Elections, illusions and reality.

There is an increasing interest and arguments among Iraqis about the future elections that it has become the major issue in almost every discussion among Iraqis.
I’ve listened to the different opinions representing various sectors with different points of views, but I still see that this decisive issue could go on without making a split in the Iraqi community, as it seems that everyone agrees that in the end it’ll be the votes of Iraqis that will put an end to this peaceful political struggle and that the era of tyranny and the 100% results had gone forever.
Everyone is now sure that he will be free to vote, but the disagreement is about the timing, and in my opinion raising this subject in the mean time is like trying to achieve the falsehood by saying a word of truth, and the subject isn’t void of foreign interferance working hard to lead the experience in Iraq to failure.
No one dares to say that he’s against elections, as his words will be cut and manipulated by the media and will be displayed in parts, like “I’m against elections”, while the 2nd. Part “in the mean time” may be omitted. And that’s what those in the opposite camp (who are against the change in Iraq) want to show, “See, this is America, and those are who got involved with her. They don’t want to see a democratic Iraq, they who claim that they’re a democratic nation, but it’s just another imperial occupation”.
But there’s still an insisting question: those who demand immediate elections were they elected in the first place? Let’s take a look on the Iraqi parties; some of their (elected leaders) have been chairmen for more than a decade. Name one elected personality form those who demand elections.
Why everyone is talking as if he were representing the whole Iraqi people?
Frankly speaking, some of those are acting as representatives for certain neighboring countries who have political interest in delaying democracy in Iraq, and those are backed by the illusions of crowds that went down the streets to support them. But let everyone know (and I’m sure of that) that the result of elections –if performed- will be a shock for them. I still stress that the majority of the Iraqi people are the independent and their only problem is their low voice and their need for a tribune to speak from, however their voice will be the loudest in the voting boxes. And I’m sure if elections were performed in the way I expect the results will drive the misled to question the credibility of the elections, and their shock will lead to tragic outcomes if they tried to evade or disapprove the results of the elections.
And let’s also try to learn something from history, when was there a democracy in Iraq and when that ended? Well, there was democracy (although some consider that it was in the least significant form) when the British were in Iraq –everyone agrees with that- and that democracy was over when the British forces left Iraq and since then Iraq suffered from five decades of dictatorship and military coups.
Everyone knows that maintaining the health of democracy in a positive form requires the existence of the coalition forces, and I think that the poll that the 1st. independent Iraqi institute has performed (which Omar mentioned yesterday) adds to my opinion.
I do not question the good intentions and the visions of the Iraqi parties, and I’m sure that most of them understand this and have already started to coalesce with other groups as they figured out that they (alone) cannot get the required majority they need to get to the chair. What we’re hearing now about alliances among parties calls for a (calm down, the coming state will be neither Islamic nor ethnic), and that’s what’s going to happen, and I’m not pessimistic about the elections results, on the contrary, if the Iraqi people is going to get more time, it will certainly be capable of choosing the best.
-By Mohammed.