Roj Bash !

Roj Bash blog has collected the narration of a brave Kurdish elector, gone from Southern France to vote in Holland… We publish it as and when we receive the parts of the tale… We hope pictures soonly, too !

“I was not aware of this trip in Holland. Knowing that we could not vote in France, we had envisaged to got to Belgium with a car. But a Kurdish friend from Paris called me by phone sunday or last monday and informed me that there will be a bus for those who want to vote in Nederlands. I learned in the same time that Belgium did not organize the elections. As the bus was free, I did not hesitate one moment !

I learned later that other families in the city had been informed of the travel and some people were interested on it. I thank at first that the Institut or another association has paid the transport, but in fact, it was not the case. I rather say that bus has been financed by both parties (KDP/PUK), for an impressing number of buses took the direction of Utrecht the last days. And all were decorated with Kurdish flags Kurdish with the famous 730 sign. I don’t see which foundation or association could have ensured such a financement. And we musn’t forget that dozen of buses also started from other countries like England, Germany, Denmark, Sweden etc… But personnaly, it does not disturb me more than that, I prefer that the money is used in the collective interest than for purely personnals aims.

We had rendez-vous front of the Kurdish Institute around 11h30 pm !!! I came in Paris at the beginning of the afternoon for I should see some friends and make a visit to the Institute. The other people, near to 15 persons, joined us about 9h00 pm. There remained still approximately 2h30 mn to waited in the coldness of Paris! And then this friend who had called me the day before, and which is close to a political party, “nicely” invited us to go to wait in the buildings of his party (KDP). What we did.

At 11h00 pm we took again the subway to return rue Lafayette. While arriving front of the Institute we met other Kurds who waited for the bus also, in the coldness. The poor were frozen ! Around 11h30 pm, no bus, and a group of Kurds came, a dozen of students in Paris. Among them, a Kurd from Mahabad (Eastern Kurdistan) that I’ve never met before, and suprinsingly, a Kurdish friend from Northern Kurdistan, that I met in the University of Bordeaux in 2002! They wanted to support us. Even if I knew that they could not vote, it was a great pleasure to have them with us.

Then the bus arrived at midnight and we took road of Holland, a long trip which lasted about 7 hours. We were around 40 people, and we had really a nice and funny time.The driver stopped 2 or 3 times for a small coffee-break and a break for smokers in lack of nicotine!

Near to 7h00 am we were in Utrecht, our town of destination. The driver, who did not know the area, had to deposit us in “Centraal Station”. He was mistaken several times and stopped at least 5 times to ask his way to the people in the streets. At a moment, he saw 2 policemen and then stopped to ask them to show us the direction of “Centraal Station”. Policemen had answered him : “you are at the right place !” In fact, they were precisely there to ensure the safety of the place of vote. Our bus was the first to arrive at morning and the policmeen asked us to get down for the bus should wait in a private park watched by another policemen. The driver told us that we should come back at 3h00 pm, for he could not drive again before this hour. And he went to sleep in his bus …

It was not yet 8h00 and we had to wait until 3 h00 pm before taking again the road!”

(To be continued… Part II)