Ahrar : Pick up the pieces

[Politics.be]

The man at the front of a new political movement in Iraq, which aims to tackle corrupt-ion and violence in the country, was in Dubai this week.Ayad Jamal Aldin who is leading the Ahrar party, has been campaigning for a new secular Iraq since 2003.

Speaking yesterday to 7DAYS, the 48-year-old, who is a regular visitor to the emirate as he has family living here, said his movement is gaining momentum and a number of people including university professors and social activists have pledged support to the group.

He said that his party’s main aim is to root out corruption and bring about reconciliation among the warring factions.

Aldin claims Ahrar is a completely new movement for all Iraqis, whether they be Sunni, Shia, Kurd or Turkmen.

“It is less a political party, and more a movement of people who want to join together to rebuild our country,” he said.

“We believe that poverty and terrorism are not Sunni, Shia or Kurdish concerns - they are Iraqi concerns.

Everyone should join hands to wage a battle against these evils,” he said.

Corruption can be seen at every level of society, Aldin said, adding that funds meant for much-needed electricity and water were being siphoned off and used to benefit ministers and their families.

Giving an example, he claimed that membership in parliament is up for sale: “You can easily become an MP if you are rich.

Pay huge sums of money and buy a seat. It’s as simple as that.”

He said that if you want a job to feed your family and have a roof over your head then you are expected to pay cash for the privilege of a government post.

“People in desperation feel that they have no alternative than to give corrupt officials a bribe.

They even have to pay to have their garbage collected. If they don’t pay they risk having garbage piled up in the streets,” he added.

Aldin’s group is going to participate in next year’s national elections and hopes to win a number of seats in the parliament and work on its agenda to bring peace and reconciliation.

But he expressed doubts whether free and fair elections would be possible in the country without the intervention of United Nations and other like-minded parties.

“I call upon the United Nations and friends of Iraq to oversee the conduct of elections in Iraq so that a real change is possible in the country.

If there are no fair elections, I am afraid the situation is going to remain the same in the country and there would be more mayhem,” he said.

He added that the growing influ-ence of Iran should be stopped and the US forces should leave the country so that Iraqi people can govern the country on their own.

Aldin first rose to prominence at the Nasiriyah conference in March 2003, shortly before the fall of Saddam, where he called for a state free of religion, the turban and other theological symbols.

In 2005, he was elected as one of 25 MPs on the Iraqi National List, but withdrew in 2009 after becoming disenchanted with Iyad Allawi’s overtures to Iran.

War inquiry opens

A long-awaited public inquiry into Britain’s role in the Iraq war opened yesterday, as its chairman vowed that it would not “shy away from criticism” of individuals or institutions over the controversial conflict.

But six-and-a-half years after then premier Tony Blair led Britain in backing the US-led invasion to oust Saddam Hussein, inquiry chairman John Chilcot stressed that no-one was “on trial” in the probe, which is due to last a year.

“As I have said before, we are not a court of law, nor are we an inquest, nor, indeed, a statutory inquiry and our processes will reflect that difference,” he said.

“No-one is on trial here. We cannot determine guilt or innocence. Only a court can do that.

But I make a commitment here that once we get to our final report, we will not shy away from making criticisms,” he added.


Bron: politics.be