By Toma Hamid , December 2004
There is a split on the left internationally on the question of the reactionary Iraqi Islamoethnocentric" resistance". Some Leftist groups lend support to this reactionary resistance. It is the mentality of the pressure group which prevails in these organisations and determines their political position and activity. The reality of the oppressive practices of the occupation forces against the innocent people of Iraq and the sharp contradiction between this and promises made by the USA and UK in days leading up to the war have prompted the vast majority of people to change position and oppose the occupation and its existence and all its manifestations. However, this opposition to occupation does not amount to support for the Islamo- ethnocentric "resistance". The armed confrontation between the two poles of terrorism in Iraq the USA forces on the one hand and the Islamo- ethnocentric "resistance" on the other has deliberately turned living and working places into battlefields. They are trying to embroil innocent people in this terrorist race. But the resistance of these embroiled people is different from the organized Islamoethnocentric "resistance". There are people who may attack the occupation forces in revenge for the death of loved ones and for humiliation at the hands of these forces. However, these ordinary citizens and their resistance is not an essential part of the current organized armed"resistance" in Iraq.
The backbone of this "resistance" (despite denials by many on the left) is made
up of groups of political Islamists and Baathists. This "resistance" is extremely reactionary, backward and right wing. It is a bourgeois resistance which has nothing to do with the interests of the Iraqi people. When we classify this "resistance" as a right wing as bourgeois we do not mean, as many leftist groups claim, that the individuals involved in it are not workers or deprived people. What we do mean is that the organised, armed "resistance" as a social and political movement is a bourgeois movement. It persues extremely reactionary objectives, it offers a very reactionary alternative to the current bourgeois authority and uses very reactionary methods to realize its objectives.
The alternative offered by this "resistance" was made obvious in Falluja and other parts of Iraq controlled by them for short periods of time. Not only is this "resistance" unconcerned with the wellbeing, prosperity and daily needs of the people like electricity and water supply, health services etc., but also (due to the nature of its ideology and politics) it deprives people of the most basic pleasures of modern life, like enjoying music, dance, modern clothes, alcohol, modern hair styles and so on. It attempts to impose the most backward and reactionary values, traditions and way of living on people. Women in particular are forced to live conditions worse in many aspects than conditions under the ex Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Moreover, groups in this "resistance" use the most violent and inhumane methods to impose their will and achieve their objective.
These methods include suicide bombers, car bombs which kill indiscriminately assassinations, beheadings, torture, kidnapping, destroying people property, attacking public services, issuing fatwas and death threats against anyone who disagrees with them and does not observe their way of living. They use funds raised by smuggling, kidnapping and taking ransoms, robbery, theft and blackmail to finance theirominous war. They have negatively touched all aspects of life in Iraq. Evidences indicates that the victory of these groups in the current terrorist war will have disastrous consequences for 25 million people in Iraq, for people in the region and worldwide. It is this obvious reality, which neo-liberals (like Bush, Blair and Howard) use to scare people and to maintain their grip on many Western societies. The fact that the Islamo-ethnocentric resistance is very reactionary and is antagonistic to human wellbeing and prosperity is undeniable.
So why do sections of the Left: people who claim to be humanist, progressive and for liberation, support and associate themselves with such a reactionary force? I believe one of the reasons is the mentality of the pressure group, which works in and leads certain groups of the Left. Political parties are organizations which struggle for political power. Pressure groups are organisations which struggle to exert pressure on ruling and influential parties to force them to take or not to take certain positions, or to do or not do certain things. Except for very few examples, Left groups have been pressure groups since the failure of the Bolshevik experience. Certainly Western left groups today are not even pressure groups as the ruling class rarely feels their pressure. However the mentalities of the pressure group direct their positions and activity. Any progressive party, not just socialist and communist parties, will separate its ranks from the two poles of reaction in Iraq and will try to mobilize people to defeat both these poles. But pressure groups can only stand with one of the major players against the other. This mentality creates a huge dilemma for these groups, since their perception of imperialism drives them to stand beside one of the most reactionary forces in the world today, namely the Iraqi "resistance".
These left groups both theoretically and practically, are not able to take an independent position from the major bourgeois players. They do not have the confidence to lead and organize people against all bourgeois alternatives. They are mentally not up to such a task. Therefore we see these groups resorting to the methods of struggle they are used to: and that is standing with one reactionary bourgeois force against another. Such groups attack others on the left who dare to challenge and oppose this tradition and mentality. However this is a very difficult task and creates a deep dilemma for the members of these pressure groups. The position of the Iraqi Communist Party in support of the occupation emanates from this same mentality (the CP of Iraq has a member on the US appointed interim council). This party too has to spend its life defending this reactionary position.
