Politics

'Voiceless Devils': Alusi Slams Baghdad Silence on Kurdistan Salary Suspension

Prominent Iraqi politician Mithal al-Alusi condemned Baghdad’s suspension of Kurdistan Region salaries, calling it oppression and urging Arabs to oppose the injustice. He declared solidarity with Kurds, warning the crisis threatens Iraq’s unity and democratic future.

Prominent Iraqi politician and public figure Mithal al-Alusi. (Photo: Kurdistan24)
Prominent Iraqi politician and public figure Mithal al-Alusi. (Photo: Kurdistan24)
Iraq Mithal al-Alusi KRG Civil Servants Salary Delay Erbil-Baghdad disputes

By Kamaran Aziz

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Prominent Iraqi politician and public figure Mithal al-Alusi has sharply criticized the Iraqi federal government’s recent suspension of public sector salaries in the Kurdistan Region, calling the silence of other political leaders on the issue a moral failure. “Those who are silent about the oppression of Kurdistan Region’s public employees are voiceless devils,” Alusi wrote in a strongly worded statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday.

Alusi accompanied his statement with a powerful symbolic image, an Iraqi family—mother, father, and two children, one an infant in the mother’s arms—positioned in front of a devastated urban backdrop. The father bears the wight of the “Monument of Iraqi Freedom” on his back, a clear metaphor for the burden ordinary Iraqis carry amid enduring conflict and broken promises of democracy.

In his post, Alusi wrote, “I, Mithal al-Alusi, am a civil liberal, neither Shiite nor Sunni. I declare with pride that I am a citizen of Kurdistan. In joy and hardship, I stand with my Kurdish relatives. I reject and condemn the cutting of salaries for Kurdistan’s public servants.”

He further remarked on the dignity with which the Kurdistan Region continues to receive Arab tourists, despite facing economic pressure and political marginalization. “Despite the suffering and oppression, Kurdistan continues to respectfully welcome Arab tourists,” he noted, urging free-thinking Arab citizens to speak out against what he described as systemic discrimination.

“Today it is the Kurds who are being oppressed; tomorrow it will be all of you,” Alusi warned, framing the issue as a wider threat to Iraq’s societal fabric and democratic ideals.

Alusi’s comments arrive amid escalating tensions between Baghdad and Erbil following a controversial decision by Iraqi Finance Minister Taif Sami to halt salary transfers to the Kurdistan Region. The Ministry claimed the Region has surpassed its budget allocation and failed to remit 19.2 trillion dinars in oil and non-oil revenues, citing rulings from the Federal Supreme Court and the 2024 General Budget Law.

 The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has firmly rejected these allegations. In a joint statement, the KRG’s Minister of Finance and Natural Resources underlined that the Region has fully complied with its obligations under the budget agreement and accused Baghdad of political manipulation. “The decision is political, not legal,” the ministries asserted, framing the salary cuts as part of a broader campaign to undermine the autonomy of the Kurdistan Region.

Alusi’s expression of solidarity with the Kurdish public comes at a critical moment, as fears mount that the ongoing financial standoff could further entrench divisions within Iraq. The tensions coincide with the Eid al-Adha holiday and loom large ahead of the country’s upcoming elections.

 
 
Dr. Kamaran Aziz ,
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