Purging the Government Apparatus in Iraq 1958-1963: A Historical Study of it’s Legislative Process.

Abstract

The policy of purging the government apparatus was one of the first steps of the July 14, 1958 Revolution, in the administrative aspect, to establish the principles of integrity. Therefore, it was necessary to address the issue due to its importance, given that Iraqis have been practicing civil service since the Ottoman and British eras. The study aimed to reduce corruption, including bribery and favoritism, eliminate dishonest elements, and develop a sense of national responsibility through efficient and dedicated work. Legislative purification procedures began with the issuance of Law No. (20) of 1931 on the Discipline of State Employees, to remove corrupt employees; Law No. (36) of 1936 on Discipline, which adopted the principle of gradual punishment; and Law No. (66) of 1956 on the Coordination of the Government Apparatus, to remove those proven to have misconduct. Despite the measures taken during the royal era, the results were negative, due to political reasons and the increasing number of unqualified employees, until the outbreak of the July 14 Revolution, which gave importance to the issue and enacted a law entitled "Purification."  Governmental apparatus No. (2) of 1958 AD, to get rid of the weak elements that controlled administrative positions as a result of corruption, the republican era was crowned by dispensing with the services of some state employees, especially those who followed the previous administration without taking into account the experience possessed by these employees. The law went through four amendments in accordance with the requirements of the administrative and political stage. Therefore, the purification of the government apparatus was accompanied by major harbingers as a result of the work of the purification committees in the ministries and departments that worked according to personal and partisan interests, and the emergence of the military governor’s department as the highest authority in the country due to the prevalence of martial law and the organization of popular resistance and republican maintenance committees. These formations began to interfere in the affairs of employees in violation of the purification law and the civil service law. Therefore, the purification policy during the period 1958-1963 AD and the period that preceded it did not achieve its goals of creating an efficient and honest administrative apparatus that works for the public interest. Rather, the purification turned to ensuring loyalty to the political system through the employee class without advancing the government apparatus, taking into consideration that corruption was very limited at that time, however, what is unfortunate now that But what is unfortunate now that Iraq is ahead of other countries in corruption.