For someone who spends most of their waking hours working to strengthen democratic participation in Iraq, it is inevitable to feel a bit beat down when reading media coverage of the current situation. Five months after elections and a month after all constitutional deadlines have passed, Iraq still lies in a government limbo. There is almost no electricity coverage for the millions of Iraqis fasting all day during Ramadan and suffering through day time temperatures that average close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. While you might scan international media coverage and sense a general state of helplessness in Iraq, there are very bright, very visible and very real changes among those portrayed as ‘helpless’ masses.
The first glimmer came in Basrah, where electricity was so scarce and temperatures so high that the people took to the streets to protest. A heavy handed response by the government that resulted in at least one protestor’s death led quickly to government backtracking–rather than even more protracted violence. Unlike in years past, the people were not scared, and demanded accountability from those who tried to break up their protest. And they won. The Minister of Electricity resigned from his post, and — albeit temporarily — electricity distribution in Basrah increased as a direct result of the people’s protests.
Civil society organizations have started to take charge, on a national scale. As reported by Al Salem Newspaper in Iraq, four civil society organizations, the Center for Iraqi Peace Support, Al Amal Society, Women for Peace and the Iraqi Association for Health Management and Development, have filed a lawsuit with the Federal Supreme Court stating that parliamentary blocs have ‘deliberately and repeatedly breach[ed] the Constitution and disable[ed] the nomination of candidates for the three presidencies, thus delaying the formation of the Iraqi government.’ Something that surely would have meant death seven years ago — publicly holding powerful government officials to account for perceived or real failures — has happened.
In another significant step away from totalitarianism, the Supreme Court has accepted the lawsuit and will review it. This territory is uncharted for a democratic system that is not used to having real checks and balances on power. The people who democratically elected a government that cannot perform to the requirements they were elected to fulfill are showing that they will hold them responsible. Politicians content to maintain the status quo are being held accountable in a transparent and peaceful way, through the institutions set up to ensure politicians do their jobs. The times truly are a-changing, and Iraqi civil society is stepping forward to lead the charge.
Published Date: August 24, 2010