Iraq: Create a signal, not a problem

The next Iraqi elections are crucial. There are the more obvious things no one wants to see, such as fraud, violence and deaths, but there are also aspects of the democratic process that are a lot less clear. Remarkably, the old Saddam-Baath party is an example.

They should be kept at bay when it comes to politics is the general tendency. In the past, they have proven themselves to be able to ruin all that can be thought of as fair and free. To which extent does this process need guidance?

To answer that, consider the widely known fact that, even though Shi’ites (Shi’as or Shiites) made up the majority of Iraq’s people, the iron first Saddam-regime with its Sunni-ways waved the scepter. Relationships between religious groups are already, or indeed still, fragile and cannot handle severe blows. Quite simply stated, however, that is exactly what happens when people get punished by being excluded from the upcoming elections.

At this moment Iraq expects to hold Parliamentary elections on March 7^th. That means there is still time; it also means there is not much of it. An electoral commission, called ‘Accountability and Justice’, has already excluded over 500 people from participation. They’re not just names either. One of them is said to be Abdulqadir al-Obeidi, the current minister for defense. This brings two questions readily to mind. The first that arises is whether this can be justified. We know of past-misgivings and crimes, but these are to be handled and decided in court; that is an essential step towards being a more democratized state. You cannot punish people by taking away public rights, unless this is done via the legal system. The second question concerns the political foundations for legitimizing and enforcing any decisions made by the commission. As it never got parliamentary approval, this means – at least according to Iraq’s president Jalal Talabani- that it never had anything to go on in the first place, hence the reason why that very same president took the issue to Supreme Court.

Now giving people the opportunity to speak-out and participate is important. Preventing the Baath-party from coming back is as well. While this is a task you could label as legitimate, it should be a signal more than it is a process of fierce political silencing. Even idiots should be allowed to talk and participate. It is voters that should laugh and punish them; not by formal exclusion, but by means of getting no votes. When toes cross the line that is law, then there will be room for punishment.

The religious problems so omnipresent in those regions should not get any more fuel either. Is it really worth it to exclude a number of people, if that means enraging many more Sunnis? I’ll finish with an insufficient answer to the first question: To which extent does this process need guidance?  I, for one, do not think it needs any. What is important is preventing fraud and violence, and then, if that goal can be met, the people of Iraq are to decide what happens next.  Can you imagine the rise of a new Baath-party, which escapes the commission’s attention, while also escaping that of the Shi’ites -majority that had to endure their governance?