Sa'ad Saleh Jabr... A National Role and an Unfulfilled Friendship
Among the prominent figures I approached in that scene was Mr. Sa'ad Saleh Jabr, rightfully called the "Dean of Opponents" to Saddam Hussein's regime. He had a rich history of confrontation, engaging in bold attempts to overturn the Ba'athist regime since the days of Ahmed Hassan Al-Bakr. He founded the "New Nation Party" and its newspaper "Al-Tayyar" in the 1980s, then the "Free Iraqi Council" which published "Al-Iraq Al-Hurr" newspaper for many years during the 1990s. His connections with Washington were close and early, persistently inciting the United States against the dictatorship before political maneuvers replaced him with Ahmed Chalabi in the corridors of American decision-making.
I saw in Sa'ad Saleh Jabr a model of the honorable citizen, with refined Iraqi ethics and Hatemi-like generosity toward comrades. He spent from his own money on many opponents, until it was said—and the narrator bears responsibility—that he sold his plane, palace, and savings for the opposition, to the point that his wife had to file legal cases against him to salvage what could be salvaged of family wealth he was generously—and perhaps lavishly in her view—spending on a struggle against a tyrant who showed no sign of leaving. His luxurious London apartment was a constant meeting point for opponents, and a destination for some "parasites" who drained his possessions and millions without scruple. We had a solid relationship based on mutual respect, and I would visit him occasionally to exchange views on our common concerns, especially Iraqi opposition affairs. In one of these meetings, he sincerely offered me to join his political organization, inviting me to leave the 'Iraqi Democratic Assembly' because he saw me leaning more toward liberalism than Marxism, and that my natural place was beside him, affirming he would be proud to have a scientist like me among his group.
Raed Fahmi... A Model of "White Hands" in Governance
My acquaintance with Raed extends to my days at Queen Mary College in London, where the corridors of science and the activities of the "Iraqi Students Association" brought us together. Raed was from that time an example of the respectful person and committed politician—qualities he carried with him to the heights of responsibility as Secretary of the Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party. I still find in his political discourse a rational voice that favors the democratic civil state and social justice, standing firmly against structural corruption based on quotas. His resignation from the Council of Representatives in 2019 in solidarity with the October protests was only confirmation of this principled approach that aroused my great admiration and respect.
Our professional relationship strengthened when he assumed the Ministry of Science and Technology. I closely followed his efforts to activate the role of science in rebuilding Iraq and his tireless efforts to build bridges with Iraqi competencies abroad. Based on this shared vision, I was one of the organizers and main speakers at the conference organized by the ministry on science and development, and presented with Dr. Osama Abdul Karim a strategic project on "Business Incubators and Technology Transfer," hoping to transform scientific research into tangible investment reality.
In those days, I was haunted by a wish I never expressed—to hold the title of "Honorary Advisor" to this ministry, without salary or privileges, as was my position at the Ministry of Higher Education. I aspired to a greater role in formulating scientific policies for a ministry I had participated in founding in 2003. But for reasons unknown to me, this wish never materialized, and the question remained in my mind even in our meetings after he left office.
Raed Fahmi's integrity was a landmark in the contemporary Iraqi political scene. This responsible spirit was embodied in a telling incident when Minister Abdul Karim Al-Samarra'i succeeded him and requested the return of official vehicles and belongings—only to be surprised that Raed had completely cleared his accounts and handed over all his responsibilities before leaving. He is truly a model of the "white-handed," a fragrant reputation that remained attached to him and his career in the Iraqi popular imagination as a living symbol of chastity and integrity.
However, the scene changed completely after his departure. I approached Minister Al-Samarra'i to continue our cooperation with the "Network of Iraqi Scientists Abroad," but was met with coldness and flimsy excuses for obstruction. When we finally succeeded in meeting him with Dr. Samir Al-Attar, the deputy minister, despite his sweet promises to organize training workshops by NISA, we discovered things had taken a different turn—he assigned workshop organization in Jordan to one of his relatives, in a step reeking of favoritism and financial corruption. Those scientific initiatives ended, according to trainee testimonials, as mere recreational shopping trips—a golden opportunity for continuing scientific development projects that Raed Fahmi had laid foundations for with purity and sincerity.