Sayyid Ammar Al Hakim Asserts the Existence of Visions and Programs to Address the Problems of Iraq and Attributes the Deficiency to the Decision Crisis and the Lack of Political Will
Sayyid Ammar Al Hakim, head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, asserted that the problems of Iraq need a radical treatment, which in turn needs the treatment of structural and legislative problems and decision-making contexts. His eminence considered that Iraq is currently going through a historical and decisive phase with the right environment for reforms and described the religious authority in Najaf as the compass needle through all the dark times in Iraq. He explained that the Najaf authority has proved, throughout the history of Iraq, that it supports the people in all its crises and that its role is not limited to jurisprudence and rules. He also reminded that the people’s positive reaction to the authority’s discourse is due to the fact that the authority does not have personal interests and has a moral status away from any violations. He further explained that the religious authority will keep living in a rented 80 square meter house in the oldest neighborhood of Najaf if the situation of the Iraqi people improves, adding that it will share the people’s concerns and will demand its rights if the Iraqi situation witnesses a deterioration at the service and social levels. His eminence stressed again the importance of decreasing the salaries and privileges of officials, saying that this is not intended to see the impact of the decrease on the public budget but it is actually a position that officials are required to take in view of the suffering of their people. He also indicated that there are clear visions to address the problems, however, the problem resides in the decision crisis and the political will.
This came in his eminence’s speech delivered at the Diwan of Baghdad for journalists held at his eminence’s office in Baghdad on Saturday, 8/8/2015.
His eminence pointed out that the Martyr of the Niche movement adopts a supportive position towards the government and that the proposition of resignation of the citizen bloc ministers to Al Abadi was a translation of the support we are providing to him. Sayyid Al Hakim demanded equity and asked not to condone the actual problems which are the cause of previous accumulations, maintaining that justice, social equity and the enactment of social justice laws can guarantee the end of quotas, for citizens will vote for those who provide them with the service regardless of their religious, nationalistic or sectarian background. His eminence refused the calls speaking of Iraq’s collapse and explained that Iraq is not going through a downfall, highlighting the achievements that must be mentioned. He also warned against the blackout policy used for the description of things, considering the responsibility assumed by the partners as common responsibility that is directly proportionate to the position and role of the partner. He believes that all must take the winning and the loss, reminding that some political powers at the elections have presented well-defined visions and platforms to run the state and that the religious authority called on the people to elect who are the most competent and to focus on ISIS to prevent the group from exploiting the Iraqi situation and meddle in it. He said the majority of the demonstrators has legitimate demands, but only a small number is trying to divert the course of the manifestation which is the most important characteristic of democracy.
Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim talked about the security achievements made by the security forces and the popular crowd, calling on the mass media to turn their attention to such achievements in order to minimize the effect of the ISIS media and to prevent it from exploiting our preoccupation with the rightful demands of the demonstrators and broadcast its lies to reverse the defeat state in which it is found. His Eminence explained that the ISIS was defeated in all the confrontations with the army, the police, the crowd and the Arab tribes save in Ramadi city, and lost his chief leaders and a number of its elite forces which increased the number of the mercenaries compared to its Iraqi members, considering the decrease of the Iraqis within ISIS lines as great victory for it brought the people back to the arms of their country and exposed ISIS.
His Eminence made clear the viewpoint of the Martyr of the Niche movement about the presidential regime, stating that the quick conclusiveness is one of its advantages and that it will be positive if the institutions in which the individual voice has no influence are strengthened, explaining that the current weakness of the institutions may take us back to the previous period if we opt for the presidential regime. He added that the current regime is a parliamentary one based on the Iraqi constitution and its replacement with the presidential regime requires constitutional amendment without being voted down by three provinces and such condition is unavailable now for some components are against the presidential regime.
The head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq ruled out the idea of a divided Iraq, because he believes that Iraq is a pivotal country and its division and fragmentation will have repercussions on the whole region, urging the political and community powers to work for the unity of Iraq and to abort the plots weaved by the others, saying it is too bad to see the massive immigration of the Iraqi youth, associating the resolution of the immigration crisis with the improvement of the security and service situation of the country.
