Seeing opportunities in the success of Kurdistan Region, the residents of Basra look to turn province around after years of being marginalized and neglected.

The people of Basra province in southern Iraq collected 34,800 names for a campaign in which they are demanding the establishment of a federal region of their own. The head of Karbala provincial council sees the establishment of such regions as normal, but some parties have declared their opposition.

Iraqi Parliament independent member Wa'il Abdul-Lateef, who arranged the campaign, said on Monday at a press conference that he expects the announcement of a Basra federal region within the coming three months. He spoke at the Basra branch of the Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq.

"We submitted to the Commission office this morning the demands of 34,800 Basra citizens who ask to make the province a federal region," said Abdul-Lateef. He said more signatures will be collected in preparation for holding a public referendum in the province about the project. "If the supporters of this project reach 50% plus one during the referendum, then the prime minister must announce Basra as a region."

He explained that the procedures to establish the region would not take more than three months and would not impact the provincial council elections expected at the end of next January. He also noted that this future possible region will have a Parliament of 75 members, an executive authority with no less 25 ministers, as well as a court. As for their goals, he noted that through a region service vacancies can be filled. "The Basra population has a big desire to transform their province to a region because of the neglect and marginalization they have incurred over the past years."

He insisted on "benefiting from the Kurdistan Region experience" while establishing Basra region. "Federalism in Iraq cannot be realistic while there is one region of Kurdistan, but the Basra region must also be established in order to make federalism practical in Iraq."

The head of Karbala province, Abdul-Al Al-Yasiri, said he expects to see the establishment of several regions based on individual provinces.

"Founding regions in Iraq is normal because we have a federal state according to the Constitution. Therefore, establishing regions here and there is not a strange [act]," said Al-Yasiri, commenting on the attempts by Abdul-Lateef to establish Basra region in an interview with "Newsmatique" on Tuesday.

"The financial achievements for a region go above those for a province, and this I consider a main factor that may achieve welfare for the people of the region," he said, noting, "The developments ongoing in Iraqi Kurdistan Region is something that encourages others to reach for the same experience."

The system of regions enhances the unity of Iraq and reduces the burden on the central government, said the Karbala official. "Founding regions on [singular] province bases is the right step at the current time, and this can be developed later to see several regions combine to build a bigger region," he added.

However, several Iraqi parties expressed their opposition to Basra's goal. The Sunni Arab leader of the Arab Bloc for National Dialogue, Salih Mutlak, described the action as an "electoral campaign."

"Provinces that change to a regional system at the current time will not be able to govern themselves; this will lead to problems with rivers, oilfields, and borders of the provinces as well as administration problems," warned Hashim Al-Ta'I, a Parliament member from the Sunni Accordance Front list.

The major Shiite parties have also announced their opposition in their own manner. The Iraqi Islamic Supreme Council, led by Abdul-Aziz Al-Hakeem, called for establishing bigger regions in a way that all southern and Shiite provinces could be formulated within the southern and middle regions. Meanwhile, the Islamic Al-Dawa Party, led by the current Prime Minister, Nuri Al-Maliki, seeks to allow more power to the central government.

© The Kurdish Globe 2008

 

Community Comments (0) - Comment on this article

The opinions of the authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect Zawya. Read our Comment Policy.

 

 

 

close x

Loading ...

 

close x

Report Abuse

Loading ...

 

 

close x

Loading ...