Iraq
An Arab man displays an Apple iPhone to journalists in Ajman, United Arab Emirates, on August 25, 2016. File photo: AP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Iraq’s Ministry of Construction, Housing and Municipalities has banned the use of smartphones by its employees, fearing potential leaks of government documents. Made public on Friday, Iraqis had various reactions to the decree that was dated on Monday.
He warned that “legal measures will be taken against violators.”
After learning of the news, Munir Mirzha, commented on Facebook that the decision is “an example of malgovernance.”
Karzan Oral, another Facebook user, sarcastically said that the only reason government projects are not done properly is due to smartphones and online games like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), which was already “banned” in Iraq in April by parliament.
In addition to PUBG, Fortnite, Blue Whale and “other games that threaten the social, moral, and educational security” were listed in the blacklist.
Translation by Karwan Faidhi Dri
“During our field visit [to the ministry’s employees] to follow up on the workflow of the ministry‘s various sections, we noticed the excessive use of smartphones and the leaking of important official documents related to the work of the ministry,” read a ministry decree, signed on July 1 by Minister Bangen Rekani.
Rekani, who is from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), banned the use of smartphones and gave August 1 as the deadline so employees will “have enough time to replace their [smart] phones into ‘normal’ ones."
He warned that “legal measures will be taken against violators.”
After learning of the news, Munir Mirzha, commented on Facebook that the decision is “an example of malgovernance.”
Karzan Oral, another Facebook user, sarcastically said that the only reason government projects are not done properly is due to smartphones and online games like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), which was already “banned” in Iraq in April by parliament.
In addition to PUBG, Fortnite, Blue Whale and “other games that threaten the social, moral, and educational security” were listed in the blacklist.
However, Hasan A Rashid expressed on Facebook that this was “the best decision.”
Iraq's has a bloated public sector with at least 60 percent of employed persons employed for the government, according to UN statistics.
Corruption has also been highlighted by UN bodies as a hurdle toward better governance.
“Corruption continues to affect the lives of the majority of Iraqis. This study not only sheds new light on the issue but provides a baseline for the Government of Iraq and the UN to respond," the UNDP Iraq has stated.
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