READER COMMENTS

We call on the two major opponents, Allawi and Al-Maliki, who won the largest number of the voices of the Iraqi electors, to return to the table of the negotiations soon to form a national unity government, away from the political and sectarian sharing of power, to make the terrorists lose any chance of reviving again. At the same time, we wish that their alliance would not be at the expense of the democratic and federal Iraq, where the constitution is respected and rules everything. The Iraq that we want is the country where loyalty is to the homeland only!

Some people may disagree with me and accuse me of being biased against Ayad Allawi, the man who they see believed in the free democratic work and the peaceful transfer of power, when he delivered the reins of rule to his predecessor, Ibrahim Al-Jafari. However, if we reviewed the history of the formation of all the dictatorships all over the world in general, and in Iraq in particular, we will discover that the strategy of Ayad Allawi to reach this objective is very similar to the strategy of these dictatorships.

The Iraqi people have waited enough and showed much patience with those politicians, who entered the parliament after the elections of last March. Now, they are waiting for the announcement of the formation of the government to handle the thorny and unsettled issues, and to resume the reconstruction process that has stopped due to the delay in the formation of the government, especially that it has now been more than five months since the elections. Hence, we call on all the Iraqi politicians to work on accelerating the formation of a strong national unity government that represents all the components of the Iraqi society, free from the sectarianism that harmed Iraq and its people. Those politicians have to remember the sacrifices of the Iraqis, who challenged terrorism and its attempts to abort the political process in Iraq by destroying the electoral process. Despite all these challenges, the brave Iraqis went to the ballot boxes and performed their duty. Now, it is the turn of the new Iraqi government and the new parliament to form the new government immediately and to reciprocate the sacrifices of the Iraqi people, who deserve more than this. The Iraqi leaders have to overlook the narrow partisan, personal and sectarian disagreements and interests for the sake of the supreme interests of Iraq, and to be up to the responsibility that was assigned to them by the Iraqis who elected them. I think that Iraq today is in urgent need to form its new government as soon as possible, to save it from the bad circumstances and conditions that are experienced by Iraq and its people, due to the administrative and financial corruption of the former weak governments, which only raised bright slogans without making any actual efforts to serve the Iraqi people.

The most important thing is that Al-Maliki should never return to the government.

The Iraqi people are not ready for democracy; they need a strong and fair authority.

Dr. Ayad Allawi is a national figure that will benefit Iraq and Iraqis in this stage, because he is one of the secular people who opposed the dictatorial or partisan regime, as we have seen him when he took power in 2005. He did so smoothly, without causing any troubles, when he was the head of the Iraqi interim government in 2004 that followed the ruling council of Iraq. He has also fought terrorism and the armed militias. The Iraqi people want the person who rules Iraq as an independent country, not a subordinate to any other country, be it Iran or any other country. Therefore, the Iraqi people chose him, because they wanted change, and the will of the nations is stronger than any dictator or tyrant. Consequently, Dr. Ayad Allawi managed to win the love of the Iraqi people.

I believe that the new prime minister of Iraq will be Nouri al-Maliki, as the indicators show that he is the closest candidate to win a second term in the office. As for Allawi, despite the fact that he won the largest number of seats in the new parliament, he has failed to establish a large parliamentary alliance so far, because the parties and blocs are still adhering to the mentality of sectarianism, factionalism and nationalism at the expense of the public interests of the country. Allawi's bloc adopts secular tendencies and adopts the principle of technocrats in its political program. Therefore, it does not fit with the opinions of the other blocs that want to re-adopt the principle of sectarian and partisan sharing of power, forgetting the serious problems that were faced by the previous governments after adopting this principle in their structure. As for Al-Maliki, despite all the negative aspects that have been raised regarding his performance by the majority of the blocs, and despite the fact that he does not enjoy a parliamentary majority, he managed to conclude agreements and alliances with yesterday’s partners ‎of the National Iraqi ‎Alliance, despite the reluctance of the Sadr Movement, which is the biggest component in the National Iraqi Alliance, and its reservations regarding Al-Maliki. All these factors have brought Al-Maliki very close to a second term in the office. We also should not forget the Kurdistan Alliance, which has been a key partner of the National Iraqi Alliance, from the fall of the Baathist regime until today. The Kurdistan Alliance is leaning toward entering into a new Al-Maliki-Al-Hakim alliance‎, which will swing the balance of that bloc at the expense of Allawi's bloc. In my opinion, the coalition between these political blocs is based on partisan and factional interests, rather than national interests. So, I think that a second term for Al-Maliki as prime minister would not serve the Iraqi people, because he has offered all that he had during the first term, and despite his success on the security level, he failed in the other tasks. Iraq now needs a man who is able to run the affairs of the country and save Iraq from its bleak reality, ‎through the promotion of the economy, trade, services, education, and the rest of the pending issues in Iraq.

