‘Protesters reject ‘oppression powers’

‘We hope Iraq shuns Iranian influence’

ON Saturday, February 1, 2020, the President of the Republic of Iraq, Barham Saleh, had assigned Muhammad Tawfeeq Allawi to form the new Iraqi government in light of a political agreement between the leader of ‘Saeroun Coalition’ of Moqtada Al-Sadr and the leader of ‘Al-Fath Current’ Hadi Al-Amri, but the Iraqi demonstrators announced that this mandate is contrary to the conditions they set and so they will continue their protests until all of their demands are met,” columnist Dr Abdulmohsen Hamada wrote for Al-Jarida daily.

“The protestors (those involved in the sit-in) at the Tahrir Square have issued a furious statement, in which they said that the ‘power of oppression’ still insists on dragging the country into the unknown, and has proven its point through the nomination of Muhammad Tawfeeq Allawi that it does not care about our blood and sacrifices that we made in order to restore the country from the clutches of corruption, terrorism and foreign loyalists.

“Moreover, the demonstrators have affirmed in their statement that the blood that was shed was not to replace Abdul-Mahdi with a former minister (Allawi), who has been agreed upon by the current political blocs.

“Meanwhile, the demonstrators from the Iraqi southern governorates had declared their rejection of Allawi who has been given the mandate of forming the government, and announced their intention to take escalatory steps in the event the ruling political forces insist on nominating personalities who do not meet their aspirations.

“However, it appears from the biography of the nominated prime minister that he was born in Baghdad in 1954, and was one of the followers of Muhammad Baqer al-Sadr (an Iraqi religious terms of reference who was holding the title of Ayatollah and executed by the regime of Saddam Hussein in 1979), and he (Allawi) joined the Al-Dawa Party for a period of his life, then he fled from Iraq to Lebanon in 1977 after the increase in the crackdown against the Iraqi opposition.

“He graduated from the Department of Architecture of the American University of Beirut (AUB), worked as a consultant for humanitarian affairs in the United Nations Human Rights Organization, and in 2005 he participated in forming the Iraqi Liberal List with his cousin Iyad Allawi (the former Iraqi prime minister and the vice-president).

“He won his seat in the Iraqi Parliament in 2006, and then he was appointed Minister of Communications in the first and the second government of the former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, but he resigned after two years of his appointment because of differences with Al-Maliki.

“On the other hand, we say following a mandate given to him to form the government, the newlyappointed Prime Minister Allawi, in a televised speech to the Iraqi people called on the protesters to go ahead in their protests until the demands they made were fulfilled.

“He pledged them to seek to serve the country and not to waste the blood of the martyrs, to hold the aggressors and criminals accountable and bring them to justice, to form a government devoid of sectarian and partisan quotas, and ensure the weapons are in the hands of the state to protect the people, not to use them against the people, and to protect the borders and boost national dignity.

“Likewise, Allawi pledged to form a working group with the participation of representatives of the movement of peaceful demonstrators in order to prepare for early elections under the supervision of the United Nations.

“He also pledged to provide job opportunities for citizens and fight corruption, and pledged to submit a periodic report to the people through the Members of Parliament on the progress of the government.

“Meanwhile, it was rumored that the newly-appointed prime minister met Lieutenant General (ret) Abdulwahhab Al-Saeedi who goes well with the demonstrators in view of his contribution to the liberation of Falluja, and offered to Al-Saeedi the Ministry of Interior portfolio.

“Despite these good promises, the protesters continue to demonstrate against the new Prime Minister fearing that these promises are only a hoax.

“The American Embassy in Baghdad issued a statement in which it referred to the conditions in the region saying Iraq requires an independent and honest government committed to meeting the needs of the Iraqi people.

“The embassy pledged in its statement to work with the government as soon as it was formed to create conditions for a stable, prosperous, and sovereign Iraq.

“For its part, the United Nations welcomed the commissioning of Allawi to form the new government and Washington expressed its readiness to cooperate with the new government.

“We hope Iraq will get out of this ordeal and return to an Arab Iraq away from Iranian influence.”

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Dr Hamada

“Who can believe that the winds of the Arab Spring are still blowing its breezes on some Arab countries that have not celebrated its flowers? Whoever believes that the will towards salvation is still standing in the hearts of its youth and the elderly people,” columnist and attorney Riyadh Al-Sane’a wrote for Annahar daily.

“It is needless to say that the eagerness towards the freedom and the redemption as well as towards the amelioration of the economic, social and political situations had been transformed into an imperative demand in light of a clear deterioration of conditions in various walks of life.

“However, the barrier of fear and panic has been broken and today we find Lebanon and Iraq, setting a true example for renewing the demands under the deterioration of various aspects of life.

“In Iraq, confrontations took place between protesters and the security forces at the Aviation Square, close to the Liberation Square, the center of protests in the center of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, a day before the protesters’ deadline for the authorities to implement their demands or face the escalating measures.

“The security forces fired live bullets and tear gas to disperse the protesters and reopen the closed roads, which resulted in cases of suffocation among the protesters, and media reports spoke of 14 protesters being injured during the confrontations.

“Simultaneously, the protesters in several cities in the south of the country closed many roads and bridges, while the general strike continued in the city of Nasiriyah.

“As a matter of fact, Iraq has witnessed protests since the beginning of October 2019, calling for the trial of the corrupt and the departure of all political elite and the protests have resulted in the killing and wounding of hundreds according to statistics of international human rights organizations.

