Sunday 3 July 2016

Iraqi CP mourns three comrades killed in terrorist bombing in Baghdad

Iraqi Communist Party mourns three comrades killed in cowardly terrorist bombing in Baghdad

The Political Bureau of the Iraqi Communist Party mourned a number of its members and supporters who were killed in the cowardly terrorist attack which took place in Karradah district in Baghdad around midnight on Saturday 2nd July 2016. Among the martyrs were the young comrades: Adel Qais al-Jaf, Hameed Majid Rashid and Faysal Mohammed Salman.
The party statement said that the criminal murderers have aimed through this terrorist act, which resulted in tens of people being killed while preparing to celebrate Eid marking the end of Ramadan, “to kill any opportunity for joy in our country Iraq which has been plagued by terrorism, corruption and failure”.
“While strongly condemning this cowardly act, we convey deepest condolences to the families of the martyrs and wish the injured and wounded a speedy recovery. Our people shall triumph in their battle against Daesh and all terrorists,” it added.


Saturday 4 June 2016

Communiqué of Iraqi Communist Party's Central Committee meeting on 26th May 2016

Communiqué of the Meeting of the Central Committee
of the Iraqi Communist Party on 26th May 2016
The Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party held a meeting on 26th May 2016 which discussed the latest developments in the country as well as the preparations for the party’s 10th National Congress.
At the beginning of the meeting, a minute of silence was observed in honor of the martyrs of the fight against Daesh, the victims of the cowardly terrorist attacks, the martyrs of the popular protest movement, the martyrs of the party and comrades and friends who have passed away recently and who had a role in building the party and defending the cause of the people, the homeland and the interests of toilers.
The meeting considered the recent political developments in our country since the previous meeting of the Central Committee, held in March 2016. These developments were studied in detail and the party direction for the coming period was drawn up, including the tasks facing its organizations, members and supporters.
The meeting pointed out the fact that the general conditions of the country are moving toward greater complexity, tensions and deadlock, after many initiatives that had been presented for resolving the crisis were ignored by the dominant ruling groups that have insisted, until now, on putting their own selfish interests ahead of the higher interests of the country. They refuse to show flexibility and make mutual concessions to save the homeland from the deterioration it is suffering in all political, economic, social and security areas.
The meeting considered that a refreshing light amid this darkness is shining from the battlefields of the fight against terrorism and its organizations, in the forefront of which is Daesh. Our armed forces, including the army, police, Peshmerga, volunteers in the popular mobilization forces and the people of areas that have been plagued by Daesh, have been scoring one victory after another, especially the recent notable successes achieved in Ramadi, Heet, Kubaisah and Rutbah, and on the front of Makhmour and Nineveh plain.  In addition, progress is now being made on the path of liberating the district of Fallujah from the grip of terrorism, as signaled by the liberation of Karmah.
On this occasion, the meeting reiterated our party's support for the battle against terrorism and to rid our country of its evils and crimes. It also reiterated its call for vigilance against hostile elements who do not want our country to progress in the direction of establishing security and stability, especially those who stir up sedition and sectarian sentiments and serve foreign agendas. It stressed the need to foil their plans through uniting, supporting the fighters and taking care of the families of martyrs.
The meeting emphasized the duty to spare innocent civilians the horrors of war and its consequences, and to care for the displaced and provide everything they need, including shelter, food and medicine. Efforts should be exerted to ensure their speedy return to their towns and villages that have been liberated from Daesh, along with launching         a national campaign to rebuild them, and to appeal to the world and international organizations to support this campaign. Care must be taken to give the responsibility for the reconstruction operations to the sincere people of these areas, who have not misappropriated public money and are untarnished by corruption.
The meeting called upon the government and the security forces to provide security and protection for the citizens and their property, and to prepare for and anticipate the aggressive schemes and evil vengeful spirit of Daesh after the defeats it suffered on the battlefield and the foiling of the schemes of the enemies of our people to stir up and fuel sectarian strife.
In regard to the existing intractable political crisis, the meeting called for breaking the vicious cycle, and that all parties should be aware of the dangers of the situation and the possibility of its descent to a worse situation. It stressed the necessity of sparing our people and homeland the bad and dangerous choices which would result in going backwards. In this context, the meeting renewed the call for convening a quorate session of the Parliament and without preconditions, for completing the formation of the government after filling its vacant posts, and to begin the implementation of existing obligations. The issue of the Parliament’s presidium can be discussed and decided upon in accordance with the Constitution and the working mechanisms of the Parliament, and not to make it an excuse to prolong the crisis and evade responding to the demands of the masses and their protest movement.
This would constitute the beginning of moving forward along the path of reform and change. The status quo cannot continue, and change has become a popular demand and an urgent need, not a slogan that is raised for political consumption. The ruling forces must realize that procrastination can only lead to more social and political complexity and tensions, which is rejected by the masses who are becoming increasingly aware of the need for immediate serious reforms. The people’s suffering is mounting due to the deterioration of the living conditions and services, the indirect taxes imposed on them, and the impact of economic stagnation and the drop in oil revenues, which has affected the state’s public expenditure, as well as reducing investment projects, causing higher rates of unemployment and an increase in poverty.
