Al-Ahram Weekly 27 Jan. - 2 Feb. 2000 Issue No. 466
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875

---

	Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters

Survival taxis

By Ranwa Yehia

Hatem almost weeps when he thinks of how little he is able to provide for his wife and four children.

"The other day I received a gift of chocolate and candies from a friend and took them home. I was shocked when I realised that two of my children did not know what chocolate was," he says, driving his 1984 Japanese car with the now-familiar cracked windshield along the streets of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

The money Hatem makes as a taxi driver is barely enough to cover the cost of his children's clothes, school books and stationary. And, like most Iraqis, he has no money to fix his windshield.

"If I have any money left over after I have provided for my children's needs, it goes to my wife. I haven't bought a single thing for myself in nine years," he says.

Holder of a degree in Chemical Engineering, but forced to work as a taxi driver due to the harsh economic situation, 39-year-old Hatem, like millions of Iraqis in the sanctions-stricken country, is close to breaking point.

Although he does not have to worry about basic supplies, since the government provides monthly rations for all Iraqis, Hatem and his family lack many other necessities.

He had to quit his job at one of the military plants in the Iraqi capital because of the poor-pay, and, failing to find a job in his field or in any related profession that would give him a better income, Hatem made the difficult decision to separate from his family and travel to Jordan in the hope of better opportunities.

"I worked very hard for four years, and suffered a lot because I felt I was mistreated and discriminated against," he says.

According to an Iraqi labour law, it is illegal for Iraqi nationals to work outside Iraq, but since the sanctions began to take their toll, the government in Baghdad has turned a blind eye to the increasing number of Iraqis leaving in search of better financial prospects abroad.

One advantage of this to the country is that Iraqi citizens working abroad can then send money home to Iraq. However, this money, though a help to many desperate Iraqis, is rarely sufficient, and Iraqi workers abroad are often taken advantage of, receiving low pay from their foreign employers.

Nevertheless during his four-year stay in Jordan Hatem was able to save $2,600. "I couldn't bear to stay away from my family any longer, so I decided to come back," he says.

Deciding that his best option was to use the money he had saved to buy a car that he could then use as a taxi in Baghdad, he paid $2,100 for his Japanese car.

"I had to rent a pick-up to put the money in, and it took us a whole day to count it," he remembers. The largest Iraqi banknote is ID250, the equivalent of $0.13, making the habit of counting money a familiar sight in Iraq.

Hatem now makes ID10,000 (nearly $2) a day driving his taxi, but he still faces problems because of competition and even animosity from licensed drivers.

At the entrance to the Sheraton Ashtar Hotel in Baghdad, several taxi drivers waiting to provide services for guests frown at Hatem as his passengers get out.

"I advise you to use the official taxis," says Abu Maha, one of the drivers. But Abu Maha is not only a taxi driver. After frequent trips in his car, it is obvious from the half-hidden way he flashes his card at checkpoints that he has influence, and, in Iraq that means being a member of the moukhabarat or Intelligence Service.

Reluctantly, and only after several trips in his company, Abu Maha becomes more at ease, and, although never revealing the exact nature of his job, finally succumbs to the pleasure of boasting of his accomplishments.

One of several high-ranking soldiers in charge of targeting Scud missiles at Israel in 1990, Abu Maha and each of the other members of his unit received new cars from President Saddam Hussein and were decorated for their military accomplishments.

However although Abu Maha has more privileges than someone like Hatem, his monthly government salary is still only $15, and he has to resort to other means to make a better living. His car is thus a necessary asset.

Although Hatem and Abu Maha's lives are different, they do share traits that seem common to many Iraqis. These include generosity, a high sense of self-respect and a respect for fellow Arabs. In particular, the generosity displayed by the Iraqi people, especially during the difficult times the country is going through, is both unfathomable and admirable.

	weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg