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BaghdadFor months, Iraq has been witnessing intense discussions about the official holidays law, as the sectarian and political controversy between the racial and ethnic components has turned into a decisive economic problem.
In the midst of the sectarian and political controversy surrounding the official holidays law in Iraq, the discussions turned into an economic debate after economic statistics showed that these holidays cost the Iraqi state about 34 trillion dinars ($26 billion) annually, according to what economic expert Nabil Al-Marsoumi confirmed in a blog post. him on his Facebook page.
Al-Marsoumi stated that the total annual salaries of employees and others amount to 90 trillion dinars ($69 billion), noting that the total number of Fridays and Saturdays (the two days of weekly leave) amounts to 104 days per year, while additional official holidays amount to 16 days, and unofficial holidays amount to approximately 20 days. Which makes the total number of holidays in Iraq 140 days.
According to Al-Marsoumi, the daily cost of official and unofficial holidays with Friday and Saturday amounts to 246 billion dinars ($187 million), while the annual cost of official and unofficial holidays amounts to 34 trillion dinars ($26 billion).
In its session held on May 22, the Iraqi Council of Representatives voted to amend the draft law on official holidays by adding the Eid al-Ghadir holiday.
During the past 16 years, the Iraqi Parliament held many sessions to discuss the law on official holidays in Iraq, but those sessions were not able to solve the problem of the large number of official holidays, but rather exacerbated it. Every religion, sect, and nationality was proposing new holidays, and trying to compensate for them by canceling other holidays, including the dispute. On the blessed holidays of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, in addition to the dispute over the holiday of the Prophet’s Birthday.
The dispute over official holidays is not limited to Muslims only, as all representatives of the Iraqi components are demanding additional holidays of their own, a total of 35 days during the sessions discussing the holiday law, as the Christian component is demanding 7 days of holidays, divided into 3 days starting from December 25. It is a holiday for Christmas, as well as for Resurrection, with the addition of April 1st to celebrate the Babylonian-Assyrian New Year (Akitu).
While the followers of the Yazidi religion demand that 15 days be designated as special holidays, starting from the first Friday of January, which is the Yazidi Fasting Day, and the first Wednesday of April, and 8 days during the period from (23-30) September, in addition to The period from (18-21) July, on the occasion of the fortieth of summer.
As for the Sabian holidays, they totaled 13 days, divided into 5 days for the Feast of Creation, 4 days for the Feast of Dhurba, 3 days for the Minor Feast, and one day for the Feast of the Golden Baptism.
In addition to all these holidays, there are other national occasions regarding the National Day or the founding days of the army and police, and other national occasions.
Reconsider vacations
According to economic expert Abdul Salam Hussein, the number of holidays and events in Iraq is not what was presented on social media platforms, but rather by calculating some ethnic and component occasions, it actually exceeds 170 days, which costs the state treasury more than 52 trillion dinars ($40 billion) annually, stressing that The necessity of amending the Public Holidays Law through parliament and reconsidering it despite the challenges this process faces.
Hussein confirmed during his speech to “Al Jazeera Net” that these costs put great pressure on the state's general budget, which negatively affects the national economy.
He explained that the issue of official holidays was the subject of sectarian and political controversy among the racial and ethnic components in Iraq. Every party or component has special occasions that it cannot give up, which makes reconsidering this issue a great challenge.
He stresses that the government does not know what is happening in every department of the state, stressing the necessity of reconsidering the issue of official holidays by amending its law within Parliament, despite the political and sectarian challenges.
He proposed reducing costs and pressure on the state treasury, including replacing Saturday with Thursday for work.
Hussein points out that there is functional slackness in some departments, as there are employees who are 80 years old and suffer from health problems such as loss of sight, and they are still in their jobs due to the presence of bodies that support them. This situation negatively affects the national economy and blocks opportunities for unemployed youth.
Economic and productivity challenges
For his part, the economic advisor, Alaa Al-Fahd, downplayed the importance of the numbers presented regarding the number of official holidays, indicating that they do not represent the main problem in wasting the Iraqi state’s funds.
Al-Fahd said during his talk to Al-Jazeera Net that vacations cost State budget Large sums of money, but the problem is that employees working without productivity is what costs large sums of money, whether in operating electric power generators, fuel, transmission lines, or other expenditures, all of which are higher than the service provided and productivity.
He added that we cannot only calculate the cost of the holiday, but we must calculate productivity compared to the amounts spent in public budgets. He stressed the importance of addressing many problems that cost expenses that are not equivalent to productivity.
Al-Fahad continued that the main problem is the low productivity of employees in government institutions, which needs to be addressed quickly and to address the issue of job slackness, noting that vacations are a natural phenomenon in most countries of the world, especially international companies that grant vacations for 3 days a week, with the implementation of online work. And the electronic governance system to increase productivity and provide better services.