All this is a result of the wrong policy of governance and undemocratic mentality, of mismanagement of the country, insisting on the abhorrent sectarian-ethnic quota system and the absence of logical and scientific planning. In this context, the meeting rejected attempts to throw the burden of the financial and economic crisis on the shoulders of the toilers, the poor and those with limited income, who have suffered so much a result of several factors including the deterioration of the actual value of the Iraqi dinar, rising prices and shortages or scarcity of the services offered by the state, particularly in the areas of electricity, transport, water and health.
The meeting considered that required reform must be comprehensive, and should start with the formation of a government of competent persons with integrity that is capable of running the country in these difficult circumstances. Reform must then extend to all the independent commissions, special grades and state institutions. The cases of corruption must be opened and the corrupt should be sent to the courts, in addition to reforming the judiciary. Real and effective steps must be taken towards deepening the democratic process, building a state based on citizenship, the law, institutions and social justice.
The meeting concluded that to achieve this, more popular pressure is required.  This necessitates developing the popular protest movement and coordination, and diversifying and increasing its means and activities, paying attention to those on regional and sectoral levels. It stressed the need to maintain the peaceful character of the protest movement and warned against the efforts of some to implicate it in violence in order to make it easier to circumscribe it and eventually suppress it. That is what the anti-reform forces are seeking assiduously, sparing no means to achieve it. Therefore the peaceful character of the protest movement must be sustained and adhered to, and not to be dragged into provocations and to what is planned by those seeking to maintain their positions, influence and interests while the country descends uninterruptedly towards the worse.
While stressing the peaceful and civilized character of the protest movement and the need to protect private and public property, the meeting has strongly condemned the excessive use by the authorities and government agencies of violence and resorting to the use of live ammunition, rubber bullets, tear gas and hot water cannon. This constitutes an explicit and blatant violation of the Constitution and the right of citizens to demonstrate peacefully and of human rights in general. This requires opening an impartial investigation, as demanded by the United Nations, and the referral of those responsible for committing crimes of deliberate killing to justice. The government should apologize to the families of the victims, and for the positions it took and the phrases it used in its statements which contained insults and abuse against the movement of millions of people. If there were a few infiltrators, as it is saying, then it should arrest them and announce this transparently to the people. It must also honor the martyrs and care for the wounded and the injured and compensate them.
The Central Committee meeting dealt with the situation in the Kurdistan region, and stressed the need to spare the region and its people the possible consequences of the conflict raging between the ruling Kurdistan parties, and the effects of the worsening of an already tense situation. All of this increases the suffering of the people that has been caused by the economic stagnation, the cost of the war against Daesh, the non-payment of salaries, and the regression in the process of development, reviving the economy and fighting corruption, as well as slackening in government institutions. The meeting stressed the need to continue constructive dialogue between the various parties, evoke the valuable lessons of the past and benefit from them.
On the other hand, the meeting stressed the need to improve the performance of the party and its organizations, develop and elevate its work, build bridges with the wider masses, adopt their just demands and defend them, and expand the party's relations with the various strata and segments of society. Greater attention should be devoted to the Democratic Current and developing its role. Efforts should also be exerted to expand the relations of cooperation and coordination with civil activists and democrats generally, as well as the various patriotic and moderate enlightened Islamic forces and personalities. In addition, a broad alignment, popular and political, should be built to support reform and change, to get our country out of the current situation, get rid of the sectarian-ethnic quota system, and work to build a democratic civil state.
The meeting considered the ongoing preparations for the convening of the party’s 10th National Congress, and what has been achieved so far to respond to this big event in the life of the party. In this regard, the meeting adopted a number of measures to complete the preparations, to finalize the documents of the Congress and publish them in the party media, and to launch a broad discussion of the documents with the aim of scrutinizing and enriching them. This is so because they do not only concern the party but all of our people who are concerned about the country's progress and stability. The meeting also determined the timetable for convening the conferences of party organizations on local and provincial levels, in order to discuss the general political line of the party and elect delegates to the National Congress.
The Central Committee meeting called upon the party organizations and comrades to transform the preparations for the 10th National Congress to events, activities and initiatives that are aimed at securing a strong party presence in the mass protest movement, developing its role in the public political life, and providing political and material support and backing to the party so as to enhance its capabilities on all levels.

