Gorran MPs involved in bid to own parliament housing at low costs to splinter from party

Jan. 26 – Four parliamentarians from the largest opposition party in Kurdistan region, Gorran, are likely to splinter after party leader Nawshirwan Mustafa criticized them for signing on a bid that would see the buying of parliament housing property at very low costs.

The splinter option comes after the local media reported that Gorran leadership has decided in a closed meeting to sack the four MPs from the party for signing on the petition.

According to the petition signed last month by over 37 MPs in parliament, most of the from the main ruling parties, the houses provided for MPs as accommodation during their work in the parliament and whose value is over US$600,000 would be sold to the MPs at a price no more than US$200,000.

Gorran leader Nawshirwan Mustafa called on the four MPs in an open letter circulated on the media channels in Kurdistan to apologize to the people of Kurdistan for not passing the test of money and breaking their vows to serve the people of Kurdistan Region as they had promised in the electoral campaigns two years ago.

Nawshirwan said in the letter that he always tested real men with money and positions.. "When people praise them they should not be too much self-satisfied and they should not see people as inferior"

"Some of you proved to be weak in the first test… you were not strong enough for the ploy of money, apartments, villas, cars, bodyguards and other privileges..  I don't like anybody avoid bad deeds for me or discipline, but for the fear of being held to account by the public and their own conscience" he said in the letter.

The Gorran leader called on the MPs to explain what happened to the public and offer apologies. Also to push on the parliament to pass legislations to reduce the salaries of MPs which amount to about US$6,000 in a country where average salary of an employee is US$500.

Abdul Rahman Hussein, one of the four Gorran MPs told AKnews that "W have only withdrawn from the Gorran bloc in the parliament, but will continue to work in the parliament.. we will form a new bloc in the parliament, but we will continue to work within the principles of Gorran"

Hussein said the four Gorran MP's signing on the petition was not to buy government properties at very low costs. "We asked the parliament that if it planned to sell the houses it should sell them to the MPs and the payments be made in installments"

Karwan Mala Salih, another of the four Gorran MPs who signed on the petition, refused to give a comment on splintering from Gorran. "We will not talk about this. We have decided it [splintering from Gorran] to release ourselves [from commitment to Gorran obligations]"

By Fryad Mohammed and Raber Y. Aziz