Friday, December 17
Demonstration in Defense of the Residents of Falluja
A rally was organized on November 18 at al-Fardoos square in Baghdad by the worker-communist Party of Iraq and the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq. Many speeches were delivered condemning the genocidal operation by occupation forces. Rashid Ismail spoke on behalf of the Worker communist Party of Iraq. Yanar Muhammad spoke for the Organization of Women's Freedom. Falah Allwan spoke for the Federation of Workers’ Council and Unions in Iraq, Qasim Hadi for the Union of the Unemployed in Iraq and Samih Ashoor for the Committee to Defend the Residents of Falluja. All condemned the brutality demonstrated by US forces against the residents of Falluja, Ramadi, Baaquba and Mosul.
They also condemned groups of political Islamists for turning residential places into battlefields. A large number of Iraqi police cordoned off the area. CNN, Reuters, Associated Press and radio BBC were there and covered this rally.
UUI and FWCUI-November 2004
They also condemned groups of political Islamists for turning residential places into battlefields. A large number of Iraqi police cordoned off the area. CNN, Reuters, Associated Press and radio BBC were there and covered this rally.
UUI and FWCUI-November 2004
UUI and FWCUI support the demands of the Association to Defend Homeless Families-Basra
Aso Jabbar, Rep. Abroad
November 2004
No for warning notices, no for eviction of homeless families
A decent accommodation for homeless families is a human right
To the masses in Basra
To freedom loving people and defenders of human rights and dignity.
Nobody including the government officials deny the fact that the deposited Saddam’s regime had fought poor and deprived families and turned their sons to fuel for his aimless wars and among many other things deprived them of accommodation. Therefore thousands of the most disadvantaged citizens were left without accommodation. After the fall of the Baath regime and for many reasons specially mass unemployment, sharp increase in the rate of rent and the return of many citizens who left Iraq escaping prosecution by former regime thousands of families have resided in the ruined governmental buildings, military camps and offices of security forces which lacks the minimum standards of a decent accommodation.
The Association to Defend Homeless Families, from the day it was founded on October 30, 2003 has led the protests and demonstrations of these families. It opposes evicting these families before providing decent alternative accommodations for them. The CDHF has held many meetings with occupation authority and Iraqi officials to secure the right of these families to be provided with decent accommodations, as they are victims of the former regime. The CDHF also condemned and organized massive demonstrations against insults by the occupation forces against these homeless families and forced these forces to apologize for their aggression.
We, along with these homeless families expected that after the so-called authority handover to the Iraqis, this issue would be studied and appropriate solution provided over a certain timetable, which fits with the capabilities of the state, the size of this problem and fairness of the demand. However unfortunately this problem is now in the bottom of the list of priorities of the Iraqi authorities. Many notices have been so far issued asking the homeless families to evict these building. Moreover the authorities have issued arrest warrants against homeless families living in governmental buildings and even the buildings used previously by the dismantled Baath party. The masked police have many times terrified these families. Is this acceptable? This is a question directed to the officials in this city.
We have been assured by the most senior decision making officials in this city that these families would not be harassed before alternative accommodations are provided for them. What is going on now is in sharp contradiction with the reassurance by those who claim they defend the dignity of poor people.
Our association is saddened by this behavior and calls on the officials in this city to stop any measure, which can harm these families. Sending them onto streets will make the problem worse and will undermine the stability and security in the city. Those who like troubled water and who cannot tolerate any change will use this problem to cause more damage against our people.
Feeling responsibility toward these families our association calls on decision makers in this city to find a humane and proper solution to this problem before the eviction of the homeless families and sending them onto streets. As the representatives of these families, we announce or readiness to discuss all proposals, which aim at solving this problem, and to help solve it.
We also unequivocally announce that our association reserves the right to organize demonstration and peaceful sit-ins to protest what is happening now and in case if any of these families is evicted from its current place of living.
Association to Defend Homeless Families-Basra
October 18 , 2004
November 2004
No for warning notices, no for eviction of homeless families
A decent accommodation for homeless families is a human right
To the masses in Basra
To freedom loving people and defenders of human rights and dignity.
Nobody including the government officials deny the fact that the deposited Saddam’s regime had fought poor and deprived families and turned their sons to fuel for his aimless wars and among many other things deprived them of accommodation. Therefore thousands of the most disadvantaged citizens were left without accommodation. After the fall of the Baath regime and for many reasons specially mass unemployment, sharp increase in the rate of rent and the return of many citizens who left Iraq escaping prosecution by former regime thousands of families have resided in the ruined governmental buildings, military camps and offices of security forces which lacks the minimum standards of a decent accommodation.
