"Phenomena"

Eventually, the Iraqi government has decided to establish a committee to investigate the certificates submitted by governmental officials for their educational degrees, calling the falsification of certificates a "phenomena" to get administrative and financial privileges.

And like hundreds of declarations, Monday's statement bore warns for those who submitted false certificates that all their privileges will be stripped and they will be brought to justice...WOW

Since you call it a "phenomena" why you decided to put an end to it just now? And if you can't touch officials who are accused of crimes and corruption just because they are affiliated to influential political parties how you will be able to bring those with false certificates to justice?

kassakhoon@gmail.com

The right man in the right place

It is a remarkable gain by which we can really applaud the Iraqi Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani and his Ministry's staff. It is the absence of petrol queues nationwide.

The Times' Deborah Haynes brings us this story today by talking to normal people and to an oil official, who I highly appreciate and respect for his unlimited loyalty to his work and then his country.

He is Dathar al-Khashab who heads the State-run Midland Refineries.

I remember when I first saw him when he was running Baghdad's Dora refinery in early 2000s.

Unlike most Iraqi officials who kept themselves inside elegant western suits and never leave their air-conditioned offices, al-Khashab was always in his blue engineering coveralls moving from place to another in the sites with other workers.

And he is still in his uniform even after he has been promoted to be the Head of the Oil Ministry's Midland Refineries.

"I am very optimistic,” al-Khashab told The Times. “I believe in the Iraqi capabilities. We do know we can do it, provided we get the right help from the right people,” he added.

Iraq's oil industry is in dire need for such persons who care only about their work and most important they know what they are doing.

In another word, the right man in the right place.

kassakhoon@gmail.com