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Tuesday, 7 December 2004
From Al Jazeera
Why Iraqis should boycott the election
By Mohammed al-Obaidi
Sunday 05 December 2004, 16:46 Makka Time, 13:46 GMT
Forty-seven Iraqi political parties met on 17 November and made the decision to boycott the coming Iraq election. The People's Struggle Movement (Al-Kifah al-Shabi), which I represent, was one of those groups.
After carefully studying Iraq's situation, considering the military occupation as well as economic and national interests, we felt there were enough reasons for any patriotic Iraqi to boycott the proposed January election.
It is a violation of all international laws. International charters that regulate the relationship between occupier and occupied do not give occupying authorities the mandate to instigate a change in the country's social, economic and political structure.
The planned election will change the political composition of Iraq to suit the interests of the occupation authorities. The change will also lead to ethnic, sectarian and religious divisions that the Iraqi state and people had succeeded to avoid.
Historically, Iraqis have been able to coexist and the spectre of civil war did not loom until the country was stricken by the US-led occupation.
Many Iraqi political activists believe the coming election results have been decided already. They also believe the electoral process will not be free and democratic but will be exclusively for those who maintain strong ties with the US occupation authorities. We feel that all steps have been taken to secure full US domination of decision-makers in Iraq.
"If Iraqis cooperate with the US in the coming elections, then they will get just what Afghanistan has got - a puppet"
A look at the electoral process and the composition of the current national council reveals that the election's main mission will be to install some of the country's most notorious politicians who have constantly spoken proudly of their links to international intelligence agencies.
The coming election will give power to every politician who has assisted the invaders and collaborated with them to consolidate the occupation. Therefore, we believe that even after the election, the decision-making process will be taken in the US embassy in Baghdad and the elected government will be no more than a vehicle to carry out Washington's decisions.
"The US administration works hard to portray the Iraq election as a political achievement to cover over the scar that the war has left on its credibility"
It is very difficult for any sensible person to believe that the US would give up its domination of Iraq after spending billions of dollars and sacrificing the lives of hundreds of its soldiers.
We cannot believe that after all this the US will simply allow free and democratic elections to take place in Iraq that could install a government which could make it its first priority to tell foreign troops to get out.
We strongly believe that the main purpose of the election process is to secure a government that will facilitate long-lasting agreements with the US to keep its forces on Iraqi soil and transform the country into an American colony.
The US administration works hard to portray the Iraq election as a political achievement to cover over the scar that the war has left on its credibility.
Washington will use the election card to pull the wool over the eyes of the international community to prevent it from seeing the tragic consequences that the war has left on the Iraqi people.
For all these reasons, many Iraqi political activists feel it is their national duty to boycott the 30 January election.
Professor Mohammed al-Obaidi is the spokesman for the People's Struggle Movement (Al-Kifah al-Shabi) in Iraq, and works as a University Professor in the UK. He was born and educated in al-Adhamiyah district in Baghdad. This article, was written exclusively for Aljazeera.net, and was translated from Arabic.
Response...sent to Al Jazeera...we will see how much they edit it
Why they shouldnt
By Solomon Pierce
While I respect Mr al-Obaidis comments, he does make at least one point that is contradictory to his own opinion. Im not sure how long he has lived in the UK, but as a native Iraqi citizen, unless he is a product of the former regime, he knows the oppression that Saddam Hussein brought to the Iraqi people. No one would dare be critical of that government or even form opposing political parties. The fact that Mr al-Obaidi makes free statements in this regard shows the value of democracy...free speech. It is not the Americans that stand in the way of a free and sovereign Iraq. It is the insurgency that does that...it is the calls for boycott that do that. What are you afraid of Mr al-Obaidi? How can the US influence 25 million people? In a free election , those people will decide. By calling for boycott and blowing up cars on crowded streets, you don't give the people a chance to decide. If the insurgency did not exist, there would be no need for the US to remain in Iraq...there would be a peaceful election and the US and Britain would pack up and go home. But the insurgency has a message of "crusades"...not concerns of political puppetry. Mr al-Obaidi mentioned that "Iraqis have been able to coexist and the spectre of civil war did not loom until the country was stricken by the US-led occupation"...please...spare me...There was no civil unrest before because the whole country lived in fear...there was a tyrannical dictator that kept the country in check...I will give you that. A "sensible" person would rather die, than live a life of fear. Now that the regime is gone, the insurgency is filling that void with a continuing terror campaign. They are using fear to keep people away from the poles, as you are using propaganda to do the same. Why? Not because you fear a puppet regime...I don't think that's possible with 25 million people with free will...You and I both know what you fear. You said it yourself..."The change will also lead to ethnic, sectarian and religious divisions that the Iraqi state and people had succeeded to avoid." That's why you boycott. You might be in the minority then...and the tables would be reversed.
The US has invested billions into the restructuring of Iraq because the US is a melting pot of cultures from all over the world who know oppression, and poverty ...who went to America for a chance at at a better life...a life with freedom... life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That freedom is not cheap...America, Britain and Iraq among others have lost many good men and women in this "struggle". This is something else America knows about in its short 225 year history. So the next time, Mr al-Obaidi, that you make comments, remember that your right to do so freely is being bought and paid for by all of those lives...
As for whether or not the US would give up "dominance" of Iraq after spending billions...a "sensible" person, you suggest would find it difficult to believe, etc....you,sir, are not a sensible person...you are an instigator...you have such a cynical view of the situation that you cant even see what the consequences of your actions are with regard to boycott. You are an educator and a leader... I feel very sorry for you, but moreso for the Iraqi people...they remain oppressed, not by Americans, but by the same political groups that oppressed them before the war...with a little help from the outside terror organizations...and they know this...the Iraqi people are not as stupid as you think they are...but there is little they can do..they fear for their lives. They are a good people with a lot of bad influence from within.
The political parties that boycott would better serve the process to participate on the ballot and try to be apart of the mold of Iraq to the will of the people.
Good Luck Mr al-Obaidi.
Posted by Author
at 9:26 PM
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