The Clipboard: Democracy will have to wait, US tells Iraq

From an article¹:

United States military commanders have ordered a halt to local elections and self-rule in provincial cities and towns across Iraq, instead installing their own hand-picked mayors and administrators, many of them former Iraqi military leaders.

The decision to deny Iraqis a direct role in selecting municipal governments is creating anger and resentment among aspiring leaders and ordinary citizens, who say the US-led occupation forces are not keeping their promise to bring greater freedom and democracy to a country dominated for by Saddam Hussein for 30 years. (link)

First, the Bush Administration told us we had to go to war in Iraq because of weapons of mass destruction. But it seems that Iraq had none. Then the Bush Administration told us that we had gone to war in Iraq to bring democracy to the Iraqi people. So why aren't we doing that?

---

Complete text of the article, Democracy will have to wait, US tells Iraq, by William Booth and Rajiv Chandrasekaran

United States military commanders have ordered a halt to local elections and self-rule in provincial cities and towns across Iraq, instead installing their own hand-picked mayors and administrators, many of them former Iraqi military leaders.

The decision to deny Iraqis a direct role in selecting municipal governments is creating anger and resentment among aspiring leaders and ordinary citizens, who say the US-led occupation forces are not keeping their promise to bring greater freedom and democracy to a country dominated for by Saddam Hussein for 30 years.

The go-slow approach to representative government in provincial cities is especially frustrating to younger, middle-class professionals who say they want to help the country emerge from postwar chaos and to let, as one put it, "Iraqis make decisions for Iraq".

"They give us a general," said Bahith Sattar, a biology teacher and tribal leader in Samarra, north of Baghdad, who was a candidate for mayor until that election was cancelled last week. "What does that tell you, eh? First of all, an Iraqi general? They lost the last three wars. They're not even good generals. And they know nothing about running a city."

The most recent order to stop planning for elections came from the 4th Infantry Division, which controls the northern half of the country. It follows similar decisions by the 3rd Infantry Division in central Iraq and by British commanders in the south.


In Baghdad, US officials never scheduled elections for a city government, but have said they are forming neighbourhood councils which at some point will play a role in selecting a municipal government.

The civil administrator of Iraq, Paul Bremer, said: "Elections that are held too early can be destructive. It's got to be done very carefully."

Iraqi critics of the policy shift say the US and British forces are hurting themselves by stifling aspiring leaders who would benefit from the chance to work closely with Westerners. They say the occupation authorities are fostering a dependent, passive mindset among Iraqis and leaving no one but themselves to blame for the crime, faltering electricity and general misrule Iraqis see daily.

Mr Sattar said: "The new mayors do not have to be perfect. But I think that by allowing us to establish our own governments many of the problems today would be solved. If you ask most Iraqis today if they have a government, they will tell you, 'No. What we have is an occupation,' and that is a dangerous thing for the people to think."

Mr Bremer has promised that as soon as an Iraqi constitution is written and a national census taken, local and national elections will follow. But that process could take months.

In Samarra the selection of a new mayor and city council by delegates was put off twice, then cancelled. "There will be no elections for the foreseeable future," said Jeff Butler of the US Army's 418th Civil Affairs Battalion, charged with running Samarra.

Sergeant Butler said he sympathised with Iraqis upset about elections being cancelled. "We would like to see some kind of democratic system, too," he said. But for now, the Iraqis needed to be satisfied with "baby steps".

reference=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/06/29/1056825280190.html