Difference between revisions of "Tazkia (Kurdistan Region of Iraq)"

A general introduction to the KRI governance experience is necessary to understand how ''tazkia'' works in the public sector arena. The 1994-1998 KDP and PUK civil war resulted in the division of the KRI institutions into two geographically divided administrations (Stansfield 2004<ref>Stansfield, G.R. 2004. Iraqi Kurdistan: Political development and emergent democracy. Routledge: London and New York.</ref>). This had a noticeable impact on the KRI governance model. The KDP Zone became known as the Yellow Zone, after the colour of the KDP flag, and the PUK Zone was identified as the Green Zone, after the colour the PUK flag. The administrative polarisation started in 1997 in the aftermath of the civil war, and officially ended with the unification process of both partisan Kurdistan Regional Governments (KRG) in 2005  (Ala'Aldeen 2013<ref>Ala'Aldeen, D.A. 2013. Nation Building and the system of self-governance in Kurdistan Region (in Kurdish). Erbil: Aras.</ref>). However, the repercussions of the civil war continue to influence events. Both ruling parties acted independently in the process of empowering their armed forces, building their security forces and in developing their bureaucracies in their respective zones on the basis of political affiliation (Knights and Metz 2014<ref>Knights, M. and Metz, S. 2014. Last Man Standing: U.S. Security Cooperation and Kurdistan's Peshmerga, The Washington Institute, Washington, DC.</ref>). This, in turn, provided fertile ground for ''tazkia'' to develop and expand within KRI public institutions.

A general introduction to the KRI governance experience is necessary to understand how ''tazkia'' works in the public sector arena. The 1994-1998 KDP and PUK civil war resulted in the division of the KRI institutions into two geographically divided administrations (Stansfield 2004<ref>Stansfield, G.R. 2004. Iraqi Kurdistan: Political development and emergent democracy. Routledge: London and New York.</ref>). This had a noticeable impact on the KRI governance model. The KDP Zone became known as the Yellow Zone, after the colour of the KDP flag, and the PUK Zone was identified as the Green Zone, after the colour the PUK flag. The administrative polarisation started in 1997 in the aftermath of the civil war, and officially ended with the unification process of both partisan Kurdistan Regional Governments (KRG) in 2005  (Ala'Aldeen 2013<ref>Ala'Aldeen, D.A. 2013. Nation Building and the system of self-governance in Kurdistan Region (in Kurdish). Erbil: Aras.</ref>). However, the repercussions of the civil war continue to influence events. Both ruling parties acted independently in the process of empowering their armed forces, building their security forces and in developing their bureaucracies in their respective zones on the basis of political affiliation (Knights and Metz 2014<ref>Knights, M. and Metz, S. 2014. Last Man Standing: U.S. Security Cooperation and Kurdistan's Peshmerga, The Washington Institute, Washington, DC.</ref>). This, in turn, provided fertile ground for ''tazkia'' to develop and expand within KRI public institutions.

Since the administrative division of 2005, the provision of most public services in the KRI institutions has taken place through these politicised procedures. Both parties have provided a wide range of opportunities for their members with regard to the way in which public institutions selectively reward them with services and positions. The KDP favoured its members with a ''tazkia'' letter, which enabled its members to enjoy a variety of public services in the Yellow Zone; the PUK acted similarly in assisting its own members in the Green Zone. Despite the unification process of 2005, the two parties maintained their own influence within their respective zones and domination of key areas, including security and the military, as well as public finance has remained almost unchanged (Mala Baxtyar 2015<ref>Mala Baxtyar. 2015. 'National Horizon and partisan fog’ (in Kurdish), Kurdistani New, 6573, 07:01, p. 2-3. http://en.calameo.com/read/0001639138df048adae2b</ref>).

Since the administrative division of 2005, the provision of most public services in the KRI institutions has taken place through these politicised procedures. Both parties have provided a wide range of opportunities for their members with regard to the way in which public institutions selectively reward them with services and positions. The KDP favoured its members with a ''tazkia'' letter, which enabled its members to enjoy a variety of public services in the Yellow Zone; the PUK acted similarly in assisting its own members in the Green Zone. Despite the unification process of 2005, the two parties maintained their own influence within their respective zones and domination of key areas, including security and the military, as well as public finance has remained almost unchanged (Mala Baxtyar 2015<ref>Mala Baxtyar. 2015. 'National Horizon and partisan fog’ (in Kurdish), Kurdistani New, 6573, 07:01, p. 2-3. http://en.calameo.com/read/0001639138df048adae2b</ref>).