The Association to Defend Homeless Families, from the day it was founded on October 30, 2003 has led the protests and demonstrations of these families. It opposes evicting these families before providing decent alternative accommodations for them. The CDHF has held many meetings with occupation authority and Iraqi officials to secure the right of these families to be provided with decent accommodations, as they are victims of the former regime. The CDHF also condemned and organized massive demonstrations against insults by the occupation forces against these homeless families and forced these forces to apologize for their aggression.
We, along with these homeless families expected that after the so-called authority handover to the Iraqis, this issue would be studied and appropriate solution provided over a certain timetable, which fits with the capabilities of the state, the size of this problem and fairness of the demand. However unfortunately this problem is now in the bottom of the list of priorities of the Iraqi authorities. Many notices have been so far issued asking the homeless families to evict these building. Moreover the authorities have issued arrest warrants against homeless families living in governmental buildings and even the buildings used previously by the dismantled Baath party. The masked police have many times terrified these families. Is this acceptable? This is a question directed to the officials in this city.
We have been assured by the most senior decision making officials in this city that these families would not be harassed before alternative accommodations are provided for them. What is going on now is in sharp contradiction with the reassurance by those who claim they defend the dignity of poor people.
Our association is saddened by this behavior and calls on the officials in this city to stop any measure, which can harm these families. Sending them onto streets will make the problem worse and will undermine the stability and security in the city. Those who like troubled water and who cannot tolerate any change will use this problem to cause more damage against our people.
Feeling responsibility toward these families our association calls on decision makers in this city to find a humane and proper solution to this problem before the eviction of the homeless families and sending them onto streets. As the representatives of these families, we announce or readiness to discuss all proposals, which aim at solving this problem, and to help solve it.
We also unequivocally announce that our association reserves the right to organize demonstration and peaceful sit-ins to protest what is happening now and in case if any of these families is evicted from its current place of living.
Association to Defend Homeless Families-Basra
October 18 , 2004
Monday, December 13
Labour Activities of UUI and FWCUI in Basra
During our activities to establish independent labour unions, delegations of the preparatory committee for the establishment of worker councils and unions in Iraq-Basra branch , have visited several working places, local committees and labour unions which have been established in different sectors in Basra including
The Union of the health workers
The Union of the engineering workers
Union of the Engineers
The Company for distribution of the Oil products
Southern Gas Company
Preparatory committee in the Company of the Iraqi harbour workers
The representatives of these Unions and preparatory committees have signed the Complaint of FWCUI and UUI against the Iraqi Interim government to ILO- freedom of Association committee to defend implementation of ILO conventions 87 and 98 regarding freedom of trade Unions in Iraq and they expressed their support for the international campaign against the occupation and to defend labour rights in Iraq
On the other side a delegation of the preparatory committee led by Faisal Kasem have visited the Southern Oil Company and met with the head of union committee Mr. Abdulla Al-Maliki and Sabah Muhamad member of the union committee. Both side had constructive discussions on different demands of workers in Iraq and draft of labour laws proposed by FWCUI also they met with union of Engineering workers.
All labour activists and representatives of these Unions stressed the active role of FWCUI and promised to join all activities of FWCUI.
FWCUI-beginning of November 2004
Seminar of the Workers of the Company of the Oil projects in Al-Waziriya
The representatives of workers in this sector held a seminar including all elected representatives of the elected Unions there and a number of workers of this company on 17.10.04 .The main subject of the discussion was about the draft of labour law proposed by ILO and the statement of FWCUI in this regard and they discussed also the draft of labour law proposed by FWCUI .The labour activist Aufi Mazi led the discussion.
FWCUI-17.11.2004
UUI –Branch Office in Basra succeeded to obtain Jobs for 200 unemployed persons
200 unemployed persons have obtained jobs in the Al Hawer Town in Basra as a result of an active intervention of UUI Branch Office in Basra which sent an official letter to the city council in this Town to demand them to offer jobs for unemployed people. The letter was written by the members of the UUI branch Office in Basra .UUI struggles for Jobs or unemployed insurance since its establishment in May 2003.Its useful to mention that until now UUI succeeded to obtain jobs for hundreds of unemployed workers around Iraq.
UUI- End of October 2004
Meeting of FWCUI-Basra with the labour union committees of the general company for Petrochemical Productions
A delegation of FWCUI in Basra visited the general company for Petrochemical Productions and they met several labour union committees in this company. .The main subject of the discussion was about the draft of labour law proposed by ILO and the statement of FWCUI in this regard specially the rejected articles by FWCUI of this draft and they discussed also the draft of labour law proposed by FWCUI.