Allawi has won the largest number of seats in the new parliament, and therefore he is the most worthy politician to assume the office of the prime minister, as the Iraqis have trusted him and his bloc more than any other block. In addition, he is a secular person who denounces sectarianism, as proved by his coalition, which comprises politicians from all the Iraqi ethnic and religious groups and sects. He has succeeded in getting over the fence of sectarianism and breaking it with his continuous efforts, which led to his success in the recent elections, where he won the largest number of seats in the new Iraqi parliament. All Iraqis with their different sects and creeds voted for him, since they hoped that he would be able to save them from their negative situations and deterioration due to the lack of a strong government to lead Iraq in the previous stage. However, we cannot deny that Maliki played a great role in maintaining security, by fighting terrorism vigorously and targeting the criminal, sectarian militias. Al-Maliki has achieved remarkable successes on the security level, but he is criticized for adopting a sectarian approach. And the best proof in this respect is his alliance with the National Iraqi ‎Coalition, led by Al-Hakim, an alliance that is based on sectarian links rather than the political agenda between the two blocs. This alliance exclusively aims at ensuring a majority within the parliament and pulling the rug out from under the feet of Allawi and his bloc. In this way, Al-Maliki will also win the nomination for forming the new Iraqi government and will be guaranteed a second term in the office. Based on this, I think Al-Maliki would be the front runner regarding the formation of the new Iraqi government, although I have reservations about this man, because he did not offer anything to Iraq on the other unsettled issues, such as the issues of services, economy, reconstruction, electricity, trade and other serious issues that worsen the suffering of the Iraqi people and that need to be solved, but not at the hand of Al-Maliki. That is because he could not handle these problems and dedicated himself solely to the security issue, neglecting the other needs of the Iraqis.

Allawi and his followers must bear in mind the reality that Shiites make up two-thirds of the Iraqi population. The Constitution and all democratic regimes in the world are governed by the majority. I say to those who advocate reducing the number of Shiites through bombings and booby-trapped cars that they have failed, as Shiites multiply through fission, and this is something you didn’t know till now.

The poor Iraqis are the victims of bombings, destruction and killings still happening in Iraq, although they took the risk and cast their ballots in the hope that an official would come to save them from their bad situation, as they are living in devastation, destruction, killing and sabotage. The genius elected leaders do not care about the death and killing endured by these unfortunate people. Neighboring countries interfere in the state’s affairs. Those leaders attend dinner parties organized by some of these countries. They are fighting amongst themselves and contending for power and influence, without any consideration to the homeland and to the citizen... What is the solution??

We have been witnessing the period since the entering of the occupying forces till this moment. Most of us agree that “nothing is better than it was before” and that al-Maliki was the man of the era who was able to achieve stability, despite all the obstacles made by the closest people to him. Would another person do better than he did? Do justice to him and the least you can do is thank him.

We send out a message to Abu Risha, calling him to join Allawi, Hashemi, Nujaifi, Haboubi’s bloc and all the names that have faith in a united Iraq, run on the basis of competence and expertise, without quotas. Al-Maliki still relies on the coalition set up by Iran to form a government, as he has turned a blind eye to three ministers, who are Sudani, al-Shahristani and Baqir Soulag, in order to please Iran.

