A Family in Baghdad

Sunday, November 27th, 2005
Good evening…

Iraq is on the brink of the parliamentary elections, in the middle of next month… and of course, all the parties are competing to win people's votes in order to win more seats…
The atmosphere of these elections seems better than the former one, at the beginning of the year… in spite of the continuous bad security conditions, the bad services, and the bad performance of the present government, people are eager to participate, because they became convinced that elections is their only way to get rid of this dilemma, and it is the suitable chance for new Iraqi leaderships to appear; more nationalistic, more truthful, more loyal to the Iraqis, and less loyal to America and the occupation.
The names on the lists are clearer now, and also the programs of every list… and that is the positive character in the situation now… and not like the case of the hastily-boiled elections that was held at the beginning of 2005, which Bush wanted to be held in whatever way, so he could add it to the collection of his great, imaginary accomplishments in Iraq. At that time, many lists were included, lists we didn't know most of the names in them, we didn't know the programs of any list, and in truth, perhaps there weren't any programs; just come on and vote, and that's that. And that's why there was a big percentage of Iraqis, in Iraq and outside, who boycotted those elections, because they thought of it as just a comedy that wouldn't bring any good to Iraq, and our family was one of those people who refused to participate….
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Now, after less than a year, the situation has changed a lot in Iraq… people opened their eyes, and the every-day-occurring-calamities became topics of questioning and concern to the Iraqis, they became more convinced that these calamities will not be solved by the hands of anyone but the Iraqis themselves, because they are the only losers every day; the victims, the lost souls, the robbed money, and the black, unknown future…..
Only the Iraqis themselves will change this equation… even America, who claims she waged this war for the Iraqis, finds her self unable to help them, and finds herself in a jam, out of which she wants to get out, by any price… perhaps America does want to schedule withdrawing her troops, but is ashamed of announcing it, so it wouldn't be interpreted as a defeat……
Anyway, facts on the ground say that America will schedule a withdrawal in the near future, for that is in her favor, and certainly in the favor of the Iraqis……
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So, we think that the struggle in the next Iraqi elections will be intense between two factions; a faction that sees in the occupier a liberating friend, who will bring on freedom, democracy, and the rosy future to Iraq, a friend who should remain, until he finishes achieving those rosy dreams…..

