[lbo-talk] Iraqi Communist Party

[Michael Pugliese]

"Tareeq Al-Sha'ab" – the Central Organ of the Iraqi Communist Party April 
2003 - No.9, Year 68 The Collapse of Dictatorship!
Our People Aspire to an Independent and Unified Federal Democratic Iraq
The first edition of Tareeq Al-Sha'ab (the central organ of the Iraqi 
Communist Party) since the collapse and demise of Saddam's dictatorial 
regime, has just come out .. Tens of thousands of copies of the paper have 
been distributed, openly, in the capital Baghdad and other cities and towns 
throughout Iraq. The following is the main article, published on its first 
page:
At last .. the bloody, barbaric and repressive regime of Saddam Hussein has 
fallen!
The most brutal dictatorship in Iraq's modern history has collapsed. It was 
also one of the most tyrannical dictatorship ever known in the modern 
history of the area and the world, and perhaps the only one which has 
inflicted or caused all this damage, destruction and devastation to its 
country and people, materially and morally, as well as economically, 
socially, culturally and psychologically, in every field and sphere of 
life! With the collapse of the tyrant and his regime, the hopes and will 
have been fulfilled of the overwhelming majority of our Iraqi people, who 
were the first and main victim of his injustice and oppression, and the 
continuous fodder for his internal and external wars and military 
invasions. They were the ones who paid, first and last, the price for his 
reckless policy which had no regard for the people and homeland, and the 
price for his foolish policies .. and their sacrifices to get rid of the 
dictatorship were enormous and almost with no parallel.
If it has been difficult, until the very recent day, to describe the 
suffering of our people and how deep was their pain and sorrow under 
Saddam's tyranny and his barbaric rule, it is also difficult today to 
describe the joy of the masses of people with the fall of the dictator and 
getting rid of his regime, despite all the tragedies and pain which 
accompanied this collapse as a result of invasion and war, which should 
have, and could have, been avoided. There is no doubt that it was the 
invasion, backed with the latest military technology and the most 
destructive means of classic warfare, which made it possible to smash the 
regime's military capabilities, tearing up and fragmenting the formations 
which it had been relying upon, that led directly to the fall of the 
dictatorship. A Hated and Isolated Regime
But there is no doubt also that it was not the only reason for its fall. 
This regime has crumbled and collapsed for another fundamental reason: the 
weight of its crimes against the people, its abuse of the interests and 
sovereignty of the homeland, and exposing both the people and the homeland 
to a succession of catastrophes with no end in sight, the latest of which 
have been the catastrophes of this last war itself. The reason for its fall 
is also what all this has generated: a total and deep schism between the 
people on one hand and the dictator and his clique, on the other hand. And 
also the hate and resentment towards the tyrant and his rule which it 
deepened among the people .. giving rise to the tough and relentless 
struggle waged by the people's patriotic forces, with tremendous and 
immeasurable sacrifices, in order to overthrow the dictatorship and get rid 
of its woes and effects. It was only natural, therefore, that the people 
would distance themselves from the dictator, and would not rush, or even 
think of rushing to his defence, thus leaving him and his clique to face 
their fate, which no one had any doubt that it would be defeat and 
collapse. The People Punish the Dictator
Our people have punished the dictator and his clique for all the 
violations, excesses and crimes committed against them. It was, therefore, 
natural that the people were not sorry for the fall and collapse of the 
dictatorial rulers, and that no one shed a tear for them as they met this 
fate!
But our people's joy at the fall of the tyrant and his rule did not mean in 
any way that they are happy with the invasion and occupation. From the 
beginning, they expressed, and continue to express in various ways, their 
condemnation of the war and the tragedies which it left behind, and the new 
calamities which they have suffered, especially as it ended, thereby 
spoiling the joy at getting rid of the dictator and his brute regime, and 
almost dissipating it! They have also contributed, and continue to do so 
day after day, to intensifying their rejection of what has been planned to 
be imposed on Iraq!
Incomplete Joy
Yes, it was not possible for the joy at the fall of Saddam and his 
dictatorship to be complete, at a time when the suffering of millions of 
our people has been aggravated as a result of the loss of even the meagre 
essentials of living which had been available to them, such as clean water, 
electricity, medicine and food .. which no attention was paid to ensure 
that they are provided for the people, in clear violation of the 
obligations under international treaties, in particular the Geneva 
convention regarding the responsibility of occupation powers towards the 
population of occupied areas. Total abandonment of this responsibility has 
