A Family in Baghdad

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Peace be upon you…
I am busy will my studies and I have no time for writing,
Studies provide me with excellent reading material about the roots of conflicts among societies and how it can be taken advantage by extremist leaderships who work either alone or in coordination with external allies to stimulate ethnic and tribal riots in return of political gains such as the domination of power and the control over the wealth of the countries.
We studied about the conflict models in Africa, this sad continent whose power has been deprived for centuries now. And its political regimes are defaced. It is hard to fix all of its faults because it is still affected by colonization and the deep rooted ethnic and religious grudges and conflicts it founded. The colonialism established regimes and leadership who are followers and weak in order to remain the master and keep them followers. Multinational companies and enterprises bribe the rulers, or war lords to overthrow the uncooperative government, The idea is to empower the outlaws to spread violence / chaos/ and civil wars in the country until the government subject to their command and grant them long term contracts to invest the country's wealth (I mean the fifty year contracts in advance ).
Africa is a rich continent that is full of treasures, yet its people are dying of hunger, AIDS and endless armed conflict while the west, governments and people are enjoying its wealth since centuries.
Countries in Latin America have a similar history as a result of the continuous interference of America's governments in their affairs. Henry Kissinger said that South America is the backyard of the United States. He means the miserable backyard whose wealth is stolen…. During which Latin America lived through a history that is full of killing, violence, drug trafficking, armed gangs, dictatorship and poor nation whose welfare is deprived. But recently they started a new era and started to rise again and rebuild their countries in a better way.
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I saw clearly that the essence of all conflicts in the aim to dominate power and gain the revenue of resources which is resulted from the country's wealth like Oil and precious metals.
Of course in the midst of the battles and civil wars, a deceptive political speech addresses the public under the pretence of defending human rights, freedom of speech, democracy and other clichés that attracts people and lure their support in favor of the parties and leadership that utter them.
This is exactly what is happening in Iraq since the occupation.
Didn't Bush cry for the Iraqis because they were ruled by the dictator Saddam? He said that he will liberate Iraq from this tyranny and make Iraq a bright model of democracy, freedom and human rights. But how the transformation process turned out in Iraq?
At the beginning opposite parties of the formal regime assumed leadership. Each group of these leaderships has chosen an umbrella; the secular or ethnic umbrella. They deceived the simple Iraqis promising to defend their "deprived rights and historic oppression. "
How many times these sentences were repeated in the media every day?
Because they reiterated words such as human rights, freedom and democracy, they won the first elections in 2005.
Four years have passed and the second parliament election for a new period is on the doorstep. Now Iraq is in severe political predicament.
The politicians have proven their loyalty to their parties and narrow minded interests more than their loyalty to their sectarian groups or to the country. Because even the same sectarian parties have conflicts between them ( shiaa parties against shiaa parties, as an example )
People are tired of talking, objecting, protesting, writing in the various media or daily street interviews that are broadcasted in the local media.
Iraq still needs rebuilding and providing jobs to the unemployed. People need services…education, healthcare, water, electricity, gas in reasonable prices considering average individual income. Iraq still needs a strong government and ethical parliament that fights administrative corruption and the embezzlement of public money.
The country still needs to develop law and judicial institutions that are independent and neutral and doesn't please the ruling parties or pass a political agenda on behalf of state officials. These institutions should defend Iraqi human rights regardless of his belief or ethnicity…
The Iraqi army, police and security should be neutral agencies that serve the people without preferences or political party interests.
The parliament and government need to be independent systems that are independent and serve the people regardless of their party interests.
The media and journalism need to be free, independent and protected by the constitution. The confinements and the assassinations of opposition members should stop. The media and journalism should be able to know what is going on in the governmental entities and the parliament and thus disclose it to the public so that people will not be ignorant about what is happening around them and act accordingly. This is the benefit of free and independent media. Politicians will be more transparent and afraid of accountability.
Iraq needs a lot of time to get out of the circle of chaos, violence, time and money waste that resulted from corruption and mishandling. Nobody question them. There are no ethical national committees with strong authority to control the situation. These systems are still weak and subject to corrupted authority in the state.
Of course one of the main reasons behind the weakness of this state is that it is still under occupation. It receives instruction from Washington to solve any crisis. Or it receives a call from the U.S. president. The American or British ambassadors interfere to put pressure on the disagreeing parties' leaders to force them to take a decision that is meant to exit a predicament in the country. Like the predicament of recent election law.
