'My Account' Benefits a Family, Not Civil Servants

Reports 06:59 PM - 2024-10-05

Kurdistan Region's PM Masrour Barzani.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) always prioritises the interests of the Kurdish people, setting it apart from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and other political entities. The PUK opposes 'My Account', a banking system introduced by Masrour Barzani for salary disbursement to civil servants. It urges civil servants to nationalise their salaries and create accounts in Iraqi state-owned banks. PUK stresses that 'My Account' does not ensure civil servants' salaries and violates the Iraqi Federal Court's ruling.

PUK President Bafel Jalal Talabani said during the campaign rally of the PUK List 129 in Koya: "‘My Account’ is neither mine nor yours. It is Masrour's account. The civil servants' must nationalise their salaries, not register for 'My Account’."

‘My Account’ is in the interest of a family

Shinyar Anwar, candidate No. 43 in the PUK List 129 in Sulaymaniyah constituency, told PUKMEDIA: “The difference between the PUK and KDP is that the PUK decides for the benefit of the people and the public interest but the KDP decides for the benefit of the family that owns it.  'My Account', like all other projects of the prime minister, serves just the interests of his family; thus, it is important that Civil Servants refrain from entering this system, as it does not ensure the payment of their salary."

“We lost over half of Kurdistan's territory due to the referendum being conducted at bad timing, and afterwards, we lost our oil as a result of poor governance policies,” Shinyar Anwar stated.

"They now seek to further penalise our nation through an adverse banking policy known as 'My Account,' whereas it is the PUK that seeks to right these wrongs and end the authoritarian rule," she added.

“I urge civil servants to refrain from registering in ‘My Account’; instead, they should nationalise their salaries at one of the Iraqi state-owned banks, as mandated by the Federal Court's order, which is non-negotiable," she stated.

‘My Account’ is the main reason for the salary suspension

Jabar Goran, candidate No. 46 in the PUK List 129 in Sulaymaniyah constituency, told PUKMEDIA: "The delay in disbursing salaries to civil servants in the Kurdistan Region over the past few months is solely attributed to 'My Account', as the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is purposely creating difficulties for nationalising (Tawtin) civil servants' salaries. Nationalisation (Tawtin) serves as a superior assurance for civil servants to receive their salaries, enabling them to also benefit from advances offered by the Iraqi government."

Goran further stated: "Many of the banks associated with ‘My Account’ are not just family-owned but also private banks, and when they declare bankruptcy, the civil servants will take the hit. So it is important for civil servants to refrain from registering for ‘My Account’. They should nationalise their salaries in a state-owned Iraqi bank, as the Iraqi government guarantees their salaries."

To address the salary dispute between Baghdad and Erbil, the Federal Court has resolved to establish a state-owned bank in the Kurdistan Region to nationalise civil servants' salaries and distribute them through this bank, thereby eliminating deceased individuals, duplicates, and fake names from the KRG salary list. However, Kurdistan Region's Prime Minister Masrour Barzani announced a banking system for disbursing the salaries of the Kurdistan Region's civil servants under the name of ‘My Account’.

‘My Account’ is entirely at odds with the Federal Court's order, and the banks within the system are private and lack guarantees; hence, in the event of bankruptcy, civil servants' salaries will be lost.

The sixth term of the Kurdistan parliamentary elections is scheduled to take place on October 20, 2024. The PUK is contesting with PUK List 129 and 172 candidates under the slogans "Correcting the Course of Governance" and "We Will End It."



PUKMEDIA