Noting that Diyala Is Victim of Terrorism and Neglect, Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim Announces the Launch of "Our Rising Diyala" Initiative
Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim, head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, announced "Our Rising Diyala" project launched by the Citizen's Coalition, maintaining that this initiative is complementary to the others already launched by the Martyr of the Niche movement for the southern provinces, the middle Euphrates and the western province, and that Diyala is not an exception. He described Diyala as the mini Iraq and the cheerful garden, stating that the Citizen's Coalition launches initiatives to turn them into projects and laws that serve the provinces and it did not, and will never, exploit the wounds of the people and will not buy them with alms, gifts and charity since it believes that the fair, modern state project start with building the human being. He explained that the initiatives involves granting Diyala a financial aid of USD 500M, removing the land mines from the Iran-Iraq borders in Diyala province left by the "Saddamist" Baathist war against the Islamic Republic of Iran, setting up residential and commercial compounds on the borders and reclaiming the lands following demining. According to him, the initiative is about building the residential "Assalam city" with 25,000 residential units designed for Diyala citizens so that it symbolizes the unity of all Diyala segments, families and tribes. It also contemplates upgrading the agricultural situation, killing the plan pests that destroy the palms and the citrus trees, addressing the water scarcity issue, fighting desertification in the province, establishing the commercial and industrial free zone between Iraq and Iran and exploiting the strategic location of Diyala province between both countries, which contributes to the creation of job opportunities for Diyala citizens, the activation of commerce in the province and the development of the frontier region. His Eminence showed his regret for the fact that no initiative has been presented by any party to Diyala province, explaining that so many were preoccupied with their divisions and narrow interests, leaving Diyala and its citizens to be attacked by terrorism, unemployment and oblivion. This came during the public gathering for the Citizen's Coalition in Diayal province on Thursday, April 24, 2014.
Constitution of the Diyala Senate that Would Become a Reference for Communication and a Center to Resolve Problems
His Eminence said the initiative consists of building the international highway which links the Iranian border to the main highway of Iraq, which turns the province into a crossing point and a transit road between both countries since it is a shortcut between both countries and this will ensure lots of development and promotion opportunities for the province. According to him, the project aims at bringing back the citizens who were displaced from their homes and villages because of terrorism and fairly compensating them, restoring the damaged green fields to their previous condition, as well as developing the educational situation in the province by enlarging the faculties of Diyala, reconstructing the destroyed schools and building new schools. He also pointed that the initiative gives special attention to the youth for it intends to improve the sport situation in their province and build typical playfields in its districts. The initiative also calls for constituting the Diayala senate that would become a reference for communication between all the honorable segments of Diyala citizens and a center for resolving problems and offering suggestions to both federal and local governments. His Eminence added that the initiative will also support the military and security formations in the province such as the police forces and the military, the further contribution of the province citizens from all segments to the defense of their province and the creation of Diyala emergency unit whose mission is to eradicate in terrorism in the province and kick terrorists out.
Iraq Has a Great Challenge and a Hard Test Ahead
His Eminence stated that Iraq has a great challenge and a hard test ahead. We will not allow careless people to hinder our way towards building Iraq and Diayal, he said, and we will not allow terrorism anymore to breed on the bodies of our children. Here, he called on Diyala citizens to take their decision and make their choice because it is them who will reap the harvest, reminding that the Citizens' Coalition has raised the " a people we don’t serve is a people we don't deserve to represent" slogan. He also urged Diyala citizens to give their votes to those who serve them and care for Diyala problems, and shares with it its suffering, noting that the Citizen's Coalition will work within a clear vision and a defined plan, and this is its program to build Iraq and its provinces, protect its citizens from terrorism and eliminate improvisation, randomness and chaos. He added that the Citizen's Coalition platform is designed to neutralize terrorism, cut off the head of division, improve the level of our armed forces and save Diyala and Iraq from such insanity. In his opinion, the Iraqi people is sick of the ineffectiveness as it was previously sick of the Baath party, and there is no place in Iraq for losers nor for corruption, terrorism, partisanship and class division, narrow personal interests, mistakes, chaos and artificial crises. He also called on Diyala citizens to go and get their rights by choosing their real representatives.
The Fair, Modern State Derives its Power from its Institutions and its People
The head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq maintained that the project of building the fair, modern capable state will see the light when Diyala citizens take their decision and make their choice, stating that it is a modern state that catches up with the developed countries; a fair state that gives to the people their rights back, and a capable state that prevents terrorism and killers from assailing its borders and its citizens' lives and criminals from taking pleasure in spreading death all over the streets of its cities, stressing that it derives its power from its people and institutions without bullying its people or undermining its institutions. He confirmed that it is a state where the center does not overstep the provinces and the region of Kurdistan in a such a way so as to exclude and control them, nor do the provinces and the region of Kurdistan overstep the center in such a way so as to compromise and control it. Thus he considered Diyala as a province that faced injustice two times, the first when the evil terrorism wanted to invade it and turn its green fields into ash, kill its citizens and displace them through the most horrible sectarian attack and the second time when the officials did not defend its rights, leaving it forgotten and neglected and thus Diyala was victim of terrorism and neglect.
