Electricity crisis: The Biggest Challenge and Wasted Money in This Sector, at a discussion point between members of the Centre for Dialogue (RCD)
A crisis that is firing as the summer of Iraq heats up; lack of electricity for citizens, lack of hope to fix it, In the light of the experience of previous years and the regression in national industrial and agricultural production, which led most citizens, both specialists and non-specialists, to believe that it would be difficult at least to resolve the problem, For the above reasons, as well as the mismanagement of this vital file and widespread corruption throughout its pages.
In this context, the members of the Centre for Dialogue (RCD) expressed their vision, through their discussion, Among the interlocutors were these gentlemen:
1. Dr. Ahmed Almayali | Professor of Political Science, University of Baghdad
2. Mr. Ghazi Rahou | Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Statisticians
3. Mr. Abdul Wahab Jabbar Mohammadawi | writer and journalist
4. Mr. Saeed Yaseen Musa, civil activist
5. Mr. Hashim Al-Shaddidi, Adviser to the Minister of Electricity
6. Dr. Mohamed Chimri, member of the National Wisdom Stream Political office.
7. Mr. Fadi Chimri, member of the National Wisdom Stream Political office.
8. Mr. Zeid Al-Najjar, Academic Professor
9. Mr. Saadun Shehan, Writer, Activist and publicist.
The dialogue took place as follows:
Dr. Ahmed Almayali:
Seventeen years ago, the electricity sector swung on the brink of collapse; Because of mismanagement and corruption in this file, which has led to the denial of 24-hour electricity to the country. However, the level of electricity production is still down to half or less in the summer, paralysing industry, agriculture and the rest of the productive sectors, which has instilled despair in the restoration of the electricity system. And the Massive seasonal popular protests, often associated with high summer temperatures and power outages over the past years, Because of technical reasons, no Iraqi citizen is aware of the real reasons that prevent the repair of the electrical system. Knowledge is limited to the narrow circle of specialists in this Ministry, as well as the lack of transparency in this file. It was hoped that the Government of Adel Abdel Mahdi would resolve this problem, after Mr. Luay Al-Khatib, as an independent figure, had a vision and experience in energy. However, the reality of electricity hasn't changed in a year and a half. The Ministry continued to explain and justify this by overtaking the electrical grid, increasing consumption, and evading consumers from paying the levy.... For other technical and administrative reasons, most of which are associated with inefficient management, theft and financial corruption at all stages of the sector, are processed, generated, transferred and distributed.
"Facts Speak..."
In his intervention, Professor Ghazi Rahu mentioned: When the Khatib received the Ministry of Electricity and published some clarifications regarding the appointment of two persons from outside Iraq, as advisers to the Ministry, without paying, donating from them, the Khatib said, and they're company owners in the electricity sector, and they've had an impact in the Ministry. We wrote about this on this site, and we pointed out that the fiancé has a bankrupt company in Britain, and it's closed. And we said these two men were appointed to the Ministry for unprofessional reasons, relating to corruption, contracts and pressure on large companies to obtain commissions. One of the participants in this site, he blinked his forearm and pen to defend Al-Khateib, When Ms. Alia Nasif and Mr. Mashtan al-Jabouri spoke about the corruption and contracts in the Ministry of Electricity led by these two (advisers) appointed by the Khatib to the Ministry (a donation), without pay, some of them retaliated. After all The facts speak today, but not all of them are revealed. Many of them are still waiting for oversight and integrity bodies to investigate the contracts entered into by AL-khateib, From his receipt to his departure from the Ministry of Electricity, as well as the Ministry's file of appointments, which is no longer hidden to anyone, including those assigned to important locations.
"$46 billion dollars in spending on electricity. "
About that Professor Abdul Wahab Jabbar Muhammadawi explains: Since 2005, forty-six billion dollars have been spent on electricity, And it's enough money to create dozens of giant power plants to produce electricity, all over Iraq, if spent with professionalism, honesty and sincerity, Unfortunately, that money was wasted, and the electricity sector remained miserable and poor, so that citizens would pay for this misery and decay every summer. So we would like Mr. Kazemi to intervene and manage this file, and stand up close to his problems, put his finger on the wound and diagnose the malfunction in order to fix it, and search for the money that has been wasted and the efforts that have been lost over the last few years, and to stop statements that promise the world, such as those made by some officials that Iraq will export electricity to other countries; Because people are waiting for real, radical solutions, having abided by these glamorous statements and promises.
