Peregraf
Aziz Ahmed, Deputy Chief of Staff to the KRG Prime Minister, criticized opposition figures for undermining the government’s electronic payment system, MyAccount, and contributing to hardships in the salary distribution process.
In a post on X, Ahmed said pensioners were forced to wait in long queues today to receive their May salaries — 71 days after April’s payment — because many had not registered for MyAccount, largely due to political campaigns against it.
“While our pensioners were queuing under pressure to receive their salaries, some political figures like Shaswar Abdulwahid, Srwa Abdulwahid, and Ali Hama Saleh continued to speak out against MyAccount and the bank-based salary system,” Ahmed wrote.
He accused these leaders, along with commentators like Ghalib Mohammed, Ahmed Haji Rashid, and Hoshyar Abdullah, of promoting conspiracy theories and misinformation that discouraged adoption of the system, especially in Slemani.
“Many of them — and members of their political blocs — quietly registered and now benefit from the service. But their public campaigns delayed adoption among pensioners, teachers, doctors, and police,” he added.
Ahmed argued that the result was unnecessary suffering for citizens, saying: “The public paid the price for a debate these figures never truly stood by. Who will hold them to account?”
The Hazhmary Mn initiative, established by the KRG, aims to digitize salary payments for over one million employees and pensioners, thereby enhancing government oversight of public sector personnel across the Kurdistan Region.
The "My Account" project, led by KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, signifies a groundbreaking effort to modernize the region's financial infrastructure.
This digital transformation aims to streamline payment processes, enhance transparency, and strengthen financial management within the public sector, establishing a new benchmark for salary distribution in the Kurdistan Region.
The KRG's "My Account" (Hazhmari Mn) initiative and Iraq's Tawteen program are both aimed at digitizing salary payments for public sector employees, but they have been a source of contention.
The KRG's My Account initiative requires employees to register biometrically and have their salaries paid electronically through private and non-governmental banks. This initiative is part of the KRG's broader digital transformation strategy.
On the other hand, Iraq's Tawteen program focuses on facilitating the opening of bank accounts for public sector employees and pensioners within the country's banking system. The program aims to ensure that salaries are paid directly into employees' bank accounts, promoting transparency and reducing the reliance on cash transactions.