Communist chief: Iraqis to desire who controls Iraq, nobody else

Baghdad, Iraq – Passing despite the fact that the Iraqi capital’s net site visitors jams in Andalus square, tucked away at the back of a customary building blocked by spike strips, lies the place apart of enterprise of the country’s Communist Get together.

The community has only recently near beneath the spotlight after – in an unlikely circulation – it joined the Sairoon alliance of Shia chief Muqtada al-Sadr competing in Iraq’s present parliamentary elections.

Beating expectations, the coalition came out on top in the Could presumably per chance 12 vote, a hit fifty four out of 328 seats.

With Iraq coming into a seemingly lengthy duration of negotiations over the formation of a current authorities, Al Jazeera spoke to Raed Fahmi, the Communist Get together’s secretary and a aged minister for science and know-how.

The interview below has been pretty edited for readability and brevity.

Al Jazeera: What does the Communist Get together stand for and what are its targets?

Raed Fahmi: Our celebration, the oldest in Iraq, became as soon as established in 1934. It stands for the rights of working folks; for the country’s independence; for its development; and needless to claim in the present danger we are calling for a metamorphosis to the civil suppose – we’re calling for a voters’ suppose in step with justice and equal opportunities.

We secure that over the past 12 years, the political course of became as soon as in step with an ethnic and sectarian system. I specialise in this so-called quota system is guilty for the disaster the country is now facing. It created the grounds for corruption and shortage of development.

Change will believe to aloof open up by reforming suppose establishments to attain social justice and proper socio-financial development.

Al Jazeera: You are on the a ways left of the political spectrum and your partners are from the a ways appropriate. How did you near together?

Fahmi: We analysed the doable changes by manner of balance of vitality and the opportunities that we hope to come.

In the origin, we had to keep away with occupation and rep and make stronger our sovereignty. We now believe ended up with a capitalist system.

We are calling for social justice, a social security system by manner of putting in jobs and enhancing the productive unsuitable of the financial system.

Since 2003, we are absolutely dependent on oil. Agriculture, change, manufacturing believe all regressed, accounting for not extra than 1.25 % of GDP. Our approach is to reactivate agriculture, manufacturing and plenty of productive activity, and at the identical time provide protection to the oldsters.

By manner of social development, we want to beef up labour regulations and fiscal insurance policies. Iraq will believe to aloof not be a particular person-handiest market for the production actions of neighbouring countries.

Al Jazeera: So your imaginative and prescient for Iraq is to was extra of a social or welfare suppose. Yet, you is seemingly to be handiest a junior partner in this alliance. How efficient attain you specialise in your message goes to be with you majority partner?

Fahmi: If we are speaking about the Sadrists, they even believe social jabber in their manifesto. It’s seemingly not completely formulated but they’re for social justice. We believe a bunch of total ground because their unsuitable is the heart-broken and marginalised folks. 

We are in a country that’s in deep disaster at this enlighten juncture; all indicators are inferior, not handiest by manner of terrorism and security. There may per chance be high unemployment; marginalised folks; heart-broken social public services and products; very inferior infrastructure.

All these mountainous challenges portray a platform beneath which that that you just may per chance presumably furthermore manufacture a truly extensive-ranging coalition for the nationwide hobby.

Al Jazeera: Assuming you with regards to vitality with your partners, what’s going to your agenda be? What attain you indulge in to pray to attain in the predominant 60-90 days?

Fahmi: There are issues achievable in the quick term, as an orientation to open up predominant reforms. Determined regulations were passed without implementation for eight years – this may per chance per chance believe to aloof be a precedence.

Pointless to claim, the feeble files of corruption will believe to aloof be activated. We can believe to aloof give precedence to legislation referring to social security.

As a ways as the authorities is concerned, the predominant danger is to impact a authorities which is essentially essentially based not on an ethnic and sectarian affiliation. We’ll deserve to believe a authorities committed to oversee the reform and social development programmes.

The authorities will believe to aloof recommend its programme in a truly proper manner with strict timelines. It’d be the authorities’s responsibility to pick the country in the appropriate route.

We want to exercise a concrete-movement intention with sure and successfully-outlined priorities relating to public services and products and training.

