A good democracy is built on compromise

Iraq

Iraq is struggling to master this foreign tongue called democracy, said Jabir Habib Jabir in the pan-Arab newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat. The Western system of government requires a division of powers, so that no one person or institution controls the whole country. Such rule by the many is “totally alien to Islamic history, where the caliph, or his surrogate, has invariably been the sole lawmaker, executive, and judge.” In Iraq’s recent election, Shiite political parties won the most seats, but must now form a coalition government with the Kurds. The Iraqi political mind is trying hard to grasp this new concept of power-sharing, but it’s finding the long tradition of tyranny hard to shake. “Even as it envisions democracy, it is guided by despotism; and even as it seeks to build national unity, it is inspired by factional considerations.”

The squabbling in the National Assembly was a bad sign, said Hamid Abdullah in Baghdad’s Al-Mashriq. The parties all competed with one another over who was to control which ministry. Yet none of them have come up with a “clear program” that would tell us what they intend to do with their ministries. Instead of giving us a vision for the future of Iraq, these politicians are seeking “revenge” on one another for past slights.

There’s a more positive way to look at the long negotiations, said Ali Khlif in Baghdad’s Al-Adalah. Give and take is what democracy is all about. Of course, it took a bit of time to allot all the Cabinet posts equitably. The Shiite and Kurdish parties that won the elections tried to make sure that they included representatives of the Sunnis, “our brothers who did not take part in the poll.” We wanted to do this right. “Everybody’s aim is to form a national accord government serving the interests of all.”And now, we’ve got it, said Baghdad’s Al-Rafidayn in an editorial. The Shiite parties will take 16 to 17 ministries, including Interior and Finance. The Kurds will have seven or eight, including Foreign Affairs and the Oil Ministry. And even though most of the Sunnis boycotted the elections, their representatives will get at least four and perhaps up to six Cabinet posts, “possibly including Defense.” Even the Christians and the Turkmen, tiny minorities in this country, will get one ministry each. Soon, our first “elected government” will be running the country.

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