"Electricity and its effects on both the homeland and the citizen"
As Professor Saeed Yassin Musa pointed out in his intervention: The backwardness of the electricity sector has had an adverse impact on the nation and citizens, including: A significant waste of funds, unemployment and declining national industrial and agricultural production in the country and disruption of private sector laboratories and increased import of goods to finance the economies of other States, administrative and financial corruption, smuggling and money-laundering and increased unemployment, and social instability, and the emergence of racketeering gangs, violence and terrorism, and damage to national security.....
90,000 contract and daily worker, the appointments arrived under Dr. Luay Al-Khatib. "
In his intervention, Professor Hashim Al-Shadidi said: We attended the World Energy Ministers Meeting in Turkey (Istanbul) in 2016, and we heard words in modern information and technology in global energy management. In the meantime, some of them talked about human resources management, the entry of modern technology (nanotechnology and automation) and its future impact on the labour force, They mentioned that one staff member per (Mega Watt), and it was surprising to me, with 6400 permanent staff members, and over 2300 on contracts, 8,700 on daily wages. After our return, I wrote a report on this meeting, including this observation. In 2018, it was announced at the Conference that the number had become (one staff member) for each (two mega watt). But the appointments that took place in Dr. Luay Al-Khatib period , more than 90,000 on contracts and daily wages, so the Ministry of Electricity (MEW) is facing a major impasse, in terms of the large numbers of employees and how they pay their salaries, which amount to more than 500 billion dinars per year, according to the report of the committee formed to calculate their annual salaries! That's where we say: If Mr. Al-Khatib knows, it's a mistake, and if he doesn't know, it's even greater.
"the reveal of corruption files"
In an intervention, Dr. Mohamed Al-Shimri said: There is no doubt that legitimate, national and moral responsibility requires all of us, institutions and study centres, civil society organizations and individuals, to uncover corruption files. And what I do not agree with is the issuance of prejudgments, before the specialized agencies make their final statement. And there's a lot of suspicions, some of them real, most of them unreal. So corruption files must therefore be referred to the regulatory authorities for scrutiny, and then referred to the courts if they are proven to be defective, and should not remain in the Indictment Chamber. The accused is innocent until proven guilty.
The Centre for Dialogue, with the awareness and standing of its members, can establish a legal and social culture that will establish the power of the judiciary, reduce allegations and defend the oppressed, whether they are victims of corruption, the majority, or the victims of political downfall.
In his intervention, Professor Fadi Chimri said: That Al-Khateib was the captive of the corruption lobby that enabled her to control the knuckles of the Ministry until it collapsed completely on his hands, despite the larger budget in 8 years...Two of the Ministry's oldest and best figures have rejected the offer of a minister because of breakdowns in the Ministry, which need time to be returned to the pre-Khatib Ministry.
Professor Zeid Al-Najjar stressed in his intervention: Anyone who has taken responsibility for the energy file in previous years should be held accountable and even prosecuted, from the Samaritan to Hussein al-Shahrastani to Qasim al-Fahdawi.
But former Minister of Electricity Luay Al - Khatib left a power system that collapsed in mid - May, leaving him well deserved.
In response to the comments made by some members of Parliament, the Prime Minister asked them to resolve the problem of the payment of the wages and benefits of the owners of contracts and daily wages , In his intervention, Professor Saadun Shehan stated: "Mr. Luay Al Khatib has failed the ability to preserve the reality of the Ministry of Electricity, and he has added a new challenge that you have to address and then think about how to get the work frames up."
Conclusions:
1. The problem of providing citizens with electricity continues to exist, and every summer it is even worse for citizens to expect it to be resolved.
2. The career in the Ministry of Electricity is becoming a real complex problem, financial management, in addition to its major technical and administrative problems, particularly chaotic appointments in the time of Minister Luay Al-Khatib, must be investigated.
3. The waste of tens of billions on the Ministry of Electricity has been sufficient to rehabilitate the electricity system in a way that effectively provides electricity to citizens and the industrial and agricultural productive sectors.