The identical goes for healthcare. The successfully being system suffers from rampant corruption and this may per chance per chance believe to aloof be revised. Pointless to claim we are going to give you the choice to believe to aloof seemingly revisit the total costs and taxes for particular services and products, and we ought to also secure the actual property sector too.

No longer all of right here’s achievable in our four years but it’ll be a step in the appropriate route.

Al Jazeera: By manner of its construction, the Communist Get together is seen as secretive. There may per chance be also a particular pushback against communists. Some Iraqis peep you as atheists, does this pose a downside to you?

Fahmi: We are a transparent organisation. All our our bodies are elected and our most modern congress became as soon as held publicly in Baghdad. So there is nothing secretive. Every time there is a gathering or congress, we publish our documents. On this regard, we are very open and intensely transparent – our publications are on the internet pages.

Secondly, now we believe an true image amongst the inhabitants – we are going to give you the choice to believe to aloof distinguish between vote casting and image, not all individuals who indulge in us the truth is votes for us.

As a ways as plenty of issues are concerned, now we believe our philosophy but in the closing Eighty four years we never did something to offend others’ convictions or beliefs – whether or not these of Muslims or any plenty of non secular community and it will seemingly be documented.

Relating to atheism, these were appropriate rumours. Cheap, non secular folks recognise this. Muqtada al-Sadr is the truth is a non secular man and he’s from a neatly-known non secular family. He accredited to tackle communists, he didn’t fetch any reason not to attain this. He stated publicly that he’s working with communists attributable to now we believe total targets referring to nation-extensive reforms, referring to folks and alter.

The country faces mountainous challenges and we are able to take care of these challenges alongside side events from plenty of backgrounds and ideologies who portion the worries and past-time as the oldsters of Iraq.

Al Jazeera: What’s Sairoon’s imaginative and prescient for Iraq’s relationship with plenty of countries? You and al-Sadr were against the US invasion and outdoors affect. Two areas defining the present political climate in Iraq are its family with Iran and the US. How attain you specialise in that that you just may per chance presumably furthermore attain development in mild of these circumstances?

Fahmi: We are announcing we are for bilateral family with all countries but in step with appreciate of Iraq’s sovereignty and non-intervention in our inner affairs. It’s doable to believe qualified family with all our neighbours on the basis of mutual appreciate.

We are announcing we are able to retain balanced family and we are able to believe change and plenty of enterprise family with all countries but we don’t ranking military bases in our country.

When we were battling Daesh (ISIL, most frequently frequently called ISIS), there became as soon as global beef up for the mission. There will not be this kind of thing as a such need anymore.

Al Jazeera: So what’s going to you attain with US forces in Iraq, now that the battle against ISIL is nearly over?

Fahmi: The finest presence that exists is that of advisers, who are right here for a pair of enlighten suggestions. But eternal military bases must not acceptable, and as a ways as I do know the Iraqi authorities didn’t allow eternal military bases.

We must strive to tackle issues clearly; our hobby must not risk Iraq’s interests. If we are able to manufacture an Iraq on the basis of our possess independence and sovereignty, I specialise in this Iraq will seemingly be revered by others, whether or not or not it is miles the Americans, Iranians or any plenty of country. And right here’s what we are working to attain.

We want to work with the Iraqi folks – up to now they’ve been divided and all plenty of exterior forces stumbled on it easy to intervene attributable to they stumbled on receptive ears.

What we are announcing is that we are going to give you the choice to believe to aloof make stronger Iraqi cohesion. 

Al Jazeera: What about Iranian affect? You stated that you just truly want to fabricate your id, but on the bottom you believe gotten very stable ideological bonds and unfriendly-border affiliations which can not be washed away without problems?

Fahmi: Hashd al-Shaaba (Shia militias) are Iraqis. Yes they’re halt to Iran but we are announcing and insisting that each forces will believe to aloof belong to Iraq’s hobby first.

And this may per chance per chance believe to aloof order to all forces and I specialise in when we are speaking about building the suppose, building militia, loyalty to Iraq’s hobby – this may per chance per chance believe to aloof order to all individuals.

As a ways I do know all, plenty of political forces including Hashd ranking these principles. Iraqis will desire who controls Iraq – no one from outdoors.