Iraq’s leaders were racing to complete a draft Constitution on Friday night just two days before the deadline — but the political drama bypassed most Iraqis, who were concentrating on the daily quest for electricity, clean water, jobs and security.
While politicians — tracked hour by hour in Washington — wrestled with momentous issues such as federalism and the role of Islam, demonstrators in Baghdad demanded improvements in basic services that have crumbled since Saddam Hussein’s fall in 2003.
The government, rattled by a riot this week in the southern town of Samawa, is concerned that frustration over living conditions will lead to wider unrest.
”They talk and talk but I have no electricity, no drainage, no way to pay rent. What am I supposed to do?” asked Imad Qassam (22), a squatter in the ruins of a bombed government building in Baghdad.
Like many other Iraqis, Qassam recognises the importance of the new Constitution, but he cares more about immediate concerns, such as a salary and air conditioning.
Many districts have less than six hours of electricity a day, compared with about 20 hours under the old regime.
Families without generators have trouble sleeping in baking temperatures that can exceed 50 degrees Celsius. The blackouts disrupt water pumps and leave pools of sewage to fester in the slums of Sadr City in eastern Baghdad as well as upmarket areas such as Mansour and Karrada.
”I just saw the water manager. He is not qualified, so I sacked him,” said Baghdad’s new mayor, Hussein al-Tahaan. ”I want to solve problems, not be a part of them.”
But the nature of his elevation exposed the level of chaos. Tahaan was installed earlier this week when armed men deposed the incumbent, Alaa al-Tamimi, citing a decision by the city council.
Tamimi denied accusations of incompetence and corruption and said he was the victim of a municipal coup by a powerful Shi’ite party, the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq.
United States-funded public-works programmes have sprouted in Sadr City, quiet since last year’s Shi’ite uprising, but the mood remains sour and some residents compare their conditions to sub-Saharan Africa.
Friday’s demonstration was called by Moqtada al-Sadr, a cleric with a knack for tapping into the urban poor’s resentments.
Anecdotal evidence suggests white-collar professionals are fleeing, fuelling a property boom in Amman, Jordan’s capital, while the semi-skilled and unskilled tend to head north to Iraqi Kurdistan. Insecurity compounds the stress; kidnappings, shootings, bombs and trigger-happy US and Iraqi patrols make venturing outdoors a lottery.
”The biggest number of bodies in the history of our forensic medicine has been in the past year,” said Dr Abdul al-Obeidi, at Baghdad’s main morgue. About 1 100 corpses made July a record month.
Negotiators are due to agree a draft Constitution by Saturday, paving the way for parliamentary approval on Monday and a referendum in October. But disputes remain over Islam, women’s rights, regional autonomy and control of the city of Kirkuk.
”We know the country could unravel unless the big fundamental stuff is resolved,” said Nihad Said (23), a street trader. ”But first can we have some dignity in our lives?” — Guardian Unlimited Â