Maliki Breaks Media Silence
So the Prime Minister has broken his long silence throughout the negotiations in a surprisingly honest TV interview with Al-Iraqiya (here or here). He focusses a lot of the interview on the government formation, particularly on the “Iraqi National Alliance”. I wanted to summarise the interview, but a friend sent me this summary:
“Maliki declares that he has told the State of Law to “freeze” his nomination, and challenges the rest of the Iraqi National Alliance to agree on any one candidate as a replacement. Should they agree, he explains, and get the support of other blocs, then he will support their nominee. He extends the same challenge to Al-Iraqiya.
In the interview, PM Maliki laments the interference from regional and international actors, and says no Iraqi government can come together if their interference continues, particularly since so many political blocs are under the sway of foreign powers.
He gives several damning examples of huge reconstruction initiatives and projects that were blocked in parliament for no reason other than an attempt by some parties — which he leaves unnamed — to ensure that no extra credit can go to PM Maliki. That this was the reason, he reveals, was recounted to him directly – in one instance, by Kurdish parliamentarians who recognized the benefit of a bill to the country, and who were told by an unnamed Shi’a politician that: “you must oppose this regardless because it will strengthen Maliki.”
Regarding accusations of corruption, he declares his decision to hold a live televised meeting with the Minister of Finance and in the presence of all the cabinet wherein the full expenditure of the government would be critiqued, and to reveal why it is that billions of dollars that should have been spent on projects such as electricity or in the provinces were not.”
Ok, so what does this all mean? (1) That there is now a clear urgency about forming the government (I know we have lamented before that its taken four months but it shows that we are moving forward). (2) That Maliki is showing that he is willing to take big steps to move things forward. Let’s not forget, up until this point the SOL would not even begin to consider another PM. I wonder whether some of the other groups would do the same (INM with Allawi or the Kurdish Alliance with Talabani as examples)?
So does this mean that Maliki will not be the next Prime Minister? Not necessarily. It’s unlikely that the “Iraqi National Alliance” could come up with an alternative candidate and take up the challenge (it would involve the Sadrists and the SIIC agreeing on a candidate!). I think this is more of a challenge to everybody else, to show that Maliki is not to blame for the stalemate within the “Iraqi National Alliance”.
Another point that seems to be clear though, is that whoever becomes Prime Minister, there will be a government of National Unity (a government of everyone), or at least a government that everyone accepts. I don’t know whether this is a good idea as I mentioned before.
This recent post by a friend on Juan's blog has been answered now. The ball is no longer in Maliki’s court but in the rest of “Iraqi National Alliance”. Things are slowly beginning to get exciting again.
(Iraqi Blogger friend)