I ask the brothers who are critical of the performance of the al-Maliki government to go to the best Strategies Institutes in the world and present these premises: total destruction of institutions and infrastructure, unknown debt, terrorism, sectarian war, hostility of neighboring countries and sending terrorists, Baathist leaders who cooperated with al-Qaeda to carry out bombings and explosions... assassinations on identity, a country isolated from the entire world, having just a few ambassadors, thus a country completely destroyed. They just have to put these premises in front of these institutions and compare the results achieved by al-Maliki. I confirm that no one can take the challenge of being Prime Minister and reach the achievements of al-Maliki. Those who bear a grudge against al-Maliki are the remaining members of the former damned Baath party. Here it should be noted that while we are praising Mr. Maliki, we also want him to correct the mistakes of the previous period, and we pray God that Mr. al-Maliki will not deal with a parliament similar to the previous one which hampers the work and program of the government. I hope that those who are going to form the government will not act as opponents. Al-Maliki has demonstrated his Iraqi patriotism, given the hostility of Iran and Saudi Arabia towards him.

As an Iraqi, I see that the agreement between the State of Law Coalition and the Iraqi List is encouraged by the Iraqis, who prefer it to any other coalition. The Iraqis pay no attention to the imbalanced reactions of the other parties that they did not elect. The State of Law List is not unsuccessful, as Al-Maliki won 98 seats in the parliament, while those who accuse him of failure did not achieve such success.

Personally, I believe that the new Iraqi government will be formed based on the principle of national partnership, and it will be preceded by some political bargains that may lead to the sectarian sharing of power, but it will not be as bad as the former governments. I also believe that the situation in Iraq is very sensitive now, because we have reached a crossroads, and the political decision-makers need to take action if they want to take the right direction for building democracy in the new Iraq. The alliances that will take place based on sectarian bases will not benefit Iraq in anything; rather, they will bring Iraq back to the starting point. I think that Al-Maliki will most likely form the government, despite the objections of an important wing of the Iraqi National Alliance under the leadership of Al-Hakim, namely, the Sadri Movement MPs, who have reservations about Nouri Al-Maliki. However, he will win their support in the end, to ensure that power remains in the hands of Al-Maliki, after his alliance with the Iraqi National Alliance that includes the Sadri Movement. Unfortunately, this alliance clearly indicates that the two blocs will enter into a certain alliance regardless of the supreme national interests. This is alarming and threatens the whole democratic process with collapse. That is because, according to results of the elections, Mr. Ayad Allawi is entitled to form the government, because he is the leader of the bloc that has the largest number of seats in the parliament, and the only candidate of this bloc; however, misinterpreting the constitutional texts has adversely affected the situation and delayed the formation of the government until today. As for the Kurds, they call themselves the egg of the platform balance that will outweigh the party that will enter into an alliance with it. I believe that the Kurds want some concessions regarding Kirkuk and some unsettled issues to decide which bloc will be its ally.

I see that the Kurds are just watching what is happening on the Iraqi political arena and they will decide their alliance after all the alliances take shape. Certainly, they prefer al-Maliki’s bloc, the National Iraqi alliance bloc and, because they will guarantee that, they will form the largest parliamentary group and win senior positions and offices in the government. They also have previous experience in dealing with the Shia blocs during the past years; hence, I believe that they will tend to make an alliance with them.

Abu Israa is a national figure who has become prominent now. Indeed, Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi Prime Minister, has achieved progress on the level of security, despite the existence of some violations. The situation is better now. Formerly, Iraq was greatly suffering from terrorists and their many explosions, which claimed the lives of many innocent people. But others question his diplomatic ability, and not his security ability. I think that Al-Maliki was not able to regain the diplomatic position of Iraq that he used to enjoy formerly. It is true that he made numerous visits to a number of countries; however, they were not fruitful, as they were ordinary visits. Thus, if al-Maliki becomes Prime Minister for a second term, he should develop the diplomatic side. He should not make it different, as was the case with Iran, at the expense of all Arab countries. Indeed, many Arab countries feel the difference in dealing with Iran, the country which bears hatred towards Iraq, from dealing with the neighboring Arab countries. Iraq can take advantage of the experience of the Gulf countries, which are witnessing development and progress. They will perhaps provide assistance and services, and attract companies which have worked for them to Iraq, to change its reality as well. Perhaps the best feature of Nuri al-Maliki is his refusal to succumb to external pressures, and his stances against foreign interference in Iraq.

