A Family in Baghdad

Sunday, November 20th, 2005
Good evening…..
Yesterday, the meeting of the Iraqi opposition, with the present Iraqi government members, and the Iraqi Parties in alliance with it, who now hold power, started in Cairo.
The space channels broadcasted a part of the morning meetings, and announced there will be a closed session in the afternoon.
From this we know it shall be a suitable chance for clashes behind the doors, and it turned out later that whenever a party in the session got angry and went out to the corridors of the building, he was griped by the cameras and the media; as they lurk, almost dying of boredom from waiting outside the doors, and from curiosity, waiting for anyone to come out, so they could pounce upon him with cameras and microphones, as if he is the pray they are about to devour.
This is the nature of their career….
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The important thing is-there are still some sessions going on till now, and sharp discussions, in side the halls…
And it seems we shouldn't be optimistic about a fruitful harvest, exactly like Amer Mousa predicted, in the opening session, because the atmosphere is that of charging the Other with what devastation is happening now in Iraq… and this means that everyone will accuse the other, and there won't be a calm, logical dialogue that goes beyond this stage.
It is natural now that this dialogue should take on this quality, because the factions are far off from each other, and like the saying goes- remoteness increases alienation…
And so, there are various view points…
The government men sit on top of the power in Iraq now, and say that the political and democratic process is moving positively in Iraq now.
And the opposition says: Then what brought you to the Cairo conference? And why are we here to debate with you, if everything was all right?
There is an arrogant governmental address, that wants to marginalize the Other, under the sign of- we are the ones who hold the power, we came by elections, and the people elected us…
And the opposition says: that election was deformed, and illegitimate…
One of the speakers yesterday was from the Iraqi Assyrians Front (Christians), who said in his speech that this government came by the aid of the occupiers, and enforced the deformed constitution upon the Iraqis…
The leaders of the Shia'ats coalition, who are joining in the present Iraqi government got angry and went out to the lounge, where they were caught by the nosy journalists, one said angrily he will not get into the hall again, and who is that nobody who is assaulting us, he must be a Ba'athi, we have been freedom fighters since 30 years, and now the people elected us, the constitution was voted on by the people, and agreed upon…so, that nobody had no right to criticize us, or assault us…
Then, his colleague came on, he was angry too, shaking, and said: how dare this man say that the Iraqi people are the agents of America, we wont allow anyone to attack the Iraqi people, the Iraqi people elected us, then voted for the constitution, these are rejected words, we didn't want to come, we do not trust in the intentions of the Arab League, and now, this one comes to assault us, we want to boycott the sessions, we do not want to participate…
(OH, how much can I smell arrogance, hypocrisy, and opportunism in their declarations?).
And then, a humble man, from one of the opposition Parties came on, and begged them, one by one, perhaps he told them: come on, fellows, don't make people laugh at us, don't create scandals, let's go in and settle the matter.
And the angry got into the Hall, and the doors were closed, once more…
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It makes me sad, what I see and hear; it makes every Iraqi, or non-Iraqi, who loves Iraq, sad…
I can almost see that a group has assumed power in Iraq now, a group with mentalities none better than that of Saddam Hussein, in marginalizing and despising the Other, and giving the attributes of nobility and struggle only to themselves, and the rest are scum. I see that their love for themselves and their posts has dominated their thoughts, and created that tinge of arrogance on their faces…
They think of themselves as strugglers who deserve sitting on the power seats, to receive the price of their struggles in exile (Iran, England, and America).
Well then, what about the majority of the miserable Iraqi people, who suffered the oppression and injustice of the former and present governments, who suffered from the bad services, unemployment, the low income, the panic and bombings, the killing and wounding of their families and relatives, or their kidnappings and torturing in secret and public detaining centers, what have you done to all those since you got to power?
You put on elegant suits which you didn't own back in the exiles; in the times of struggle… you put on shiny Swiss watches, got into fancy cars, wrinkled your faces in arrogance, and sat on the chairs.
At the same time, what did the Iraqi citizen get from you??
Did you ever think of a way so that the Iraqi people should also get some luxury, as a price for their patience, struggles, and sacrifices?
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A member of the government said yesterday on TV: The problem is that we want to turn over the page of the past, but there are others who do not want that, they want to bring back Al-Ba'ath, and the mass graves…
But I see that it is the other way round…
I think that the new government is the one who couldn't turn over the page of the past, and not the opposition, otherwise, what is the meaning of the acts of revenge and assassinations of the former government's men? What is the meaning of forming Militias that rake havoc, arrest the young men, and torture them?
Who's the one living in the complex of the past, the spirit of revenge, and the inability to turn over the pages of the past?
