I'll do my best to block any bill in parliament that may hurt KRG interests

Bashir Haddad, known locally in Erbil as Mala Bashir, became Iraq’s deputy speaker of parliament last month. Haddad tells Rudaw that in the next four years he will do his best to make sure no laws are passed in the Iraqi parliament that may harm the Kurdistan Region.

 

Haddad who was once the most popular Friday sermon preacher in Erbil before entering politics in 2009, believes that Kurds in Baghdad must form an alliance in order to face the challenges of Iraq together and win better rights for the Kurds. Though he admits it is easier said than done.

 

Haddad says that the parliament and its members have lost people’s trust and the best way to regain it is for them to stay in touch with people and pay regular visits to different cities and listen to local grievances.

 

Rudaw: Was it the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) that suggested you run for the position of second deputy speaker of parliament or was it your own initiative?

Bashir Haddad: I didn’t run for parliament myself. It was rather at the behest of my KDP colleagues, and I accepted the offer. Then they asked me to run for the post of second deputy speaker of parliament. I responded that it might be a difficult task for me to undertake, and that there might be people more experienced for this job within our own ranks. But the KDP leadership insisted that I run for the position, and I didn’t turn down the offer. Finally, I decided to shoulder the responsibility.

How do you envision the next four years of the Iraqi parliament?

I hope this term of parliament is different from previous ones. The speaker, first deputy speaker of parliament and I have agreed that this term should be different and decisive. Our first duty will be to restore trust and dignity to the parliament and its members. The public image of MPs has been tainted in a way one would feel ashamed to say they are an MP. Parliamentarians have been portrayed as opportunistic and selfish, caring only about themselves and neglecting the public.

 

This is a bad phenomenon in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. Showing disrespect to legislative bodies, law enforcement agencies, and leaders is just the beginning of a psychological collapse of a nation. That is why we have to work to restore confidence to parliament and lawmakers. And this requires hard work and reaching out to people. We should reach out to people, rather than confine ourselves within the premises of the parliament. As a first step, we visited the province of Basra and met with its people. We saw their problems and have decided to visit the city regularly. We will next visit Halabja, Anbar and Mosul. This way, we can communicate to people that we are not always in the parliament and the Green Zone. Rather, we are going out of our compounds and visit underprivileged places.

 

We can restore confidence to parliament and lawmakers through these visits and passing laws that serve people and improve their living conditions. This is our first goal. Our second aim as Kurdistani representatives is to show Iraq that we care and establish good relations between Erbil and Baghdad, Kurds and Arabs. We should restore these relations to their previous level. In addition, we will also be working hard to establish unity and harmony between Kurdistani factions.

What plans do you have for Halabja?

We have plans to visit every city, and Halabja is one of the cities we want to visit. But we don’t know when we will visit. We will look into peoples’ living conditions and services in every city we visit. We will see what their problems are. There are some cities which require urgent services. We will work to pass laws on these matters. And we will decide what to do for Halabja after we visit the city.

Kurds suffered many setbacks in Iraq last year. What agenda do you have to ensure the next four years are going to be different?

The parliament is the highest legislative and monitoring body. It should therefore work to find solutions to problems. This should be the parliament’s role in the country. There are nearly 58 Kurdistani MPs in Baghdad. What would be our job in Baghdad if we cannot prevent plots and hostilities against Kurdistan? And we all should be united in order to be able to prevent the passing of bills that can hurt Kurdistan. As for my part as second deputy speaker of parliament, I will do my utmost to prevent the passing of any bill that may be against the interests of the Kurdistan Region.

We will work as a team and I will consult all political parties in order to have a good vision of what we will do and can do. In addition, I can use my personal relations with Iraqi officials to change their opinion of the Kurds to the better.

In previous terms, a coalition of Kurdistani factions was formed in Baghdad. Are there efforts to form such an alliance again for this term of parliament?

This is what we are hoping for, although forming such an alliance is very difficult. We were shocked to see we were so opposed by our own people. But I hope we can work as a team, although I think it is difficult to do so.

What is the importance of your post to Kurds? In the previous term of parliament, the deputy speaker of parliament was also a Kurd, yet that very house passed many bills detrimental to the Kurds.

The person occupying this position is vested with certain powers. One of the powers is discussing bills put before parliament. The speaker, first and second deputy speakers should approve these bills in order to be debated in the parliament. In this respect, I will use my power to approve any bill that serves Kurdistan, change the articles and sections that are against Kurdistan.

There are rumors that the position of the speaker of parliament was bought for $30 million, as former defense minister Khalid al-Obeidi claimed. Will the parliament investigate these allegations?

One of the steps we should take to restore trust in parliament will be working with the judicial council and the federal court. This will enable us to call on the courts to investigate anyone, whether MP or ordinary person, who spreads such allegations or defames someone. The accused person can then be tried if there is evidence that proves the claim, otherwise the person making the claim can be dealt with in accordance with the law.