Today, every Iraqi is calling for the quick formation of the new Iraqi government, so that it will carry out its duties and solve the Iraqis’ problems.

Are you sure that your call for establishing a secular system in Iraq will be achieved during the upcoming elections in Iraq? Or will that be impossible due to the powers that control the situation in Iraq and want the current creative chaos and good sectarianism to continue to keep Iraq underdeveloped for a few years, because neither the southern nor the eastern sides have settled their accounts with Iraq yet?

My God!! When are the Iraqi politicians going to become reasonable!! It is the duty of the politicians to reject all forms of conflicts and work together to find common things in their political platforms, to be united and speed up the long-awaited formation of the Iraqi government. Four months have gone by since the parliamentary elections in Iraq, which were supposed to elect a parliament, from which the new Iraqi government would be formed. I do not see any reason behind the disputes among political blocs and the continuing procrastination, because elections will ensure the settling of the conflicts and differences, and the new Iraqi constitution is the judge between the blocs and the conflicting political parties. The Iraqi politicians must rely on the constitution to resolve the differences or disputes between the blocs. They should do it quickly, because if the situation continues for a longer period, there will be a constitutional crisis, which would contribute to destabilizing the political process taking place in Iraq since its liberation. No Iraqi wants his country to start over, because there has been enough bloodshed in Iraq, and we should not go backward and aggravate the situation for the Iraqi people once again. The Iraqi politicians who were elected are entrusted with a great moral responsibility, urging them to speed up the formation of the new government as soon as possible, because the Iraqi people are fed up with the procrastination and delay by the decision-makers in Iraq. People went out and did their duty on Election Day, despite all the difficulties, dangers and threats. Now it's up to the blocs and the elected political elites, which would not have gotten into their current positions if the brave people had not done their patriotic duty, to do their duty and form a strong government, able to overcome challenges, solve problems and take the lead in order to start a real process of building and reconstruction in Iraq, to alleviate the long suffering of the Iraqi people.

I believe that the two important political powers in Iraq are Allawi and Al-Maliki, who won the largest number of votes and seats in the new Iraqi parliament. The ongoing approximation between the two blocs is auspicious, and the Iraqis have been delighted by the recent meetings between the two parties, which aim at surmounting all the obstacles and accelerating the formation of the long-awaited Iraqi government. The two parties have also agreed to form committees at high-levels to search for the common denominator between Al-Maliki’s bloc and Allawi’s bloc, in addition to working on solving all the unsettled issues and thorny problems that are thwarting the efforts to form the Iraqi government. This is a positive move that will lead to an agreement between the two parties over a national unity government, provided that these committees work seriously and quickly to reach an agreement. I believe that the Iraqi people deserve sacrifices on part of the Iraqi politicians who have assumed these senior offices, thanks to the people’s support. Sacrifice here means getting over their personal disagreements and those between their parties, accelerating the formation of the new government, to save Iraq from going into a constitutional crisis, due to the political vacuum and delay in the formation of the government.

Allah protect Iraq and its people!!!

The political blocs at this stage are being pressured by the people who were looking forward to a new government being formed, to take care of them and of the citizens, to provide them with services they need, as well as the advancement of every Iraqi citizen. These pressures are put on the politicians to deny themselves, to make some compromise for the other party and to let go of the partisan and personal interests which will destroy the political process in Iraq, keeping the interests of the citizens and the country in mind, particularly as they will benefit in both cases; whether they win the post of prime minister or not, the allowances, payment, security protection, and diplomatic immunity will remain. So why are the winning blocs clinging to power? The election ended months ago and so far, we haven’t even seen the nomination of specific names agreed upon.

We call on all politicians to assume their true role in ridding the country of this crisis, and to form a new, strong government that is not subject to any pressures, especially since Iraq tried consensus government, which has not served in the leadership of Iraq. It also tried a government with quotas, that didn't work either, due to the fact that the two governments were accompanied by disputes and continuing problems throughout the four years for each one of them. I think that the time has come to form a strong, independent government that will work honestly and avoid seeking the personal interests of the parties, but rather will work for the interests of the citizens and for Iraq only, not for anyone else.