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Saturday 30 April 2016

Iraqi Communist Party statement on the latest developments - 30 April 2016

Statement of the Political Bureau of the Iraqi Communist Party

on the latest developments


Our capital Baghdad has witnessed today (30th April 2016) important developments with large numbers of demonstrators and protesters storming the parliament building.
It took place after the postponement of the session of parliament to the 10th of May, at a time when the masses of people in front of the Green Zone and Tahrir (Liberation) Square were waiting for the parliament’s session to be held today to resolve the cabinet reshuffle in accordance with their demands, so as to be the beginning of renouncing the sectarian-ethnic power-sharing system that was adopted by the ruling forces and blocs in setting up the structure of the political system and its administration.
The insistence of some of the dominant ruling blocs to stick to the policy of power-sharing, and resorting to more procrastination and reneging on promises and deadlines, was the direct cause of fueling the resentment and anger of the protesters, and pushing them to enter the Green Zone. This could have been avoided if there had been sincere intentions and a rapid response to the legitimate demands of the masses, and if serious steps were taken by the parliament and government that would have indicated a serious approach to move along the path of real and comprehensive reform.
While we hold the ruling groups responsible for the present situation in the country, with all the grave dangers it entails, especially at this critical time when our people and armed forces in all their formations are waging the battle against terrorism and Daesh, we warn that obstinacy and insistence on sectarian power-sharing threaten to produce other ominous crises.
We believe that it is now essential that an urgent meeting of the parliament is held, to approve the formation of the full new cabinet on the basis of competence, integrity and professionalism, away from power-sharing and allocation of posts, to be the first step in a comprehensive reform plan which must also include the independent bodies and special senior posts in government.
At this critical moment we call on the demonstrators and protesters to continue to adhere to the peaceful character of the demonstrations and to renounce any form of violence, and to protect public and private property and show high discipline, so as to deny anyone who wants to harm the peaceful, constitutional and civil character of the mass protest movement the opportunity to do so.
On the other hand, the stance of the security forces and their discipline and professionalism have played a major role in safeguarding life and property, and protecting the demonstrators and protesters and ensuring their safety, is worthy of recognition and praise.
Continued peaceful popular pressure is still required until there is full compliance with the just and legitimate demands of the demonstrators and protestors; for political and judicial reform, ending the sectarian-ethnic power-sharing, combating corruption and bringing the corrupt to account, the provision of public services, and alleviating the burden of the economic and financial crisis on the shoulders of the toilers and low-income people.
 Baghdad – 30th April 2016