FWCUI- 12.10.2004
The Union of the health workers
The Union of the engineering workers
Union of the Engineers
The Company for distribution of the Oil products
Southern Gas Company
Preparatory committee in the Company of the Iraqi harbour workers
The representatives of these Unions and preparatory committees have signed the Complaint of FWCUI and UUI against the Iraqi Interim government to ILO- freedom of Association committee to defend implementation of ILO conventions 87 and 98 regarding freedom of trade Unions in Iraq and they expressed their support for the international campaign against the occupation and to defend labour rights in Iraq
On the other side a delegation of the preparatory committee led by Faisal Kasem have visited the Southern Oil Company and met with the head of union committee Mr. Abdulla Al-Maliki and Sabah Muhamad member of the union committee. Both side had constructive discussions on different demands of workers in Iraq and draft of labour laws proposed by FWCUI also they met with union of Engineering workers.
All labour activists and representatives of these Unions stressed the active role of FWCUI and promised to join all activities of FWCUI.
FWCUI-beginning of November 2004
Seminar of the Workers of the Company of the Oil projects in Al-Waziriya
The representatives of workers in this sector held a seminar including all elected representatives of the elected Unions there and a number of workers of this company on 17.10.04 .The main subject of the discussion was about the draft of labour law proposed by ILO and the statement of FWCUI in this regard and they discussed also the draft of labour law proposed by FWCUI .The labour activist Aufi Mazi led the discussion.
FWCUI-17.11.2004
UUI –Branch Office in Basra succeeded to obtain Jobs for 200 unemployed persons
200 unemployed persons have obtained jobs in the Al Hawer Town in Basra as a result of an active intervention of UUI Branch Office in Basra which sent an official letter to the city council in this Town to demand them to offer jobs for unemployed people. The letter was written by the members of the UUI branch Office in Basra .UUI struggles for Jobs or unemployed insurance since its establishment in May 2003.Its useful to mention that until now UUI succeeded to obtain jobs for hundreds of unemployed workers around Iraq.
UUI- End of October 2004
Meeting of FWCUI-Basra with the labour union committees of the general company for Petrochemical Productions
A delegation of FWCUI in Basra visited the general company for Petrochemical Productions and they met several labour union committees in this company. .The main subject of the discussion was about the draft of labour law proposed by ILO and the statement of FWCUI in this regard specially the rejected articles by FWCUI of this draft and they discussed also the draft of labour law proposed by FWCUI.
FWCUI- 12.10.2004
Sunday, December 12
Establishment of the worker council of Forest and Farm workers in Alzafaraniya- Baghdad
The workers in the general corporation for forest and farm have established in the Alzafariniya Farm their worker council .The council was established in a free and democratic election and majority of the workers have participated in the general meeting and as a result 7 workers have been elected as leading board of this council .The election was occurred by the supervision of the two representative of the FWCUI who were Samih Ashur and Rasheed Ismail and Mr.Salam Muhamad , the director of the agriculture in this corporation .
It’s well known that FWCUI establishes labour unions and workers councils without governmental permission depending on the international labour standards and conventions which declare that establishment of labour unions is the right of workers themselves and government has no right to interfere.
FWCUI
27 November 2004
It’s well known that FWCUI establishes labour unions and workers councils without governmental permission depending on the international labour standards and conventions which declare that establishment of labour unions is the right of workers themselves and government has no right to interfere.
FWCUI
27 November 2004
Punishment of the labour activists in Cotton Industry in Baghdad because of their activities among the workers
The administration of the general company for cotton industry in Baghdad has punished the labour activists Abdulhakim Rahim and Basim Kazim by transferring them from this company where they are working for long years because of their activities among the workers.
Abdulhakim demanded an investigation about a contract of dye in a value of 101 000 USD with postponed delivery and seemed to be not compatible with the ordered features. Despite that he was member of the investigations committee and raised a compliant to the Ministry of labour in this regard. But the administration accused them of exercising trade unions activities without permission despite the international labour conventions recognise the right of workers to organise unions without permission of the governmental authorities and regards the intervention of government as violation of these conventions .These decisions of this administration complies with the recent recommendation of the ministry of labour which ordered full implementation of the old policies and rules of Saddam regime which prevents the workers to establish their own unions because they regards workers as civil servants.
The new recommendation of the ministry of labour threatened to punish everyone who is going to organise or establish any labour organisation under any name .These recommendations are totally compatible with old policies of the former Iraqi regime.
