Emtidad leader Al-Rikabi criticizes ‘sectarian system’ and calls for careful legislative reforms

BAGHDAD — Alaa Al-Rikabi, leader of the Emtidad Movement, criticized Iraq’s political structure in an interview with Dijlah TV, describing it as a “sectarian system” introduced by the United States. Al-Rikabi emphasized that his movement rejects such divisions, voicing concerns over procedural issues in selecting parliament’s Speaker. He referenced the recent election of Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, noting that while experienced, Al-Mashhadani faces a challenging term amid Iraq’s complex internal and external pressures.

Al-Rikabi further criticized parliament’s oversight of ministries, highlighting instances where requests for questioning were blocked under both the Al-Kadhimi and Al-Sudani administrations. He also expressed concerns over proposed amendments to the Personal Status Law, advising caution against hastily advancing legislative changes.

Excerpts from Alaa Al-Rikabi’s interview with Dijlah TV:

From the beginning, we in the Emtidad Movement declared our opposition to the American framework that underpins the current political system. The Americans removed an authoritarian regime but replaced it with a sectarian one, imposing sectarianism on political divisions for positions. Therefore, we are not bound by this American division, and our stance is not a secret; our votes went to candidate Amer Abdul Jabbar during the parliamentary speaker election.

The election process for the Speaker of parliament encountered some issues, but Al-Mashhadani emerged as the official speaker, a fact we respect and engage with given that he secured the required votes to win the position.

Al-Mashhadani has significant political experience, being a former speaker of parliament, yet he faces a major challenge to make a tangible difference during the remaining term of less than a year, amid internal and external developments in the country.

The vacancy of the presidential position for over a year indicates the presence of bargaining, conflicts, and the imposition of wills. What is happening aligns more with a “political game” than a “political process,” as evidenced by the changing stance on Al-Mashhadani, who has recently become acceptable and eligible for the role.

The parliament suffers from major issues in fulfilling its constitutional role, and MPs face challenges in exercising their oversight function. Ministries refuse direct interaction with MPs and accept correspondence or inquiries only through the parliamentary leadership, which may approve or reject such requests.

The current parliamentary term has coincided with the governments of Al-Kadhimi and Al-Sudani, yet no minister has been questioned over the past three years. During Al-Kadhimi’s tenure, there was an excuse that we had not voted on his cabinet ministers, a justification framed legally. In reality, the parliamentary leadership did not approve any requests for questioning or hosting officials, a trend that continued with Al-Sudani’s government.

I personally submitted a request to summon the foreign minister with specific files, some from his predecessors, as he is now responsible and should be questioned. However, the request was rejected by Halbousi at that time, and the same happened with the trade minister.

Al-Mashhadani should handle MPs’ requests for questioning and hosting officials more positively and smoothly. He must prioritize the stalled bills sent by previous governments and improve the agendas, many of which include irrelevant and untimely legislation.

The Personal Status Law, like any other law, is subject to amendment and was amended 22 times before 2003. However, advocates of the recent amendment must convince us of its merits, especially given the serious precedent set by asking us to vote on a law without content, with the codification to be delivered six months post-vote.

Sunni MPs resolved to reject granting the Islamic Jurisprudence Council the authority to draft the codification, so the latest version of the amendment contains no provision for a Sunni codification and only includes a provision for a Shiite one. We called on MPs to exercise patience, prepare the codification in advance, discuss it thoroughly, amend it as necessary, and only then proceed with the vote.

I collected more than 80 MPs’ signatures months ago to expedite the discussion of the general amnesty law, before it became a political issue. Many young people in liberated areas face harsh sentences based on reports from secret informants without any actual evidence, with many of them being misguided young people who posted on social media.

The general amnesty bill presented by the government calls for a minor amendment to the definition of terrorism to categorize the accused, allowing for retrials. This accommodates potential new evidence or instances where the families couldn’t secure the resources necessary for exoneration at the time. The law is designed for retrials, not immediate release.

The amnesty law does not seek to release drug traffickers; Instead, it aims to address cases of addiction, treating addicts as victims rather than criminals, directing them to psychiatric facilities for rehabilitation instead of imprisoning them with repeat offenders.