| The parties vying for power in Iraq have requested a six
month delay in the elections scheduled for January 30th, 2004. It seems
that the tribal leaders of the different factions need the time to jostle
for position. However, regardless of how long the elections are postponed,
democracy cannot be achieved by retaining the old tribal system. The Iraqi
people must come to realize that tribalism must be abandoned and that the
representatives of the people, regardless of religion and ethnicity, must
learn to serve all Iraqis in general. Instead of thinking of political
power, the representatives that are chosen should be hard-working and
fair-minded people. The first task is to defeat the terrorists among them.
The Coalition Forces will help, but ultimately the Iraq forces must do the
job themselves. The terrorists will try to assassinate the leadership
elected, but the battle must go on until all the terrorists are defeated.
Meanwhile, the Iraqis must buckle down and begin rebuilding their country.
By working together, the different factions and ethnicities will achieve
success.
The first election might not be fair, but it's necessary to begin the process of free elections. There might be an imbalance in the percentages of the different parties represented, but this first election should not be perceived as the deciding election. There will be other elections. The first constitution drafted must allows for amendments. This way as the elected representatives settle into a democratic form of government, there will be future adjustments in the percentage of representatives from each minority in the population. As long as the form of government chosen isn't an Islamic Regime, democracy can be preserved. Islam requires total submission to authority. If Iraq is to become a democracy, the government must be secular. |
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