FWCUI
November 2004
Abdulhakim demanded an investigation about a contract of dye in a value of 101 000 USD with postponed delivery and seemed to be not compatible with the ordered features. Despite that he was member of the investigations committee and raised a compliant to the Ministry of labour in this regard. But the administration accused them of exercising trade unions activities without permission despite the international labour conventions recognise the right of workers to organise unions without permission of the governmental authorities and regards the intervention of government as violation of these conventions .These decisions of this administration complies with the recent recommendation of the ministry of labour which ordered full implementation of the old policies and rules of Saddam regime which prevents the workers to establish their own unions because they regards workers as civil servants.
The new recommendation of the ministry of labour threatened to punish everyone who is going to organise or establish any labour organisation under any name .These recommendations are totally compatible with old policies of the former Iraqi regime.
FWCUI
November 2004
Arrest of workers of Yousufiya-Baghdad under the pretext of insurgency
The American forces on the night of 16.11.2004 in Yousufiya town, Alsaidat Village arrested a number of workers in their homes under the pretext and allegation of armed insurgency against American forces, despite they are continuing in their working in the Company for oil productions in Baghdad. The workers are Kais Mutalak Najm ,Issam Ali Hussein , Hussein Ali Hussein and Ahmad Algarizi and they have been transported to an unknown place .We strongly condemn these aggressive actions of US forces against the workers and civilians and we demand immediate release of the arrested workers .We appeal to all labour unions , human rights and international organisations and political parties to stand behind the workers in Iraq and their labour activists and progressive people in Iraq and to condemn the aggressive operations of US forces in Iraq which have the aim of strengthening the US - control over Iraq .Thousands of civilian people became victims of this aggressions by both US forces and political Islamic groups. We refuse to convert the resident places and work places of people to battle fields of military confrontations.
17.11.2004
FWCUI
17.11.2004
FWCUI
Shahraban Governor in Baghdad threatened to arrest the labour activists who joined FWCUI
The governor of Sharaban issued an official order to all companies and factories in this neighbourhood to prevent and try any labour activist who joins FWCUI. He stressed that the only official and legal federation is IFTU and threatened to arrest those who joined FWCUI.
It seems that this Governor neglects the international labour conventions specially conventions Nr. 98 and 87 which clarifies the right of workers to establish their unions and prevent the government to interfere in this matter. Pressurising workers only to join one union is an old tradition of Baath Regime which seems that this Governor is also one partner of these fascist policies of Baath regime. FWCUI will raise an official claim against this fascist policies of Governor of Shahrban and we will stress that he must be tried and not freedom loving labour activists.
November 2004
FWCUI
It seems that this Governor neglects the international labour conventions specially conventions Nr. 98 and 87 which clarifies the right of workers to establish their unions and prevent the government to interfere in this matter. Pressurising workers only to join one union is an old tradition of Baath Regime which seems that this Governor is also one partner of these fascist policies of Baath regime. FWCUI will raise an official claim against this fascist policies of Governor of Shahrban and we will stress that he must be tried and not freedom loving labour activists.
November 2004
FWCUI
Juan Cole on Iraq's elections
70 Parties Register to Contest the Elections
Al-Hayat reports that the Iraqi Islamic Party has registered a full party list of 275 candidates. The party, led by Muhsin Abdul Hamid, has long pushed for vigorous Sunni participation in the elections. Abdul Hamid is convinced that Sunni Arabs are a majority in Iraq (they are 20% at most), which may help explain his optimism. IIP toyed with a boycott of the elections during the recent Fallujah campaign, but has decided to contest them. My sources tell me that Abdul Hamid is convinced that the Shiite parties have a secret deal to recognize Israel, and that only the Sunni Arabs can stop Iraq's economy and society from being penetrated by Tel Aviv.
The Iraqi Turkmen Front has presented a list of 63 candidates, and even one small group of Kurdish Shiites (called Failis) has presented a complete list. Other Failis are cooperating with Grand Ayatollah Sistani's unified Shiite list, the United Iraqi Alliance. The small Sunni Arab National Democratic Party of Nasir Chadirchi will field 12 candidates. (For a small party to go it alone in this election is probably a fatally flawed strategy, and I doubt if the NDP will get seated).
The Iraqi Communist Party, founded in 1930, has announced an independent electoral list of 257 candidates. The size of the party in its heyday of the 1950s and 1960s is disputed, with estimates ranging from 60,000 to half a million. In the 1930s and 1940s it attracted a lot of Jews, Shiites and Christians seeking a non-ethnic basis for national political identity. The CPI was, in any case, a highly significant party. The colonel's regime of Abdul Karim Qasim allied with the Communists because the officers lacked much other grassroots political support. This alliance alarmed Washington, which is widely rumored to have therefore thrown its support to the Baath Party, a nationalist/socialist party that despised the Communists. It is said that in the first Baath coup of 1963, the US passed over to the regime the names of several hundred Communist moles, whom the Baath had tortured and killed (Saddam Hussein was working as an interrogator in this period). The 1968 Baath coup stuck, and although the Baath kept around some tame house Communists, the new one-party state led to a virtual atrophy of the CPI.
