Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim Calls on the Political Movements to Compete with Honesty and to Avoid Insulting Each Other
Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim, head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, said the electoral platform of the Citizen Coalition many experts in many areas have prepared and taken part in is about reform and advancement, explaining that the goal of the Coalition is not only to persuade the voters about voting in favor of the Citizen Bloc though such goal is legitimate; in fact it is a roadmap for its candidates who are committed to it towards the people and a course they follow. He maintained that the “electoral platform” for the Citizen Coalition is not a mere sheet by which it conveys its slogans, rather it includes plans of action, mechanisms, legal, political, security, social and economic procedures and steps well elaborated to reach the goals. He added that the mechanisms of action make the voters believe in the roadmap of the Citizen Coalition to reach the goals, explaining that the Citizen Coalition has a clear path of building and protecting Iraq, ensuring its progress in all areas, applying the zero-crisis approach, working in the spirit of a competent, coherent team and creating a real administrative revolution that leads to serious steps in building the country and relieving the burdens of the citizens, for according to his Eminence, the people needs the party who brings them solutions and remedies with respect to security, politics, services, economy, housing and unemployment, not that who reiterates what they already know. Moreover, he said the Citizen Coalition will work with anyone consistent with its platform and courses and willing to work with it within a coherent team that seeks to resolve the crisis, stressing the importance of the honest competition and the avoidance of insults. He also urged the candidates to offer platforms which are expressive of themselves and identify the people’s problems, showing that the Iraqi dialogue is a responsibility that will be assumed by the Citizen Coalition with confidence and determination during the next stage and will manage to bring the country’s crises to zero and start the building, reform and advancement process.
This came during the cultural forum held in his Eminence’s office in Baghdad on Wednesday, April 2, 2014.
A Well-defined Legal Map to Treat the Irregularities in the Structure of the Iraqi State
His Eminence stated that the Citizen Coalition’s platform is based on two key elements: first the accurate and detailed diagnosis of the irregularities in all areas, explaining that the wrong or superficial diagnosis often leads to temporary solutions that neither are reformative, nor build a country or maintain security and prosperity. Second, the creation of solutions based on a strategic vision and studied periods of time and according to supportive schedules, plans action and laws. His Eminence said these two elements produced three fundamentals: the first is that Iraq must be run by the spirit of the coherent, competent team who can understand the problems, agree on the solutions and apply them without wasting time with political wrangles, crises and tensions. The second is to put in place a well-defined, legal map that treats the irregularities in the structure of the Iraqi State, ends the opposite interpretations of the constitutional and legal texts and blocks most of the crises which we all agree that they are of legal origin. The third is to create a real, global revolution that restructures the different state institutions and end the state of negligence, incompetence, squandering of public funds and corruption. He added that these fundamentals are correlated for without a political solution and a well-defined agreement on the “zero-crisis” approach, it would not be possible to form a coherent team; without a team, it would not be possible to pass tens of key laws to create the global revolution and without laws adopted by everybody, the administrative revolution which will make Iraq quickly achieve its goals would be unrealistic.
You Have to Bring Solutions, Not Expose the Problems
The head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq called on the movements to compete with honesty, reminding the candidates that the people today is looking at you and listening to you, so explain your platform to them without speaking about the problems. You have to bring solutions, not expose the problems. He also urged them to act in a way that meets the duty they are seeking, asserting that the citizens are now mature and capable of making distinctions, so do not underestimate them for they are smart and endure but they never forget. Here, he underlined the necessity of updating the platforms not the insults, saying the elections are the true image of democracy and are about how much one can diagnose the irregularity and treat it, and such diagnosis covers all the stages of political action and turns into ideas, programs and way of speech that respects the will of the voters and reacts with their ambitions and goals.
Religious Marja’ is the Authority Whose Words Do Not Need Interpretation or Detailing
Sayyid Ammar Al Hakim assured that the religious Marja’ is the authority whose words don’t stand any interpretation or detailing and that it is at a same distance from all political blocs participating in the elections, since a rational Marja’ cannot be otherwise. He indicated that the religious Marja’ taught us that justice is the foundation of success; it sets the pace in society. His eminence added that the Marja’ deals with constants not variables, with principles not agreements; it gives a wide berth to temptations, stressing that the Marja’s considers participation in elections as the greatest national duty. Sayyid Al Hakim called to make the elections day an epic historical day in our lives, for it is the day we make our decision and draw our destiny and freedom. He clarified that the biggest difference between dictatorship and democracy is elections, highlighting that the Marja’ supports and calls for the right, and is not at one distance from the right and wrong, or from the successful and loser, nor does it stand at one distance from those who protect the rights of people and those who violate their rights, or from the honest and corrupt. His eminence reminded that the Marja’ had said it stands at one distance from all political parties participating in the elections, and that citizens should participate in elections, change to the better and not vote for anyone who did not provide them services, upheld their rights and achieved security for the people. He finally pointed out in this context that the Marja’s words are clear and explicit as it is aware of its responsibilities before Allah, the people and history.
Everybody Should Assume Their Responsibilities of Protecting the Judiciary From Influence and Pressure
His eminence stated that justice is connected to an honest, just and uninfluenced judiciary, underlining that any acceptable verdict is based on justice. He stressed the need to resort to the ministry of justice for it grants justice to the people and ensures a just judiciary and to the supreme judicial council, warning against a great catastrophe is doubts arise over the judiciary, because justice is the foundation of governance, and the judiciary is the foundation of justice. Sayyid Al Hakim indicated that it is a continuous intertwined chain that cannot be subject to dismantling not interpretation, calling on everybody to assume their responsibilities of protecting the judiciary from influence and pressure and of ensuring a sound legal environment. He warned against the State’s failure should the judiciary lose its independence as there is not democracy, justice, freedom and equality without an independent judiciary, pointing out that Iraq will lose everything if he lost the judiciary.
Discontinuation of Dialogue is a Dangerous Phenomenon
His eminence explained that the perpetuating crises and conflicts are due to the discontinuation of political dialogue among the political forces on one hand and between politicians and citizens on the other hand, considering this a dangerous phenomenon that requires a responsible treatment. He insisted on resorting to dialogue, which is an indicator of power not of weakness, for building needs powerful men capable of holding a frank dialogue among them and with their people, of avoiding fiery statements and throwing accusations of no avail on others. He called to have a dialogue of powerful men who are confident and believe in one goal, and indicated that the past years have proven the efficiency of such dialogue and its political elements. His eminence assured that the Martyr of the Niche movement has good relations with all the political blocs without exception, which enable it to open an honest and transparent dialogue and to address the crises away from tergiversation. These good relations are due, his eminence added, to the fact that the Martyr of the Niche movement does not link its political relations to electoral goals and conflicts. Sayyid Al Hakim maintained that the movement’s belief in its ability to lead the coming phase pertains to its ability to provide solutions without any need to threaten the country’s structure or undermine the security of citizens. He wondered why direct meetings to solve the crises are being prohibited? And what is causing the discontinuation of political dialogue for long months? His eminence reminded that the Citizen Bloc was opening the doors of dialogue to partners although some of them were not appropriately interacting with it, pointing out that politics is the field of solutions and options. Sayyid Al Hakim stated that the bone-breaking and defamation stage the crises have gotten to is attributed to the lack of dialogue among the different parties. He insisted on the citizens’ triumph because they deserve victory; people do not get defeated and there is no road for Iraq but victory. He finally described victory as upholding the will of Iraq, strengthening the links among the citizens and achieving coexistence on the basis of history and national interest.
