Alhurra interviews Iraq’s parliament speaker
In an interview with Alhurra’s Free Hour program, Iraq’s Parliament Speaker Dr. Salim al-Jabouri called on Iraqis to be patient and to give the government and political forces enough time to implement a series of reforms. He affirmed that the Iraqi decision makers are serious about reform.
Al-Jabouri stated that he understands the public anger caused by the poor performance of public sectors and rampant corruption in state institutions, and stressed the need for the Iraqi people to be able to experience the results of reform. Al-Jabouri added that reform is a process. It needs solidarity and is everybody’s responsibility.
While the Iraqi official stated that the Mosul report was written in a professional manner, he did not rule out that there are different parties behind the fall of the city into the hands of Daesh (ISIS) mid 2014. Al-Jabouri did not deny that internal tensions caused by previous policies are also behind the fall of Iraqi provinces in the grip of Daesh.
Regarding the protest movement that has gathered momentum over the past six weeks, al-Jabouri indicated that they are trying to meet the needs of the Iraqi people, not suppress protesters.