There is some possibility that Iraqi secularists from various backgrounds and communities will vote Communist to protest the inexorable movement of Iraq toward being an Islamic republic. The likelihood is, however, that the Communists will not get many seats in parliament and will not be an important voting bloc.
So far, 70 party lists have registered, 6 of them coalitions and the other 64 consisting of single parties.
Muhammad al-Bazzi of Newsday explains the mechanics of the Iraqi elections. Basically, voters will get to vote just once, for a party list. The list is in ranked order, beginning with the top candidate and descending. Let's say the party list has 200 members, and it gets 10 percent of the national vote. That outcome will allow it to seat its top 27 members in the 275-member parliament. The other 173 members of the list (number 28 on down) will be out of luck.
Al-Hayat reports that the Iraqi Islamic Party has registered a full party list of 275 candidates. The party, led by Muhsin Abdul Hamid, has long pushed for vigorous Sunni participation in the elections. Abdul Hamid is convinced that Sunni Arabs are a majority in Iraq (they are 20% at most), which may help explain his optimism. IIP toyed with a boycott of the elections during the recent Fallujah campaign, but has decided to contest them. My sources tell me that Abdul Hamid is convinced that the Shiite parties have a secret deal to recognize Israel, and that only the Sunni Arabs can stop Iraq's economy and society from being penetrated by Tel Aviv.
The Iraqi Turkmen Front has presented a list of 63 candidates, and even one small group of Kurdish Shiites (called Failis) has presented a complete list. Other Failis are cooperating with Grand Ayatollah Sistani's unified Shiite list, the United Iraqi Alliance. The small Sunni Arab National Democratic Party of Nasir Chadirchi will field 12 candidates. (For a small party to go it alone in this election is probably a fatally flawed strategy, and I doubt if the NDP will get seated).
The Iraqi Communist Party, founded in 1930, has announced an independent electoral list of 257 candidates. The size of the party in its heyday of the 1950s and 1960s is disputed, with estimates ranging from 60,000 to half a million. In the 1930s and 1940s it attracted a lot of Jews, Shiites and Christians seeking a non-ethnic basis for national political identity. The CPI was, in any case, a highly significant party. The colonel's regime of Abdul Karim Qasim allied with the Communists because the officers lacked much other grassroots political support. This alliance alarmed Washington, which is widely rumored to have therefore thrown its support to the Baath Party, a nationalist/socialist party that despised the Communists. It is said that in the first Baath coup of 1963, the US passed over to the regime the names of several hundred Communist moles, whom the Baath had tortured and killed (Saddam Hussein was working as an interrogator in this period). The 1968 Baath coup stuck, and although the Baath kept around some tame house Communists, the new one-party state led to a virtual atrophy of the CPI.
There is some possibility that Iraqi secularists from various backgrounds and communities will vote Communist to protest the inexorable movement of Iraq toward being an Islamic republic. The likelihood is, however, that the Communists will not get many seats in parliament and will not be an important voting bloc.
So far, 70 party lists have registered, 6 of them coalitions and the other 64 consisting of single parties.
Muhammad al-Bazzi of Newsday explains the mechanics of the Iraqi elections. Basically, voters will get to vote just once, for a party list. The list is in ranked order, beginning with the top candidate and descending. Let's say the party list has 200 members, and it gets 10 percent of the national vote. That outcome will allow it to seat its top 27 members in the 275-member parliament. The other 173 members of the list (number 28 on down) will be out of luck.
Wednesday, December 8
Houzan Mahmoud’s speech at No Sweat Campaign’s annual meeting - London 4/12/04
Greetings comrades:
I would like to congratulate you for your annual meeting and thank you for inviting me.
Comrades. I would like to start my talk with a greeting message sent to you by my comrade Falah Alwan, the leader of the Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq.
Dear comrades of No Sweat campaign
On behalf of Federation of workers Councils and Unions in Iraq I would like to send our warmest greetings from Iraq to your annual conference in London.
I would also like to use this opportunity to thank you for your support and solidarity with us in the past year, in particular for your support to our conference in Basra.
The successful conclusion of our conference in Basra, under the current circumstances, has proved to be a great success for the working class struggle in Iraq. It is worth mentioning that it would have been a great more difficult without the international support and solidarity from organizations like yours.
