Iraq News Now

HEWLÊR-Erbil, Iraq’s Kurdistan region,— Iraqi Kurdistan parliament approved the government’s pension reform bill on Thursday, despite protests by lawmakers and activists calling for changes to the legislation.

Lawmakers from the New Generation Movement (Newey Nwê), the Kurdistan Islamic Union KIU, and the Kurdistan Islamic Group KIG walked out of the session to protest the legislation, which they objected to on the grounds that it continued generous pension payments to senior officials and had ignored opposition amendments.

Despite the controversy, the result was hailed by government lawmakers who held press conferences outside the Parliament following the vote.

After walking out, head of New Generation caucus Kazim Faruq told reporters said that the Movement had asked Parliament to eliminate pensions for senior officials once they retire. Instead, he argued that lawmakers, ministers, and senior advisers should return to the payment bracket of the job that they held before being elected.

“What happened in Parliament was the diversion of money into the pockets of senior officials from the pockets of poor people,” Faruq added.

Among the amendments proposed by New Generation was that ordinary retirees should receive a minimum pension that affords them a decent livelihood.

“Lawmakers, ministers, [the prime minister], and their deputies retire with a pension of at least 4,100,000 dinars per month ($3,438). We suggested that the lowest pension be 500,000 dinars, but that clause was not added,” he noted.

“This means the senior officials’ pockets have been secured, but the pockets of poor people have not been secured in this bill and they are calling it reform.”

Kurdistan Islamic Union MP Abubakir Haladni said that the the speaker, deputy speaker, and parliamentary secretary were not acting impartially.

“What was approved in the Kurdistan Parliament is not a real reform and what we were afraid of came true,” Haladni added.

He further said that suggestions from opposition lawmakers had been rejected with the excuse that they would impose a heavy financial burden on the government.

Kurdistan Islamic Group lawmaker Abdul Star Majid separately told reporters that his party did not support the reform bill because their amendments had not been adopted.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) caucus said that the reform law was a first step and that it was a “good law.”

“We have supported and voted for that law,” the caucus added in a statement.

Change (Gorran) Movement MP Ali Hama Salih said in a press conference that some of his party’s amendments had been added to the reform law and that they voted for the law to ensure that no one would illegally receive two salaries.

“We will work to adopt a united pension law,” Hama Salih added. “Those who are against pensions for lawmakers can file a form so they don’t receive a pension.”

Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) lawmaker Omed Khoshnaw said in a separate press conference that his caucus promises to continue to pursue reform in Iraqi Kurdistan.

“It is an initiative for the relations between the government and Parliament, an initiative to implement the agreements between the parties that formed the government,” Khoshnaw said.

“It is the first step, and bigger and better reform projects will be started by the government and Parliament,” he added.

“Justice has been done in the salaries, privileges, and pensions for the high-ranking officials in this law.”

Pension bill is ‘regressive,’ will enrich senior officials: New Generation leader

President of the New Generation Movement Shaswar Abdulwahid said in a statement on Wednesday that the vote on the pension reform bill on Thursday will show which lawmakers have morals and which do not.

“A lawmaker that votes in favor of a bill that makes his salary and those of high officials 40 times greater than those of ordinary employees is a narcissist and a human parasite,” Abdulwahid said.

“His only concern is his own pocket. The salary of high officials should be halved and should not [affect those who] retire before the age of 60,” he added.

“If any lawmaker from any faction votes for this, then their party is not a party; it is a business for enriching themselves.”

Kurdistan government won’t regret decision to undertake reform, says spokesperson

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) will not regret its decision to undertake reform, spokesperson Jutiar Adil argued on Thursday.

Adil held a joint press conference with Secretary of KRG Council of Ministers Amanj Rahim and Head of Council of Ministers’ Diwan Omed Sabah in Erbil to address public concerns about the pension reform bill that the Kurdistan Parliament is expected to approve later on Thursday.

He said the reform would not cut off or reduce the salaries of martyrs, former political prisoners, or the families of Anfal victims.

“The salaries of martyrs and political prisoners will not be touched. It will only be reorganized and the payroll list will be cleaned of undeserving people,” he continued.

“The purpose of the law is to establish justice between the components,” he added.

His comments came after former political prisoners and families of martyrs and Anfal victims, as well as public employees, protested over the past several days against the legislation.

The secretary of Council of Ministers said that former political prisoners would be paid their pensions according to the law of political prisoners.

Omed Sabah said that that revenue that returns to the government under the reform framework will be spent to improve the livelihoods of retired employees.

Activists and pension beneficiaries have objected to the legislation, which they say primarily benefits senior government officials at the expense of ordinary government workers and people dependent on government social services.

Public and retired employees as well as former political prisoners have protested in several cities across the Kurdistan Region against the reform bill.

Copyright © 2020, respective author or news agency, Ekurd.net | nrttv.com

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