Getting hotter in Iraq
Anger is on the increase in Iraq with many citizens impatient to achieve real democracy in the country, reports Nermeen Al-Mufti from Baghdad
July, a long hot month in Iraq, is coming to an end, but temperatures continue to rise, and the governing council, it seems, is responsible for the rising heat.
The week began with angry demonstrations. The demands of the marchers were blazoned across banners for the benefit of the press, and the demonstrators came to a stop in front of the presidential complex which now serves as the headquarters of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). Demonstrators came from Najaf, Salah Al-Din, Nasseriya and other provinces to protest at the way the council was established and to demand tribal representatives within the body.
This particular demonstration was not concerned with criticising any of the decisions made by the council, but other demonstrations organised by the Independent National Organisation condemned the selection of council members according to political, ethnic and religious criteria. One of the organisers of the demonstration, Hasseeb Arif, said that the Iraqis are in favour of a national government, but not one like this. The people demand an elected body of representatives to promote the unity of the country and its people. This council, he says, is a puppet council. "Why have the members decided on 9 April as Iraqi national day when it commemorates the day of occupation?" As well as this, he continues, the appointed members are not clear about the exact scope of their powers.
Khalid Hamza, engineer and the founder of the organisation, says there are plans afoot to divide Iraq, and the council is just one example of this. An article on the proposed constitution, published in the Kurdish Democratic Party's mouthpiece Al-Ta'akhi, said that attempts would be made to exploit current circumstances to pave the way for the division of the country.
The angriest response so far has been from Muqdada Al-Sadr who, in the Friday sermon called for the establishment of a new council. Dozens of demonstrators repeated this call in Najaf, and many of his followers flocked around him to stave off an expected American attack.
This turmoil is not evident on the street, however. An opinion poll published in Al-Saaha stated that 54 per cent of Iraqis approve of the new council. Ninety per cent of the interviewees, however, were not happy with the naming of 9 April as national day, and readers are also convinced of the fact that the council will continue to have few powers as long as the American civil administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, retains his power of veto.
A source close to the governing council said that many members have met with representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to discuss plans for privatisation in the country. The sources also said that they had agreed to sell a large proportion of Iraqi public sector entities to American and international concerns. This would result in a wide spate of unemployment. Rumours also abound that the occupation authorities intend mortgaging the Iraqi oil industry in order to pay off Iraqi debts.
Hana Samaraee, an economist, said that privatising the entire public sector would result in rampant capitalism, with which Iraq would be unable to cope. The current "state socialist" system provides free education, health and general services to the public. The Iraqis used to pay a nominal sum for the provision of drinking water, electricity and communications, but this would change under the new system. Samaraee is convinced that the first decisions made by the fledgling council are wrong and that members should be concentrating on more pressing issues such as the reconstruction of the country.
Three months have passed since the end of hostilities, and many services, such as the provision of electricity, have still not been resumed, and the country is littered with the debris of war.
17 July, the anniversary of the collapse of the monarchy, passed with a few pro-Saddam marches, but as the anniversary of the Ba'thist coup, 30 July, approaches, violent resistance may once again begin. Adnan Said, a former army officer, said that the Iraqis should not wait longer than three months for the Americans to make good on their pre-war promises, one of which was to provide democracy to the country. Failure to provide this, he told Al-Ahram Weekly, would result in a powerful wave of wide- spread resistance.
A source close to the new council confirmed that disputes have occurred between its members, and that many members also feel that they have no real authority.
The long hot summer season continues, and as long as no resignations are tendered by council members, the members of the governing council must take the blame.
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 24 - 30 July 2003 (Issue No. 648)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/648/re7.htm