e-mail:
icpinter@yahoo.co.uk
Editorial
of “Tareeq Al-Shaab”
(central organ of
the Iraqi Communist Party),
about the ongoing
election campaign
and mounting tension, violations and
intimidation Iraq:
“Tareeq Al-Shaab”
-
No.
71
Date:
7/12/2005
Wisdom
instead of Intimidation and Blood!
Only few days separate us from the
forthcoming election. As this date
approaches, the political scene grows
tenser, battles of slogans are raging,
and political diatribe escalates.
Frictions have become more pronounced,
some ! 033 of
which are coupled with threats to shed
blood,
or has indeed been shed.
All this reflects the acute struggle between various competing
electoral lists, especially the big ones.
This is taking place in a countr! y where change 1033 has occurred
through the war option, with consequent
repercussions and implications. Iraq is
going through difficult and complex moments of transition,
from a totalitarian regime, mainly
characterized with policies of exclusion and elimination drenched! in
oppression, suppression and imposition of
a strategy of collective fear, to a new
horizon that has not yet materialized as a real democratic alternative.
The battle of alternatives is therefore
knocking on the doors unannounced, and
there is no objection to this. But we are
very much concerned about the methods and means for achieving this or that
alternative. In! 2057 the course of
struggle for achieving the alternative that our country really needs,
some of those who accepted democracy forget that one of its most
important mechanisms is that the exchange of political power or getting hold!
of it takes57 place through the
ballot box, through democratic means and
in a transparent way, and through ensuring
equal opportunities, rather than forcing
people to make a certain choice. Democracy,
in its most basic definition, ! is
based on the idea of the free citizen, who
is free of any sectarian, ethnic,
racial, confessions or other
conditions. One should be able to choose
to vote for an electoral list with his/!
her own will, on the basis of its program,
without any coercion or verbal and physical violence.
The experience of recent days, as
tensions mounted, have shown,
in many areas, that the situation
is different on! g2057 the ground. Some
lists, whose supporters rely on backing
from various official and unofficial bodies,
including institutions responsible for security and public order,
have allowed themselves the “right” to employ various means to
! coerce the peopleng2049,
especially the supporters and activists of competing lists,
resorting to diverse methods, and
using various forces and means.
While pointing out such manifestations,
we are not talking in generalities.
There is a big mass of information,
covering all of Iraq, that speak of
extremely varied excesses and violations.
These cannot be considered! g2057 just accidental events or a result of
reckless behaviour of a local nature that are conducted by ghosts,
but rather the action of real persons some of whom are armed to the
teeth and do not hesitate to
lang1033 resort the gun57 to silence
the activists of other lists. This state
of affairs is no longer the product of fervent groups “that cannot be
controlled”, as some who justify these
vicious violations claim. They are,
as a! g2057 matter of fact, acts
that have acquired a systematic character of a centralized nature,
aimed at harassing, terrorizing and
scaring off the people, and creating a
climate that make many hesitate to choose the list! 057 that they believe to
be expressing their aspirations, hopes and
desires for building a new Iraq, a
democratic Iraq and a modern state.
The conclusion from all this is simple:
The “fervent efforts” exerted by some lists have a clear aim;
to put pressure on the people in order to undermine the share of other
forces in the battle fo! r the forthcoming parliament,
so that a new balance of forces will not be achieved.
Taking into consideration that one of the most important tasks of the
new parliament, which will emerge from the
elections, is! 057 to carry outng2057
amendments in the current constitution so as to improve its civil-democratic
character and the position towards women rights,
one can understand what lies behind the fervent efforts to stir up
tension and create an uncontrollable! 057 situation.
The aim is to make the possibility of changing the current polarization
in the National Assembly difficult to achieve.
The campaign of violations is no longer
confined to tearing down or tarnishing the posters and banners of other lists,
that is carried out by “unidentified elements” who operate openly not
only in front of ordinary ! people but in front of police forces and close to
their vehicles and some of their outposts.
Even worse is that in many cases it has turned out that some members of the
police and unofficial militias actually ! tore down posters
ang1033 or put up banners for a
specific list. This is taking place
despite statement by government officials stressing on several occasions that
the governments and its bodies will be neutral in the election campaign,
and that their! job would be limited to providing protection and a
proper climate for the elections to be conducted in a transparent manner and
in safety.
The above-mentioned
acts of escalation have not been the last.
Another dangerous development has taken place,
with “shadowy” groups launching raids,
with mobile units, targeting
specific areas, in Baghdad and other!
provinces,
telling people that they must elect a certain list,
otherwise the community of these areas would face severe punishment,
according to them! Things got
worse when the “struggle” of these shadowy elements reached! 2057 the extent
of
lang2057 threatening assassination,
or even murdering candidates of some of the rival lists in cold blood,
as was the fate of our comrades who were assassinated in a despicable
manner in Al-Thawra
(Al-Sadr
rtlch ) City.
In all this confusion,
there have to be elements that ought to be responsible for the safety
and transparency of the election campaign.
Among them are two factors that are missing or hard to find any trace!
for them or their role:
the Government and the Independent Higher Electoral Commission.
The government and its instruments as it is clear from a lot of
concrete evidence, is not neutral in the
election campaign. ! 0The role of the
Independent Higher Electoral Commission,
which seems to be hesitant, is also
notable. Until this very moment,
it has done nothing concrete,
despite the mounting excesses and violations,
not even at the level ! 3 of issuing statements!
It has not taken any measures that can deter any one who violates the
rules of conduct stipulated by the Commission.
The Commission has instead,
unfortunately, succumbed to the pressures
of various ! ang1033
quarters.
What we would like to say and stress is that
the phase of “hitting below the belt”, has
unfortunately unleashed. It is expected
that the campaign of violations could even get more vicious and violent if
! ng1033 serious steps are not taken
to stop it. This situation is threatening
the transparency, integrity and safety of
the whole election campaign, and casts
heavy shadows on the prospect for achieving the people’s aspiration for ! 33 a
truly democratic
life. A
question hence sharply arises in these decisive moments in our country’s
history: Where is the position of the
active political players; the leaders of
political parties and forces, especially
those in power, lang1033and the civil
society organizations and others, those
who are responsible for shaping public opinion and influence its orientation
and stance vis-à-vis
the big issues?
It is of extreme importance today to remember
that we are living through difficult and dangerous moments,
that will decide the fate and future of Iraq,
that is the fate and future of all of us.
Al! l and every one need to strive to ensure that “the small gains” do
not surpass the big objectives: building a
free, democratic,
federal and independent Iraq. Those
who are pinning hope today on achieving
! g1033“the highest levels” by
employing practices that have nothing to do with democracy will have missed
the right path and not learnt the lessons of history.
Only few days separate us from the election
day on 15 December 2005, and there is
still time, although little,
for the leaders of the parties participating in the political process
to have their say, ! h through holding an
urgent meeting to discuss all these developments,
excesses and violations, to endorse
a Charter for the election campaign that highlights the need for everybody to
pledge that the elections will take place all o! ver the country
g1033 in an honest and transparent
manner, without exclusion,
or any oppression, terror,
or verbal and physical violence.
Will the Iraqi politicians declare their
final word before it is too late? We are
counting on the awareness of everybody,
and pinning hopes on the collective wisdom that has triumphed on several
occasions. We are! g2057 hopeful that
this wisdom will triumph this time too. So,
do not squander this rare opportunity.
**********
For
Further information, please contact:
International Relations
Committee - Iraqi CP
e-mail:
icpinter@yahoo.co.uk