And a faction that sees in the occupier the reason of the Iraqi disasters; the corruption of the state, the tyranny of the present government, and the former, interim government, because they are composed of members who support the occupation, and that means the occupation will not expose the government's defects, nor the disasters she is committing against the Iraqis…..
In the next nomination lists, we will see two kinds of candidates; a kind we know, and have tried in former governments after the war, and most of their performance, if not all, was bad, for they were either weak, and couldn't perform the role of people's rights defender against the occupation, and achieve Iraq's sovereignty by making the decisions that express the Iraqi's real wishes; like the occupation's evacuation from the country, collecting the national forces under one umbrella, and stopping the daily Iraqi bloodshed…
They didn't achieve anything out of their love and devotion to the people's interest, more than their love and dedication to remaining seated on their chairs…
If I was in an Iraqi ministry, and saw the injustice and corruption spreading, the killings, arrests, and torture still going on, the best thing I would have done is to resign, telling people my apology as to being a part of such a government that doesn't fulfill the least possible of a good life to the Iraqis…
This is the only proof to whoever wants to really prove he's against the actions of these Iraqi governments that came after the war, and a many-times-committed-crime: renewing the existence of the occupation forces without consulting the Iraqi people.
History will keep remembering these governments and the names who participated in it, as the worst governments in Iraq's modern history........... No improvements in services, no improvements in living conditions, no solutions to unemployment, no stopping to the bloodshed on the streets, nor to the bleeding of the public funds that were plundered from the state's treasury, no protection of the rights and dignity of humans, and no emptying of prisons and detention camps. At the same time with all this; they conspire with the occupation, planning to keep it on, and, at the same time, trying Saddam Hussein; well, well, look at yourselves, what have you given to the Iraqis? Where you a better model than him?
I do not think so….
But perhaps they use the Saddam Hussein trial card as a great accomplishment about which they should be praised, thinking it will raise their ratings with the Iraqi people…
And I say- if they would have given services and reduced the daily thefts and catastrophes, yes, perhaps the people would have seen the trial of Saddam as a positive accomplishment…
But in the middle of this chaos and this destruction, the trial comes as another comedy to be added to a series of chaos, and the loss of thing's meanings in Iraq…
I mean, is this trial a symbol of justice?
Where is justice in Iraq after the war?
Who implements justice? The American army, with the raids, the detentions, the bombing of towns, and the killing of people randomly?
Or the Iraqi Interior Ministry, with the series of arrests and assassinations?
Or the sectarian Parties' militia, playing in the arena, backed by the state, and nobody stops them, or takes responsibility for their crimes….
Where is justice in Iraq?
The meanings of the beautiful words are lost, words like freedom, democracy, justice, transparency…, people started hating these expressions, making fun of those who speak about them; because in Iraq, they became black chapters in a silly comedy play.
The meanings of things are lost, or rather- lost their values….
That is why when we listen to Bush's speeches, we laugh and say: look at this man, in which world does he live?
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Today, (Monday) I watched a part of Saddam's trial, and in the evening, I watched a report about demonstrations in Al-Dejail town; people were demanding the execution of Saddam because the victims were from that town. I saw the people carrying the pictures of religious referentials, cheering them, and there were some people shouting with loudspeakers- do elect us, because we defend your rights.
Hummm
Now I understood the meaning of the trial's timing; there are some who await some election's advantages out of it.
It seems that those who work for the people's sake and the love of GOD have perished in this world. Interests became the common language;
Do you have a problem?
Do I gain a benefit from you?
Yes. Well then, let me solve your problem, and get my benefit- I mean, make some advertisement for my self;
Listen, oh people, I am the defender of justice, and the protector of the weak and the poor, so, elect me!
Yes, it seems this is a valuable chance to those opportunists.
And how many of them there are, in today's Iraq ….
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Now we see the election's campaign advertisements…
There are some opposition powers who didn't participate in the last elections, which are trying hard to make up for what they have missed. The reputation of these powers now is cleaner than those who already participated before, whose names were blotted with opportunist acts, collaboration with the occupation, their hands were soiled with steeling money, killing Iraqis, or torturing them…
I, personally, wish they would really be more honest, transparent, and nationalistic than the groups we experienced before, who assumed power, and used their positions to hurt people more than making them any good…
Even though the world of politics isn't a pretty world… this is what we see from our experiences on the ground of reality, and from stories told by history…
For most of those who enter the world of politics learn unorthodox ways of addressing people, and deluding them; like evading, tricking, lying, forging truths, or telling half stories, and hiding the other half, like most political leaders around the world do, perhaps they consider it smartness and cleverness, but people see it as an abandonment of principals, and consider these as trust-withdrawing act from those leaderships.
But we hope these new groups will be of those who won't be changed by positions, and the allure of power, that they would fulfill the hopes of the Iraqi people in freedom, independence, improving the living standards, stopping the bloodshed, stopping the public funds thefts, and others of the demands from a long list….
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And there groups who joined in the Iraqi governments after the war, who are getting ready to go through elections again; those are in an unstable situation, because people doubt they deserve a second chance, for they gave a bad performance when they had the chance to be in a position to make decisions. They have a lot of money now, money that could be used to lure people or bribe them, to be re-elected. And in spite of the High Commissary of Election's warnings about the illegality of presenting gifts or money to the people to temp them to elect a certain list, I saw a report on a TV station belonging to the Iraqi opposition, in that report there were interviews with women from poor families who were attending a festival held by Ayyad Alawi in Najaf, and in it they distributed gifts to poor families…
I laughed, and wondered: Didn't the occupation forces bomb the city of Najaf when Alawi was the prime minister? And now he is distributing gifts to the poor, so they would love him and elect him?
By GOD, the states of these political leaders are confusing…
Do they think people are fools?
And now, there are some fiery statements by Ayyad Alawi against the occupation and its policies in Iraq…
And so is the case of Parties' leaderships, who were perhaps silent in the past, or in collaboration with the occupation, but today they are enthusiastic and so brave, saying they will defend the rights of the Iraqis in the best way if they should assume power.
Praise GOD, Who changes matters thus…
Should we trust leaders like those, and give them a second chance?
I do not know…. But our heritage says: the believer wouldn't be bitten from the same hole twice.
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And of course, the subject of women is now one of the hot cases before the elections…
This is a positive sign…
Each party has a group of women, with programs concerning women; improving their cultural standards, improving their living conditions, or helping women to release their imprisoned sons, husbands, brothers, or fathers. Thank GOD, that because of the occupation's culture, all these expressions entered our lives; the human rights' committees, defending the state prisons' or the occupation prisons' detainees, in Baghdad and other cities of Iraq. Also, there are some civil non-governmental organizations to defend the Iraqi women detained in the occupation prisons.
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Any way, I pray to GOD the coming Iraqi elections would really be a process of change to the good of the Iraqis, and I pray to GOD that no one should tamper with the results of the elections, that the results should be true, expressing the Iraqis' wishes in manufacturing the future of Iraq in the way we want, without the interference of strange hands from east or west, without being unfair to any faction of the Iraqi people, or depriving it of expressing its opinion towards the welfare of the country. I pray to GOD to unite the ranks of the Iraqis, and strengthen the call of logic in them… that HE should defeat any voice who wants to trick them, scatter them, or make them the enemies of each other…. That the first result the Iraqis would reap from these elections would be the stopping of the Iraqi blood bleeding, the return of security and quiet to the country, and after that, we can think of achieving the other demands.......
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As for me and my family, we will participate in the elections, by the Will of GOD, and we'll chose the list we think was without any black history, and containing as less as possible of the names of opportunists, because I don’t think there will be a list of angels….. And we will watch the work of the prominent symbols of that list after the elections, if they should ever win, to see if their work was really as they promised, and then we will back them up, and encourage them…
And if we should ever discover they are liars and deceitful, who only wanted to reach the chairs, then we shall be the first to criticize them, and demand they should correct the process, and live up to the promises…
And 4 years later, we shall find that our perception has grown, and that experience has revealed new leaders, some of whom we can depend on, and re-elect…and some would make us say: enough, we won't be the fools again to choose this person!
This is usually the process of elections, and these are its expected results… so, we should all, men and women, think deeply before deciding whom to choose?
Because this act will decide the fate of Iraq for this coming phase… for we shall hand over the leadership of Iraq into the hands of a group, whom we should be positive they will carry this trust, or that responsibility in front of them…
We shall not be fools, or dreamers, thinking Iraq will become a paradise at the end of the elections….
We all have a long way to rebuild Iraq, and its future…
And we ask GOD to guide us all, to do what is the best for Iraq, and the Iraqis…
Amen.......
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Translated by May/Baghdad.