Once again thank you and wish you all the best and success in your campaigns to defend the workers across the world.
In solidarity
Falah Alwan
President of the Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq
30.11.2004
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To speak about the miseries and hardships that the workers in Iraq had suffered in the past is a long story. There is no doubt about the brutality of the Ba’ath regime during the last three decades in dividing the workers and suppressing their struggles.
Independent unions were not allowed to exist and official ones were a means in the hands of the regime to implement the Ba’ath regime’s anti-workers policies. But what is happening now under the new rule of both America and its installed puppet regime, the so called interim government, is not any better than what happened under the previous regime.
Certainly neither the USA nor its puppets want to see independent workers unions and organizations. But the workers in Iraq from the first days of the collapse of the Saddam’s regime and the occupation of Iraq have started organizing themselves in unions and workers councils. We have been trying to organize the working class up and down the country, clear of the Ba’athist members and so called leaders, with a new vision for equality and freedom in Iraq. Amongst the new wave of workers organizations are the Union of Unemployed, Federation of Workers Councils and a number of recent unions in Iraq that were established in and around May 2003 to defend the rights of unemployed workers and unionize the workers to defend their rights. These workers’ organization are certainly formed by the workers themselves and act as a tool in the hands of workers to achieve their goals and not merely a tool in the hands of the capitalist regimes to impose their laws on workers.
Our unions have had tremendous progress since their foundation. They have courageously stood against occupation and holding the occupying forces to account for the starvation, poverty and the widespread unemployment in Iraq.
It was in August 2003 when the Union of Unemployed in Iraq (UUI) decided to stage a 45 day sit-in in front of the coalition forces provisional authority’s office in Iraq to demand jobs or unemployment benefit. The US forces response was to arrest the leaders of this movement in an attempt to contain this huge force of the working class in Iraq.
So far around 14 major demonstrations have been organized by our unions in Baghdad and other cities of Iraq.
As you know the situation in Iraq is turbulent. There is the ongoing occupation of Iraq. Civilians are getting killed and terrorized by US forces as well as the armed Islamic gangs and the dramatic rise of the armed forces belonging to the political Islamic forces in Iraq who have now turned our society into a battle field.
This turmoil has lead to a situation where female workers can not go out to work without fully observing Islamic veil. Those daring to disobey them will get kidnapped by different local gangsters due to lack of security. The issue of security and lack of protection of citizens in Iraq have lead to chaos which had made the job of labour activist and organizers very difficult indeed.
The Islamists are using the occupation as an excuse to terrorize Iraqi people. They blow up cinemas, video and DVD shops, shops selling alcoholic drinks. Women using hairdressing salon will have their hair cut in public in an effort to exert fear and shame on them.
They kill women who go to work without veil and threaten to kill girls who go to university without veil. So far over 1000 female students have withdrawn from university as they do not want to be killed for not wearing veil. All these are done in the name of “resistance”. If they want to fight the occupiers why do they kill and behead Iraqi people, or foreign workers who are the victim of occupation.
Looking at all this chaos and in the absence of minimum security the activism of women in the workers movement has been made even harder. But we have shown them way that the real resistance is the resistance of workers and women for freedom, humanity, egalitarianism, and secularism not Islamism and killings and bombings of innocent civilians. We are telling people that we want an end to occupation and we are fighting for a secular and egalitarian state and not a reactionary religious state.
Organization for Women’s Freedom in Iraq has been organizing women to fight for equality and women’s rights and is known in the world for its non compromising stands in defense of women and exposing Islamists for their brutalities against women in Iraq.
We have been spearheading the struggles to empower women to get involved in the unions and the recent example of the Basra conference in which a female worker, Kefah, was elected with an absolute majority votes among 200 delegates to head the workers councils in Basra.
It is the task of workers and women in Iraq to end occupation of Iraq and establish a state whereby people are treated equally and not on the bases of gender, ethnic, religious or tribal backgrounds. The achievements of our unions have been great but it is still fragile as the threats of the Interim government and USA is still hanging over our heads. Our progress and even existence will be in jeopardy in the absence of a strong International solidarity. As you appreciated a great deal more needs to be done and we are looking forward to your continuous support.
Once again I would like to thank you for your support and solidarity with us and thank you all for listening.
Thanks
Houzan Mahmoud
I would like to congratulate you for your annual meeting and thank you for inviting me.
Comrades. I would like to start my talk with a greeting message sent to you by my comrade Falah Alwan, the leader of the Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq.
Dear comrades of No Sweat campaign
On behalf of Federation of workers Councils and Unions in Iraq I would like to send our warmest greetings from Iraq to your annual conference in London.