even led at the end to a breakdown of security, widespread anarchy, the 
outbreak of looting of public property and setting fire to them, and the 
proliferation of acts of revenge and settling personal scores.
No action was taken, even when the looting and vandalising gangs - which 
seems that the cronies of the fallen dictator and agents of his secret 
services were not far from them, in addition to professional criminals 
which he himself had released from prisons about six months ago, in 
accordance with the infamous "amnesty" which he announced at the time – 
attacked hospitals, libraries, educational institutions, museums, and 
removed their contents! Looting and Vandalism .. a Sign of Freedom?
In the face of wide protests at taking no action to avert these serious 
criminal acts, American and British officials have considered what happened 
as being "a natural thing" which takes place in the aftermath of the 
collapse of every totalitarian regime! The US Defence Secretary went as far 
as saying that the Iraqis have become free, and that in acting as they did 
(looting and stealing) they were actually exercising their freedom! So why 
protest!
But what has especially caused utmost anger and protest among our people, 
as well as on international level, was what this irresponsible behaviour 
resulted in: a grave deterioration in the conditions of hospitals and of 
water and electricity services, as a result of acts of looting. This in 
turn further deepened the suffering of millions of our people. Seeking Help 
from Elements of the Buried Regime!
Even worse was that American and British authorities are trying to make use 
of the mounting public complaints of the breakdown of law and order, to 
justify seeking help from Saddam's police force, and elements of the former 
regime's party, after having switched allegiance and put themselves at 
their service!
It is not forbidden of course to use some of the members of the former 
police force, at a time when there is increasing need for urgently tackling 
the security situation. But care must be taken to ensure that these few are 
not among those who had been involved in committing crimes against the 
people, or had indulged in corruption and bribery, and must be among those 
who respect human rights and the law. On the other hand, as the daily 
suffering of millions of Iraqis aggravates, and UN agencies and 
international humanitarian organisations call upon nations of the world, 
especially the US and Britain as the two occupying powers, to take urgent 
steps to ensure providing drinking water, and food for the people because 
what they had stocked continues to run down, in addition to providing 
security and stability .. Under such conditions, efforts are being made to 
push to the forefront the process of preparing for setting up "an Iraqi 
administration" which is intended to operate as part of the military rule 
which the US is going ahead with establishing in Iraq, in accordance with 
its already prepared plan. The People Reject Military Rule
It is evident that military rule and occupation in general will not receive 
approval and support from our people, as a lot of evidence does already 
point out.
Our people have fought to get rid of Saddam's oppressive dictatorial regime 
so that they can build on its remains a democratic rule which expresses 
their independent will and fulfils their legitimate demands, and not a new 
oppressive military rule.
It is clear that the democratic regime, to which our people aspire, in an 
independent and unified federal Iraq, will not be achieved at the hands of 
any military rule, whether foreign or Iraqi. It has to be achieved through 
setting up an interim patriotic and democratic coalition government, 
broadly based in its representation of the forces of our people and their 
political parties which have fought for so long against the dictatorship 
and for the democratic alternative. Only such a government, which 
represents the interests and aspirations of our people, including all their 
political and national components and social classes and strata, is really 
capable of ensuring the transfer of our country, in peace, security and 
respect for people's freedoms and rights, to the desired stable and federal 
democratic era. And only such a government can be trusted to prepare the 
new constitution of a democratic Iraq, and provide the prerequisites for 
conducting free and fair elections in which the people choose the 
government they want. In order to set up the transition democratic 
coalition government, the occupation of our country must first end, with 
power being handed to an interim UN administration .. one whose task would 
be, first and foremost, to call for a conference for representatives of the 
forces of our Iraqi people, their political parties and other constituents, 
and to supervise convening this conference in which agreement would be 
reached on setting up the coalition government and its makeup.
 

-- 
Michael Pugliese

"Without knowing that we knew nothing, we went on talking without listening 
to each other. Sometimes we flattered and praised each other, understanding 
that we would be flattered and praised in return. Other times we abused and 
shouted at each other, as if we were in a madhouse."
-Tolstoy