“As for Lebanon, calm prevailed on Sunday in the central Beirut region after confrontations that left hundreds wounded, while the head of the caretaker government, Sa’ad Al-Hariri, called for an early formation of a new government.

“Calm returned to the central Beirut area after confrontations between thousands of protesters and security forces, which were described as the fiercest since the start of the popular movement, the demands for political and economic reforms October 17, 2019, which called for political and economic reforms.

“Following this scenario, the security forces deployment was reinforced in the center of the capital in an attempt to prevent the renewed clashes which earlier had targeted the banks and other institutions.”

“I don’t know whether we mourn or rejoice in the frequent cases of misappropriation of public money while opening files inflated with corruption?”, Professor Mudhi Abdul-Aziz Al-Hamoud wrote for Al-Qabas daily.

“We used to think that social security issue is the major crime of corruption in this era but revelation made in recent months- either by sincere desire for reform or beating under the belt to settle scores- made us feel sorry for the evaporation of honesty and conscience in this age when the slogan “its protectors are the thieves” becomes a reality.

“We were surprised by the customs fund issue, then the Army fund and Euro-fighter case. We have yet to recover from the shock concerning the ambulances in the Ministry of Health and the municipal sands issue in which some mobile officials swallowed millions of public funds ...

“We read in Al-Qabas recently – and I do not think it is the last issue – bribery in the purchase deal of Airbus planes, and we do not forget to enumerate issues that we have become used to due to repeated cases of corruption such as tampering with the works and roads tenders, as well as identity and nationality files and others.

“Indeed, opening these files to the public makes one feel sorry for the trustworthy souls of people and laxity of the accounting agencies deployed in every corner of the government agencies but they only monitor violations of low cadre employees, and rarely feel the blatant attacks on the capabilities of the country.

“This disclosure also makes one feel the change in the style of government and determination to address such files, which undoubtedly is commendable but there is an observation I find striking in most of the millions of issues that raise questions.

“It is the frequency of their open trips abroad in paid vacations and free accommodation that deliberately create a loophole in the outlets, as most of them travel to real estate they own in Britain, Spain, France, Turkey or others from the people’s money. Therefore, the rulings on those issues come in absentia or postponed with complete inability of the authorities concerned to use the INTERPOL and global security services in extraditing them back to Kuwait in order to comply with the judiciary.

“All this is accompanied by silence applied by most of the people’s representatives (except what God has mercy on) for reasons that may not be lost to the citizen’s acumen. In general, it is nice to feel the seriousness in pursuing issues related to public money but it is more beautiful for the hand of justice to reach those who misappropriate funds... God bless.”

“Historically, the region has gone through many major crises. In all these crises, Kuwait has always maintained a neutral stance. This commendable issue is the fruit that countries, which are well aware of how to maintain their stability, reap. They ensure they remain a link between the opposing parties, and ultimately play the mediating role to bridge gaps”, Fahad Dawood Al-Sabah wrote for Al-Nahar daily.

“To ensure the success of this role, the country has to have a solid internal front that is not subjected to any tremors. Protection and maintenance of the home front is an urgent necessity that surpasses or rather transcends any existing differences.

“Kuwait, by virtue of its cultural and social nature, seems closer to a curious political entity, always engaging and interacting with the events occurring around it, but in some major turns, it is due to its inherent instinct that it foresees the consequences of any individual position which may lead to negative reactions, especially in the era of social media that turns any word into wildfire.

“The most difficult test that we passed throughout our history was the ordeal of the invasion in the year 1990. Kuwaitis had abandoned all points of disagreements in views on the daily matters related to their political life, and came together under the flag of the state to regain their homeland.

“Today, what the region is experiencing is almost identical to that crisis in the event that the regional situation evolves into an unimaginable consequence. We must, from now on, be at the level of national responsibility and protect our internal front, and not allow any dissonant voice in to disturb the internal stability so that such voices do not drag us to a place that we do not want to go to.

“The calls that came out from several responsible authorities in the state to protect the home front did not come from a vacuum, but were based on data from these institutions. Therefore, we must adhere to such directives, and realize that we all must bond together to preserve our internal front and national unity, and prevent the hotheaded ones from tampering with our national security.

“The current conflict is much greater than a “tweet” here and there, or a political forecast, or an enthusiastic stance of a group, sect, or political trend. Without any doubt, this is not the time to allow any opportunistic gains at the expense of the country and its people.”

“Portraying things in the country as rosy is unacceptable. At the same time, it is also inconceivable to make it appear that the country is going through a major crisis on all levels,” columnist Abdulrahman Al-Awwad wrote for Al-Sabah daily.

“Yes, we have problems in the country. These problems need quick and decisive solutions. Yes, we need an urgent decision to deal with corruption issues which spread recently. Yes, there are shortcomings in some sectors but all these do not give some politicians or activists the right to offend officials or defame negligent parties. It is more appropriate to express opinions and give advice clandestinely rather than publicly. If the advice goes beyond such parameters, it is a scandal.

“The country is facing many problems including roads, housing, education and health among many others. Innovative and quick solutions are necessary to end these problems positively.

“Certainly, we support solutions to these problems, but we reject distortion of the image of the homeland on social media sites as it is currently happening, particularly on Twitter and in seminars held from time to time.

“Those who criticize and exaggerate the magnitude of problems are obligated to present realistic solutions for their criticism to be acceptable and justified. Spreading frustration is very easy, but it is difficult to spread optimism and awareness of available solutions.”

— Compiled by Zaki Taleb