Anyone who seeks to hold a position in the new Iraqi government must recognize that they are in charge of responsibilities, and that it is not just a privilege. Those politicians are entrusted by the Iraqi people not to fulfill their own desires, but to fulfill duties. In this respect, it is incumbent upon every Iraqi politician to earn the trust of the Iraqis. He must do his utmost seriously, to form the government adequately as soon as possible.

Iraqis must urge the formation of the government, especially since the elections were held more than four months ago. Iraqis are wondering when the government will be formed. How much longer can Iraqis wait for those political blocs, which are still fighting each other for ministerial positions and portfolios, or for the right to form the government and assign the position of Prime Minister? I think that every loyal Iraqi who seeks the welfare of Iraq must take an honorable attitude by overcoming personal problems and difficulties within their parties, in order to urge the formation of the new Iraqi government, which must be formed properly. It must represent all the winning political forces, so that it will be strong enough to fulfill its huge duties and responsibilities. It must impose security, increase stability, provide the Iraqis with services and solve all the cold cases that its predecessors weren’t able to solve. It must pay tribute to the brave Iraqi people who licked their wounds and went to the polling boxes, in order to make the process of freedom and modern democracy in Iraq a success, despite all the challenges and the threats of the “blind terrorism”, which aimed to hamper those elections in one way or another.

The crisis of the formation of the government in Iraq and its delay is one of the issues causing the most inconvenience to the Iraqi people. The reason behind this delay until now, more than three months after the parliamentary elections held in Iraq, is the political pressures and the lack of agreement among the winning blocs on a unified formula to determine the form of the next government. In addition to some lapses and areas of weakness in the Iraqi constitution, especially in the article related to the characterization of the largest bloc that has the right to form the government, and from which the new Iraqi Prime Minister is elected.

Politicians should respect the opinion of the majority of Iraqis, who elected Mr. Ayad Allawi and his bloc, and not undermine democracy in any way, because in so doing, they are derailing Iraq from a righteous path and hindering this process again, causing anger that may lead to dire consequences.

I think that Nouri al-Maliki played a major role during his tenure presiding over the Iraqi government in the previous phase, where Maliki demonstrated a great ability in fighting terrorism. His efforts contributed to improving the security conditions and the stability on the level of security, compared to the situation before he assumed the premiership of Iraq.

I believe that Ayad Allawi is the man of the current phase and the proper person to assume power in Iraq today, because the country faces many challenges and it needs a strong man to lead it to the other side, amidst these challenges and difficulties that are crippling Iraq and preventing its progress. Ayad Allawi is the only one, or at least one of the few politicians, who do not depend on religion or sectarianism in their movements, positions or policies, because his political program serves all Iraqis, without favoring any sect or group at the expense of the other groups, as is the case with the programs of the other lists and blocs. In other words, he has succeeded in breaking the barrier of sectarianism in Iraq as a result of his moderation, because Iraqi Sunnis and Shias voted for him and the members of his list. I believe that it will solve all problems of Iraq if this man is given the opportunity to be the next premier, because he is the most competent politician on the Iraqi arena right now.

I swear that the fight over offices disgraces the politicians. The international reports say that there are about 7 million Iraqis below the poverty line, and that the rationing system that used to support the poor citizen is gone forever. The people have regretted participating in the elections.

O successive governments of Iraq, after the fall of the former regime, you did not benefit any Iraqi. How long will the situation keep going from bad to worse? How long will destruction continue to undermine Iraq? How long will the bloodshed of innocents continue running? Stop injustice, stop destruction, stop the dispersion of the ethnic groups of Iraq, and stop the displacement of Chaldo-Assyrians from Iraq, since they are the origin of Iraq and origin of the Mesopotamian civilization. So, how long? Nominate the son of Iraq, Mr. Younadem Youssef, who does not know sectarianism, does not know division, and does not know destruction, to make Iraq a country for good, a country for safety, and a multi-ethnic groups country of civilization.

