THE ROVING EYE
Direct democracy in action
By Pepe Escobar
HILLA - Mr Iskander, a lawyer and former officer in the Iraqi air force, married with four sons and five daughters, sits behind his desk in a nondescript building formerly used for religious meetings for Sunni and Shi'ite alike, now guarded by five Marines. He receives a non-stop string of visitors, juggling between as many as four conversations simultaneously. Iskander is now the de facto mayor of Hilla, a poor sprawling city of 2 million, 80 kilometers south of Baghdad, chosen through consensus by the local population. This is Iraqi democracy in action, the post-Saddam Hussein version.
Hilla is now largely peaceful. People are still intrigued by the meaning of the letters "TV" spelled out in black tape all over our car. Kids play soccer oblivious to a passing sandstorm and next to a miraculously non-defaced mural of Saddam, where he is pictured between al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and Ishtar Gate in Babylon. Splendid, elegant (in a dusty way) Shi'ite couples carry green flags with the inscriptions "Ali" and "Hussein". Police officers now patrol the streets and locals swear that there has been no looting in Hilla. Food distribution has started - from a local food warehouse, and organized by the same managers who once worked for the Saddam government ("But now they are free," said a grinning official at the new mayor's office).
Iskander is in the middle of the process of forming a new government.
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Sheikh Salim Saed, an imposing figure in robe and keffiah (head scarf) contrasting with his sparkling blue eyes, is also in the room. He is the supreme sheikh of the tribes of Shurfa (which means "honesty" in Arabic). The sheikh's father was hanged by Saddam's henchmen in 1991, after the failed Shi'ite uprising following the Gulf War.
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The sheikh is clutching a stack of black and white copies of a photo of Ahmed Chalabi, the Iraqi National Congress (INC) leader and self-styled new regime strongman who stormed into Baghdad on Wednesday. For Iskander, Chalabi "is known for his history of working with people against Saddam Hussein. And he has a very strong character." The sheikh's opinion is tinged with slightly more subtlety: "As far as I'm concerned, I don't know anything about Chalabi, but I consider a suitable person who will govern Iraq must provide freedom in order to deserve this position." The sheikh's ideal ruler would be "anyone that is not Saddam Hussein".
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The new Iskander government is practically in place: it lists 14 members, including Sunni, Shi'ites and Kurds. But where will the money come from? Their only source of finance is "managers of Iraqi banks", who have already had a meeting with the Americans. The new government will start collecting taxes, but not now: "Our intention is to lower taxes," Iskander swore. "Our banks were not looted. There are some thieves who are returning money to mosques." He said that "for the last 35 years there was no money here, Saddam took it all. But there are 4 million Iraqis living outside the country. We are very rich. They should absolutely come back to rebuild their country."
Direct democracy in action
By Pepe Escobar
HILLA - Mr Iskander, a lawyer and former officer in the Iraqi air force, married with four sons and five daughters, sits behind his desk in a nondescript building formerly used for religious meetings for Sunni and Shi'ite alike, now guarded by five Marines. He receives a non-stop string of visitors, juggling between as many as four conversations simultaneously. Iskander is now the de facto mayor of Hilla, a poor sprawling city of 2 million, 80 kilometers south of Baghdad, chosen through consensus by the local population. This is Iraqi democracy in action, the post-Saddam Hussein version.
Hilla is now largely peaceful. People are still intrigued by the meaning of the letters "TV" spelled out in black tape all over our car. Kids play soccer oblivious to a passing sandstorm and next to a miraculously non-defaced mural of Saddam, where he is pictured between al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and Ishtar Gate in Babylon. Splendid, elegant (in a dusty way) Shi'ite couples carry green flags with the inscriptions "Ali" and "Hussein". Police officers now patrol the streets and locals swear that there has been no looting in Hilla. Food distribution has started - from a local food warehouse, and organized by the same managers who once worked for the Saddam government ("But now they are free," said a grinning official at the new mayor's office).
Iskander is in the middle of the process of forming a new government.
>>
Sheikh Salim Saed, an imposing figure in robe and keffiah (head scarf) contrasting with his sparkling blue eyes, is also in the room. He is the supreme sheikh of the tribes of Shurfa (which means "honesty" in Arabic). The sheikh's father was hanged by Saddam's henchmen in 1991, after the failed Shi'ite uprising following the Gulf War.
>>
The sheikh is clutching a stack of black and white copies of a photo of Ahmed Chalabi, the Iraqi National Congress (INC) leader and self-styled new regime strongman who stormed into Baghdad on Wednesday. For Iskander, Chalabi "is known for his history of working with people against Saddam Hussein. And he has a very strong character." The sheikh's opinion is tinged with slightly more subtlety: "As far as I'm concerned, I don't know anything about Chalabi, but I consider a suitable person who will govern Iraq must provide freedom in order to deserve this position." The sheikh's ideal ruler would be "anyone that is not Saddam Hussein".
>>
The new Iskander government is practically in place: it lists 14 members, including Sunni, Shi'ites and Kurds. But where will the money come from? Their only source of finance is "managers of Iraqi banks", who have already had a meeting with the Americans. The new government will start collecting taxes, but not now: "Our intention is to lower taxes," Iskander swore. "Our banks were not looted. There are some thieves who are returning money to mosques." He said that "for the last 35 years there was no money here, Saddam took it all. But there are 4 million Iraqis living outside the country. We are very rich. They should absolutely come back to rebuild their country."
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