Iraqis are the ones to rejoice over success of elections and not the U.S.

By Fatih Abdulsalam

Azzaman, December 20, 2005

In his surprise visit to Baghdad on Sunday, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney was apparently pleased with the success of the elections. He should not.

The elections are first and foremost an achievement carried out solely by the Iraqi people. Neither Cheney nor any other power should have a claim for their resounding success.

The nine-hour visit was Cheney’s first since the U.S.-led invasion that ousted President Saddam Hussein in April 2003. The main war architect had no cheering crowds waiting for him as he had predicted prior to the invasion.

Nonetheless he bragged about the elections, seeing them as a milestone. That was not surprising because he and his troops had no other achievement to talk about in the nearly three years of their occupation.

Iraqi leaders seemed to share Cheney’s happiness over the ballot. But they also need to be reminded that they had nothing to do with the success of the vote. The credit goes for the Iraqi people.

Iraqis went to polls in their millions not because they are happy with the status quo. They are tired and desperate and hope their votes will eventually elect a national government that will end the occupation and improve their worsening conditions.

The elections are, therefore, the fruit of the struggle of the Iraqi people who deserve better leadership after decades of oppression and tyranny.

Iraqis have not felt a big difference since the fall of Saddam Hussein. And now they fear conditions will even exacerbate in the elections aftermath.

The outgoing government, mired in corruption, accused of human rights abuses, inefficiency and sectarianism, is pressing ahead with its policies to harm the Iraqi people instead of rewarding them.

A few days after the elections and in a dubious move, it raised fuel prices to levels which millions of Iraqis cannot afford. Iraqis are angry but it is too late since they have already cast their votes.
Amid rising violence, high unemployment and rampant poverty, Iraqis are in urgent need of state subsidies. But the outgoing government is just doing the opposite.

It has scrapped fuel subsidies and says it is going to slash food subsidies, too.

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