Friday, March 11, 2011Maliki defends government performance
BAGHDAD: Iraq’s prime minister on Thursday defended his government’s performance in the face of protesters demanding more jobs, better services and less corruption _ charging that legislators were just as much to blame for the crisis.
Amnesty International said on Thursday it feared that anti-government protesters arrested in Iraq this week risk torture, just as demonstrators detained last month reported they had been abused.
“A group of anti-government protesters missing since they were arrested this week in Baghdad are feared to be at risk of torture, after other recently released protesters told Amnesty International they were tortured in detention,” the London-based watchdog said.
In a rare appearance before parliament, a defensive-sounding Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki blamed legislators for failing to pass badly needed laws that would encourage development and economic growth.
“The current situation is not the responsibility of one group, rather it is a joint responsibility,” Maliki told them. “The executive and legislative authorities share responsibility in both successes and setbacks.”
Maliki singled out important legislation like an oil law needed to streamline investment in the energy sector, a retirement law which he said would encourage older employees to retire and let young people find employment and social insurance legislation that would help poor and elderly Iraqis.
“There are big and important ministries working without laws, or their old laws have not been revised,” Maliki said.
On Thursday employees at the electricity ministry rallied for better working conditions and salaries, and on Wednesday, Iraqi workers demonstrated in central Baghdad for more pay.
Legislators criticised his performance on Thursday in the parliament, saying they were unfairly blamed for the country’s ills.
“He tried to throw the ball into the parliament’s court for the failures that took place in the country,” said Maha Al Douri, a legislator affiliated with cleric Muqtada al-Sadr during a news conference after the session.
“What we need is immediate solutions for the problems, not long speeches.” Deputy Prime Minister Saleh Al Mutla said Maliki should step down if his government fails to meet his own 100-day target to improve its performance.
Mutlaq reveal the deep divisions remaining in a fractious coalition government formed in December after nine months of wrangling following an inconclusive election.
Mutlaq, a leading figure in the secularist Iraqiya bloc which enjoys support of the Sunni Arab minority, said demonstrators’ demands for better services were “reasonable.”
“If Maliki cannot administer his government in these three months in a way to meet the ambitions of people, I believe he himself should resign,” he said.
“These protests are not against this current government. They are against the accumulation of financial and administrative corruption and against building the country in an inappropriate way for the last eight years.”
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