Former Vice President Allawi criticises Iraqi PM's reforms

Former Iraqi Vice President Ayad Allawi has warned Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi about trying to circumvent people's demands, saying that Abadi's reforms are not real.

Allawi, who is the leader of Wataniya Coalition (national coalition), told media reporters: "I include my voice to the demands of demonstrators, those demands that I had adopted more than ten years ago and asked for them to be implemented but they weren't."

Allawi pointed out that "what the prime minister talked about and promised are not reforms, but merely austerity measures," warning that "reforms should not circumvent the demands of the masses, and an attempt to lull them and absorb their anger through launching promises."

Allawi said: "Real reforms can be achieved through implementing the contents of the political agreement, which was approved by everyone," and added, "Without the reform document no one would have been in their office position today starting from the three top positions down to the other positions."

Allawi also said: "The Iraqi constitution has been shredded through the infringement of the rights of political blocs, including those of the Wataniya coalition, and through not implementing the political agreement document that was agreed on before the formation of the government."

For his part, Iraqi MP from the Watanyia coalition, Abdul Karim Abtan, said: "The people have spoken their minds and have demanded accountability for the corrupt and bringing them to justice, and demonstrating is a right that was guaranteed by the constitution."

Real reforms can be achieved through implementing the contents of the political agreement, which was approved by everyone. Ayad Allawi

Abtan told al-Araby al-Jadeed that his coalition is "for a civilian and technocratic government, which ensures a real management of the state through the presence of skilled professionals in positions of responsibility, away from sectarianism, nationalism and racism, which have torn Iraq apart."

Abtan also called on the government to provide adequate protection to demonstrators and to ensure that they are safe to express their opinions," stressing that "the government should take real steps for reform."

Head of al-Iraqiya alliance, a Sunni coalition, Ahmed al-Massari, accused the government of stalling on implementing the articles of the political agreement document, which was the basis on which Abadi's government was formed."

In a statement for the press, Massari said: "Not implementing the political [agreement] document and the lack of services have caused the latest demonstrations that are demanding reforms and an end to corruption."

Massari added, "The reforms that Abadi had promised to implement are not enough in face of the extent of corruption and the absence of services that the country is suffering from, and therefore it is imperative for him to establish new mechanisms for reform."

The steps for reforms that the Iraqi prime minister has taken will be useless in a country that is facing a serious financial crisis. Dismissing hundreds of senior government officials and scrapping or integrating a number of ministries won't change this situation. Dismissed ministers and officials will keep their salaries and allowances and exercise new roles in new institutions, a fact that has created hundreds of ghost employees.