Wednesday, February 23rd 2011 Sadrist leader announces referendum on public services
Baghdad, A Sadrist Current deputy said on Wednesday that the bloc’s leader, Muqtada al-Sadr has announced a public referendum to be conducted across Iraq concerning the services provided to Iraqi citizens.
Hazim al-Araji told AKnews that the referendum will be conducted on Monday by all offices of the Sadrist Current in Iraq including the Kurdistan region, adding that the objective of the referendum is to deliver the citizens’ demands to the Iraqi government.
Araji went on to attribute many of the shortcomings in public services to the damage caused by previous governments but added that “that some ministers in the current government don't have the ability to manage their ministries”.
In reference to the public demonstration scheduled to take place on Baghdad’s Tahrir Square on Friday, the Sadrist MP said the proposed referendum would be a more effective way for the Iraqi public to voice their demands.
"Al-Sadr supports the demands of the demonstrators, but doesn't support the demonstration," he said.
Fellow Sadrist Current MP Hakim Abbas said that it was too early to judge the performance of the new ministers as many of them had only been in office for a few weeks but reiterated the accusation that; “Some ministers have shown that they don't have the abilities to manage their ministries, like the ministers of industry and culture”.
Abbas said that it is the heads of the political blocs that will be held “responsible for the failure of their nominated ministers”.
Abbas went on to say however that he believed “the majority of ministers” to be “experienced and efficient”.
"The demonstrations that will come out in the streets to demand better services are a legitimate right for all people," he said.
A wave of public protests has swept through the Iraqi provinces in recent weeks in condemnation of poor services along with financial and administrative corruption in government institutions and rising unemployment.
In short the protestors, inspired by the wave of rallies sweeping across the Arab world that have so far succeeded in overthrowing the long-standing leaders of both Tunisia and Egypt, are demanding the improved living conditions that they were promised by the political blocs during last year’s electoral campaigns.
Iraq is currently suffering from a dilapidated infrastructure in all sectors resulting from long years of siege, war and economic sanctions over the last two decades of the last century.
Despite the passage of eight years since the former Iraqi regime was toppled, successive Iraqi governments have not been able to provide basic public services to the country’s citizens.
In many Iraqi provinces, national electricity supplies are limited to around six hours a day despite government reports that billions of dollars have been pumped into the country’s electricity grid.
Protestors are also calling for greater administrative transparency amid a multitude of allegations of governmental corruption. One such demand is that the government explain the fate of the $6 billion allocated to the food-subsidizing ration-card system that in many cases failed to reach the Iraqi citizen.
Rising unemployment and the lack of decent employment opportunities that have left up to 25% of the nation’s youth without work have further fuelled public anger.
So far the Iraqi demonstrators have not demanded the sacking of the country’s government like the protestors in Egypt and Tunisia. Their demands have been limited to the provision of basic services, employment opportunities and in some instances the dismissal of local administrative leaders.
A mass demonstration, possibly the largest Iraqi protest to date, has been coordinated through the social networking website Facebook and scheduled to take place in the Iraqi capital on February 25.
http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/4/220393/
