Deputy head of Bethnahrin Patriotic Union Joseph Sliwa: Any law that does not guarantee the right of ethnic components to choose their own representatives means further marginalization and exclusion

ERB’ILO / ERBIL, Iraq ꟷ  In an interview with Al-Masra website, Former Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian Member of Iraqi Parliament and current deputy head of the Bethnahrin Patriotic Union, Joseph Sliwa, stated that any law that does not guarantee the full rights of the ethnic components to choose their own representatives means exclusion and marginalization.

He further stated that any law that does not guarantee that in general elections only Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian voters may vote for the seats allocated to them within the quota will be unfair to those voters This has been the case in all previous elections in recent decades. Sliwa stressed the need for a special register of voters to ensure that only Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian voters can vote for their candidates.

Sliwa explained that there are certain policies and agendas that are imposed on this indigenous component in its ancestral land through people and groups previously affiliated with what were called the ‘Knights’ of the Baathist regime.

Sliwa stressed that any law that departs from the framework mentioned and any law that does not guarantee the eligibility of the components to choose their own legal representatives, contradicts with what is said about guaranteeing the minority rights in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Moreover, the principle of equality in the Kurdistan region, which is so often brought forward, is nothing but a lie.

It is noteworthy that recently five Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian parties have called for the liberation of the Christian quota seats from the appropriating influence of other parties, and for the respecting of the will of the Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian people in electing their legitimate representatives in parliament. They too called for an amendment to the election law.

بيان خمسة احزاب كلدانية سريانية اشورية حول استقلالية مقاعد الكوتا. pic.twitter.com/JlpGiOaHcQ

— جوزيف صليوا – joseph sylawa (@josephsabi73) January 29, 2023