Shafaq News/ The member of the Parliamentary Economic and Investment Committee, Abdul Salam Al-Maliki, lashed out at the 2021 budget, calling on the people of Basra to support the governorate's MPs to press for their rights.

Al-Maliki said in a statement received by Shafaq News Agency, "It is no secret that the current budget is unjust and unjust for the central and southern governorates, especially Basra, whose allocations are estimated at one trillion and 300 billion dinars only."

He added, "Basra was aggrieved at the beginning with the issue of allocations for projects planned for the governorate. There was no interest or concern to pay the governorate's petrodollars debts, which amount to approximately 17 trillion dinars owed by the federal government."

MP of Basra indicated, "the Parliamentary Finance Committee today came to add another mistake by granting the Kurdistan Region the right to deduct a percentage of its oil commitment (460 thousand barrels) under the title of petrodollars."

Al-Maliki added, "There is a contradiction in the steps of the government and the finance committee. It gives the region's debts and neglects Basra's debts. This is a great prejudice to the people of Basra, which represents the economic lung of Iraq."

He stressed, "Basra suffers today from neglect, poverty, hunger, diseases, and pollution due to oil production and previous wars, in addition to popular demonstrations, lack of services, and unemployment. Today, they added grievances with this budget. Our operating portfolio is estimated at nine billion dinars, and this is a great injustice. "

Al-Maliki concluded by saying, "Today, Basra should be treated fairly, and the people of the governorate must support their representatives inside the parliament to press for granting the rights of Basra."