The main reason for the present crisis and tension in Iraq may be traced back to the delay in forming a government and the people’s uncertainty about the person that would be approved by all to lead the new Iraqi government. The recent meeting held between Al-Maliki and Allawi about forming new committees from the two lists for forming a new, strong government as soon as possible, will stop all rumors and questions about the identity of that person and whether it would be Al-Maliki on one side, or Allawi on the other side, and the accusations against them about being sectarians who don’t want to set aside personal and party conflicts, which will lead to bringing sectarianism back to Iraq.

Dr. Ayad Allawi is a notable, well-known figure who suits all parties. I congratulate him on winning the elections. May Allah protect Iraq and its people. Iraq loves anyone who cares for its interests. I thank Allah.

Nouri Al- Maliki is one of the strong personalities on the Iraqi scene. He has excelled since he was nominated as Prime Minister. His period showed his strengths and shortcomings. His prominent good quality is the success of his government in imposing control on the declining security conditions, which had nearly collapsed the country. They punished terrorists and the remaining criminal militias and armed gangs and improved the living standards of the Iraqis by increasing the wages of the state employees and the retirees, which helped ease their suffering. In fact, they used to suffer from low wages, which hardly enabled them to commute to their work. On the other hand, we haven’t witnessed any improvement in the services sector on all levels. Indeed, Iraqis still suffer from the deterioration of the economic situation and the declining electricity condition and its repercussions. In addition, Nouri Al-Maliki hasn’t succeeded in eradicating financial and administrative corruption throughout the state institutions. On the contrary, we noticed the increase of corruption under Al-Maliki’s regime, due to his leniency with the powerful parties in Iraq, which exercised all forms of corruption and nepotism, and turned Ministries into party cliques, limited to their members.

One of the most prominent shortcomings of Nouri Al-Maliki is that he didn’t adopt a clear and stringent attitude towards Iran following the Iranian aggressions against Iraq, such as the occupation of oil wells and the raids on the northern Iraqi border cities. On the contrary, he favors Iran, to the detriment of the Iraqi people.

I think that Ayad Allawi is the man of the era. In fact, he is an experienced politician. He struggled against the former dictatorial regime for a long time, and he is trustworthy committing no suspicious acts or following foreign agendas. He is considered among the few honest men in the new Iraq. In addition to being a successful politician, I think that he is strong in crisis management. He is able to stand against the forces which have tried to derail Iraq from the process of democracy and freedom. Those forces have tried to deprive the Iraqi people of the freedom acquired after the collapse of the regime of Saddam the buried. In addition, Dr. Allawi is appreciated by the international community, because he is an experienced politician. This helps Iraq to strengthen its relations with the international community, particularly the Arab community especially that recent years have witnessed shaky relations with Arabs since the Iraqi government has opted to abandon their circle and turn westward, to Iran and to other countries which do not seek the welfare of Iraq.

Iyad Allawi is an internationally prominent figure and has great and many relationships with most of the Arab and foreign leaders; they harbor a great respect for this man as a polite politician. He has a lot of political knowledge, and I think he is one of the best politicians in Iraq today. He always tries to establish good relations with all heads of states and maintain such relations. You find that when Iyad Allawi visits any country, the head of that country receives him, because he is a well-known figure at the local, Arab and international levels. Also, he is a cultured and educated man who knows how to speak in a manner of cultural dialogue. For these reasons, he has great popularity among the Iraqis, and there are those who believe that Iyad Allawi is appropriate at this time to take the leadership of Iraq, better than anyone else, whether loved or hated by the Iraqi people. Most Iraqis would like to give this man a chance to prove his capabilities in the Iraqi and international arenas. There will be a substantial change by this man in the scientific and cultural level as well as the improvement of the Iraqi relations with the countries of the world, because of his famous diplomacy skills. He will also stimulate the economic factor, because he has experience in several areas. I think this is the reason behind the confidence given to this man by most Iraqis, especially as he served as a prime minister in Iraq during the interim period, but managed to change a lot of things for the better and the people in Iraq still remember this matter, and this gives greater weight to this man. In addition, Iyad Allawi has a long history known to everyone, because he is a man known for having entered the world of politics many years ago, and this is not new to him.

May Allah protect Iraq and the people of Iraq.