The parliament issued the law ignoring the seats of displaced Iraqis either in Iraq or immigrant in the neighboring countries who are estimated at 5 to 6 million Iraqis.
I always wondered why does the government ignore all these people especially the Iraqis who live abroad?
As if they are not Iraqi citizens.
They don't offer them any services or financial aid. They disowned them and left them under the mercy of UN organizations that provide very little help due to their limited resources.
On the other hand, Iraq is one of the richest countries with oil resources and Iraqis are mad and say where is our government and why did it disown us?
I saw the suffering and humiliation with my own eyes. I was wondering as well since 2005 when I left Iraq and was forced to live abroad. The Iraqis knock the doors of humanitarian organizations, losing their pride and their face every day in return of very small aid just to keep them alive. It doesn't provide them a secure and good living.
The United Nation offer them asylum in a third country. Many of them had refuge in Europe, America or Australia. They had to go there. Many of them said that they will wait until it gets better in Iraq and then they will come back from migration to the mother country…
Now I understand why the Iraqi government and the parties' authority neglected them.
They think that most of these Iraqis are either Ba'thies or opposition of the current government and have no loyalty. Therefore, we disown them. This is the appropriate solution. The government asked them to come back two years ago. They offered 800 dollars to each family that comes back. Then they stopped any tempting offers because even those who came back didn't get anything. They have to manage their lives just like anyone that is responsible to secure a good life to him and his family, to the best of their ability, without asking the government for anything.
Iraqis are not their responsibility because they are busy resolving the conflicts and fights over power. The government remembers the poor Iraqi citizen only around election. They appeal to them so that they vote.
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In Syria and Jordan in particular, the active Iraqi parties who serve the refugees are the same ones who opposed the election law inside the Iraqi Parliament because they neglected assigning parliament seats to refugees or at least grant them a small percentage. The big parties in Iraq do not care about refugees. They get voices from Iraqis inside the country; their customers are voters who live inside.
On the other hand, the small parties that have presence abroad with Iraqi refugees particularly in Syria and Jordan opposed and wanted to increase the seats. They are right of course. I second their point of view. The Iraqis abroad have the right to vote and elect just like anyone inside.
Look how indifferent this government towards people's right?
The conflict is not concerned with people's interest. The conflict is about the number of seats of each party in the parliament. Consequently, how much power each party will have over the government decision.
It means that they don't think about the poor people who vote in order to achieve their dreams and ambition in a better and more secure life.
No, from the ruling party perspective in Iraq, the formula doesn't work this way. The important thing is how they get to power, and then they forget about people and their demands. Just like what they did during the past four years.
I am not saying that the small parties who fought for more seats for the Iraqis more pure and patriotic. No, politics is everywhere in the world and not only in our country. It became a profession deprived from principles, values and morals. It became a profession that is concerned about interest, the interests of the party or a powerful group. Where are the honorable politicians in the world who set an example to our politicians?
Bush and Blair?
And the rest of Europe, America, Canada and Australian's icons?
Those who think themselves the political icons and drive the western democracy, how did they behave during the war against Iraq and the invasion of Iraq ?
Very few of them have proven that they are honorable and resigned from their post. Most of them were concerned with their interests, ambition, and greed. They approved and supported the occupation on Iraq. These are the prevailing morals in our time. This greater leadership is our role model. Why are we blaming the midgets?
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Election is always the first step to build an institutional state. But until now the first step is stumbling in Iraq .
After several months, seven years would have been passed since the occupation. We are still in square one; conflicts and fight for power. We haven't taken the real steps to build institutional state… the occupier of course take first responsibility for what is happening in Iraq. His fingerprints are everywhere.
While the talks about the law of oil and gas or the security agreement that is signed between the Iraqi government and American government are vague to the Iraqi people and media. God Al Mighty only knows its satanic and catastrophic details. There is a proverb that says: the hidden is greater.
It is for sure that the hidden facts hold greater predicaments than what has been announced.
If this is the behavior of the parties and the political leaderships in public, mainly short of delivering their duties and concerned about their interests. What did they do to the unannounced agreements? How much of Iraqis' rights did they give away? How far did they subject themselves to the interests of the American government in the region on the account of people's interest and the future of the whole region?
God Al mighty only knows the details now.
However, one day soon, the details will be very clear and revealed to everybody.
Everything needs time…
Time is the most important factor in transformation / or Change happens to individuals and groups.
The only one that doesn't transform or change is God Al Mighty…
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Keep asking myself every single day since 2003 : where is the end of this ordeal ?
No one knows …..