I would also like to use this opportunity to thank you for your support and solidarity with us in the past year, in particular for your support to our conference in Basra.
The successful conclusion of our conference in Basra, under the current circumstances, has proved to be a great success for the working class struggle in Iraq. It is worth mentioning that it would have been a great more difficult without the international support and solidarity from organizations like yours.
Once again thank you and wish you all the best and success in your campaigns to defend the workers across the world.
In solidarity
Falah Alwan
President of the Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq
30.11.2004
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To speak about the miseries and hardships that the workers in Iraq had suffered in the past is a long story. There is no doubt about the brutality of the Ba’ath regime during the last three decades in dividing the workers and suppressing their struggles.
Independent unions were not allowed to exist and official ones were a means in the hands of the regime to implement the Ba’ath regime’s anti-workers policies. But what is happening now under the new rule of both America and its installed puppet regime, the so called interim government, is not any better than what happened under the previous regime.
Certainly neither the USA nor its puppets want to see independent workers unions and organizations. But the workers in Iraq from the first days of the collapse of the Saddam’s regime and the occupation of Iraq have started organizing themselves in unions and workers councils. We have been trying to organize the working class up and down the country, clear of the Ba’athist members and so called leaders, with a new vision for equality and freedom in Iraq. Amongst the new wave of workers organizations are the Union of Unemployed, Federation of Workers Councils and a number of recent unions in Iraq that were established in and around May 2003 to defend the rights of unemployed workers and unionize the workers to defend their rights. These workers’ organization are certainly formed by the workers themselves and act as a tool in the hands of workers to achieve their goals and not merely a tool in the hands of the capitalist regimes to impose their laws on workers.
Our unions have had tremendous progress since their foundation. They have courageously stood against occupation and holding the occupying forces to account for the starvation, poverty and the widespread unemployment in Iraq.
It was in August 2003 when the Union of Unemployed in Iraq (UUI) decided to stage a 45 day sit-in in front of the coalition forces provisional authority’s office in Iraq to demand jobs or unemployment benefit. The US forces response was to arrest the leaders of this movement in an attempt to contain this huge force of the working class in Iraq.
So far around 14 major demonstrations have been organized by our unions in Baghdad and other cities of Iraq.
As you know the situation in Iraq is turbulent. There is the ongoing occupation of Iraq. Civilians are getting killed and terrorized by US forces as well as the armed Islamic gangs and the dramatic rise of the armed forces belonging to the political Islamic forces in Iraq who have now turned our society into a battle field.
This turmoil has lead to a situation where female workers can not go out to work without fully observing Islamic veil. Those daring to disobey them will get kidnapped by different local gangsters due to lack of security. The issue of security and lack of protection of citizens in Iraq have lead to chaos which had made the job of labour activist and organizers very difficult indeed.
The Islamists are using the occupation as an excuse to terrorize Iraqi people. They blow up cinemas, video and DVD shops, shops selling alcoholic drinks. Women using hairdressing salon will have their hair cut in public in an effort to exert fear and shame on them.
They kill women who go to work without veil and threaten to kill girls who go to university without veil. So far over 1000 female students have withdrawn from university as they do not want to be killed for not wearing veil. All these are done in the name of “resistance”. If they want to fight the occupiers why do they kill and behead Iraqi people, or foreign workers who are the victim of occupation.
Looking at all this chaos and in the absence of minimum security the activism of women in the workers movement has been made even harder. But we have shown them way that the real resistance is the resistance of workers and women for freedom, humanity, egalitarianism, and secularism not Islamism and killings and bombings of innocent civilians. We are telling people that we want an end to occupation and we are fighting for a secular and egalitarian state and not a reactionary religious state.
Organization for Women’s Freedom in Iraq has been organizing women to fight for equality and women’s rights and is known in the world for its non compromising stands in defense of women and exposing Islamists for their brutalities against women in Iraq.
We have been spearheading the struggles to empower women to get involved in the unions and the recent example of the Basra conference in which a female worker, Kefah, was elected with an absolute majority votes among 200 delegates to head the workers councils in Basra.
It is the task of workers and women in Iraq to end occupation of Iraq and establish a state whereby people are treated equally and not on the bases of gender, ethnic, religious or tribal backgrounds. The achievements of our unions have been great but it is still fragile as the threats of the Interim government and USA is still hanging over our heads. Our progress and even existence will be in jeopardy in the absence of a strong International solidarity. As you appreciated a great deal more needs to be done and we are looking forward to your continuous support.
Once again I would like to thank you for your support and solidarity with us and thank you all for listening.
Thanks
Houzan Mahmoud
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