A campaign to promote writing a democratic permanent constitution
in Iraq, laying the basis for a modern Iraqi state based on the rule of law
and institutions, was launched at a meeting attended by about 120 Iraqi democrats,
on Saturday evening, 4th June 2005, held at the Kufa Gallery in London.
The setting up of the “Iraqi Committee for Democratic Constitution”
is aimed at active participation by all Iraqi democrats, of all tendencies
and affiliations, in writing the permanent constitution in Iraq, and lobby
support for a number of principles including:
- Establishing a democratic, pluralistic, parliamentary and federal republic.
- Adherence to the principle of citizenship, and establishing a state of
law, institutions and justice, and ensuring political pluralism and peaceful
transfer of power.
- Separation between executive, legislative and judicial powers.
- Separation between religion and state; respect for the Islamic identity
of the majority of Iraqi people, and ensuring the rights of other religions
and sects.
- Adopting the International Declaration of Human Rights, stressing on civil
and political freedoms, the freedom of expression, demonstration and organisation
(as stipulated in the Transitional Administrative Law - the interim constitution).
- Equality between women and men, and abiding by all international covenants
concerning the rights of women and children.
- Prohibiting all forms of discrimination on the basis of belief, race, gender,
colour, or ethnic and religious affiliation.
- Ensuring the rights of nationalities, religions and sects.
- Securing federalism for Iraqi Kurdistan, and national and cultural rights
for all the constituents of the Iraqi people, including Turkomans, Chaldeo-Assyrians,
Faili Kurds, Armenians, Azedians, Sabians, Shabak, Christians, Jews. Adopting
a decentralized form of administration for the provinces and their relationship
with the central government.
- Ensuring social and economic rights for the citizen; the right to education,
health and work, and ensuring social security, and complying with relevant
international covenants.
- Ensuring cultural freedom and respect for ideological, political and national
pluralism in our national culture.
- Subjugating security forces to elected constitutional institutions and
their allegiance to the homeland.
- Developing an effective constitutional mechanism for control over the natural
resources, especially the oil wealth, to ensure that it is used to serve the
interests of the people and development of national economy, and prevent the
plunder and manipulation of this wealth.
The meeting also launched a campaign to collect 1000 signatures on a memorandum
calling for adopting the above-stated principles for writing the permanent
constitution. The memorandum will be presented to the National Assembly committee
tasked with drafting the constitution, as well as the Iraqi President, Prime
Minister and Chairman of National Assembly.
The meeting set up a committee, of 18 democrats and activists, to implement
the proposed plan of action during the next few weeks. The Committee includes:
Salam Ali, Dr Najm Ghulam, Ansam al-Jarrah, Dr Reiadh al-Zuheiry, Samir Tabla,
Souad al-Jazairy, Dr Sabah Jassem, Areej Sultan, Dr Sabah al-Sudani, Kawa
Bisarani, Nadia Haider, Amanuel Yaqoub, Dr Abdul Hassan, Dr Sabah Mar’I,
Dr Leonard Jacob, Dr Kamel Hassan, Ali al-Shawket, Manar Sabri.
The program of future activities includes organising specialised seminars,
talks and meetings, for the purpose of discussing the principles of the permanent
constitution, based on Iraqi reality and making use of democratic experiences
of other countries and peoples. In addition to an active media campaign, the
“Iraqi Committee for Democratic Constitution” will encourage writings
about the constitution, and issue a bulletin for relevant studies and research
material.
Source: Political
Affairs Magazine