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The present Iraqi government's men carry the same vocabulary, which they always repeat, as if someone made them memorize it, to become their repeated speech…
…We do not want the return of the Ba'athis and the mass graves, we do not want to put our hands into the hands of those terrorists whose hands were stained with the blood of Iraqis, (perhaps meaning by this the armed resistance against the occupiers, putting those in the same category of Al-Zarqwi's operations against the innocent Iraqis), we do not want the multi-national forces out of the country until a strong Iraqi army is formed (even though the money of the state and the Ministry of Defense has been robbed under the pretext of arming the Iraqi army, but the project isn't done till now).
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Why is my heart indignant at them?
Because they are in a position of decision making, they could have improved the conditions of Iraq and the Iraqis, at least, they could have reduced the looting and robbery of the public funds, that is- if we shan't ask something difficult out of them, like providing security and services to the citizens…
But we find they gave privileges to themselves, and to their relatives, created militias around them to give them a sense of power, which they use sometimes to settle old scores (concerning the old pages they want to turn over), while they were supposed to be very eager to solve the problems of this country and its poor people, the people who were stepped upon by anyone who comes and goes, who were climbed over, unjustly treated, oppressed, their wealth robbed, and their sons tortured, or detained, or killed.
I don't know what the secret is?
From the Saddam government, to the occupying forces, to the interim Iraqi governments, or that which came after the disfigured elections; they all perform the same rituals, and master the new inventions, like the Abu ghareeb prison scandals, the white phosphor, and the secret cellar. Before that there were the mass graves, and GOD only knows what will come next with the days…..
How I hate hypocrite, opportunist governments, like these. When the officials talk about it and use sentences like: We speak in the name of the people, we came by the will of the people.
Well then, the question is: What have you given back to the people you brag that you represent? I mean; get even with your selves, how much privileges and entertainment you gave your selves compared to what you gave to the people in whose name you speak, the people you seized all the authority of tyranny and injustice in their names, all the authority of looting and plundering in their names…
Who consulted the people when you established the militia? Who consulted the people when you decided to make that militia the tools to strike against the people? Who consulted the people when you plundered the public funds?
Did the people tell you to walk on the steps of Saddam Hussein, and fill Iraq with new mass graves, prisons, and new detention camps for torture?
And you refuse the intervention of the United Nations to investigate, you shall investigate the injustice?
How can we trust you, and what is the proof of your integrity?
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A hope remains for the Iraqis that there will be elections next month…
And we know that Those will pay all the money and efforts they can, to remain in power…
But we hope GOD will help us to change them, and to vote for new faces. I cannot recommend anyone, but we should try, perhaps the opposition people, to whose programs we listen as they promise to improve the conditions of the Iraqis, and to push the occupation out, perhaps it is time to try them, for maybe they will be true to their words…
If they were true to their words, we will remain with them, hand in hand, to continue the march…
But if they stall, we will pressure them, hoping they will commit to the program they promised us with… and time will pass anyway, 4 years of trial, after which we decide whether what we reaped was true, or false…
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And this is a sample of the daily news in Baghdad, some are clear, but some needs explaining…
For example:
Five American soldiers were killed by explosive bombs. This is an understandable operation, and the Iraqi resistance is responsible for it…
Seven former Ba'ath members were killed. This is also understandable, and performed by militias belonging to the present government, to settle scores, and fold the pages of the happy past.
Thirty Iraqi soldiers and policemen were killed by a trapped car. This one is also understandable, perhaps carried out by someone angry from the involvement of those in the actions of detaining and torturing the Iraqis.
Twenty armed men were killed, at the ……….. village, by the American forces. This is also understandable…
But............
Seventy Iraqis were killed by a trapped car, standing in a public market. Well then, who did this? And to what purpose?
Fifty Shia'ats were killed in a Shia'ats mosque, by a trapped car, or a bomb near the mosque. Who would do such a thing? And what's his purpose?
Forty Iraqis were killed in an explosion near a funeral pavilion of a Shia'ats tribe. What is the meaning of this? Who is the beneficiary?
I suggest the discussions would go on like this now, between the government side, and the opposition sides, for the people; the Iraqis and non-Iraqis want to know the answers to questions like these….
If the government thinks that everything is going on in the right direction, then what is the use of debating with her? And what is her explanation of the daily disasters the Iraqis are living through, day and night?
By GOD, our hearts are tearing with pain, our eyes are getting tired of crying at the sight of Iraqi women running, with or without a veil, after each bombing, wailing, and slapping their faces, at the sight of men crying, as they carry their dead children, at hospitals full with the scenes of blood, the dead, and the wounded, of their relatives crying and wailing beside them.
I wonder; who of the Iraqi officials, whether in the government or in the opposition, has the serious will and the successful program to stop the daily Iraqi bleeding?
And when will the members of the present Iraqi government bear the responsibility of this innocent blood that is being shed, without a reason?
Iraq became the land of hell, may GOD bring HIS wrath upon whoever joined in creating this hell, or overlooked its presence, and busied himself with silly, marginal matters, that are no good for the Iraqis…
I think that the first priority on the dialogue list should be: How to stop this daily Iraqi bleeding?
And after that, everything can be an issue that could be postponed……
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Translated by May/Baghdad.