threats to break the dignity of women in a very irresponsible way.”
The committee called on the courts to take action. A group of 17 female MPs released a similar statement earlier.
All the New Generation lawmakers have received threatening messages, said Shamsulddin. Another party member, however, denied this. Himdad Shahin, head of New Generation’s Iraq Desk, said they have not sent threats to anyone.
“The tradition of the party works on morality and politics. None of our friends will allow a departure from this tradition,” he said in comments on Sulaimani-based NRT that was established by Abdulwahid. He threatened a lawsuit against Nawzad.
Shahin also denied the original charges that the New Generation is dominated by family rule. This is “baseless,” he said, explaining that no relatives of Abdulwahid are in positions of authority.
