Giving birth to democracy in the dark

IRAQ: The first brave attempt to hold a democratic gathering here collapsed into farce yesterday, defeated by a shortage of electricity, writes Michael Jansen  in Baghdad

The meeting was called by the Free Democracy Movement, headed by Dr Adnan Pachachi, a former foreign minister who left Iraq in 1968 with the advent of the now fallen Baathist regime.

The venue was the Sheraton Hotel on the Tigris, but the choice of room depended on the size of the crowd. The first choice was the casino because it has air conditioning and light. Since the block of chairs for distinguished guests had already been filled by tribal leaders wearing caftans and Arab headdress, Ms Nuha al-Radi, an Iraqi painter and diarist, and I settled behind a rank of television cameras which blocked the view of the podium.

A boy in a suit and tie and girl in a white dress hugged the wall in the corridor beside a woman carrying two white-and-gold bouquets of flowers. When the room filled to capacity, leaving many people standing, we were forced to shift to the ballroom, a high, wide expanse filled with chairs.

Small lamps implanted in the ceiling to create a romantic atmosphere for a ball shed dim light on the assembly. There was not enough current to power brighter lights or air conditioning.

Instead of dancing in the dark, free Iraqis gave birth to democracy in the dark. Only the lights of the television cameras illuminated the stage, the table bearing microphones and a grand bunch of flowers.

Nuha and I sat at the back. We all stood for Dr Pachachi, a vigorous 79, when he entered the ballroom. In a strong voice over a quavering microphone he read the brief manifesto of the Free Democrats.

It asked the Security Council to lift sanctions and called upon the UN to send a special representative to organise the country and provide for the humanitarian needs of the people. The programme demanded internal security, guarantees for Iraq's integrity and an end to the occupation. It urged the early creation of a new government, the preparation of a constitution, the rule of law and respect for human rights.

The party platform declared that the Iraqi people must be united and called for respect for the rights of minorities and the development of the oil sector as the basis of the economy.

Finally, it said that relations with Arab and Islamic states should be normalised and improved, and expressed support for the Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese in their efforts to regain land occupied by Israel.

Following Dr Pachachi's statement, the floor was opened to the audience for questions and comments. Although deprived of the right of free speech for decades, Iraqis have no problem expressing themselves and their opinions on political matters. They have always been doing it in private.

Indeed, they tend to make speeches rather than points, which is what Dr Pachachi and his supporters expected.

As the closed room grew stuffier and hotter and the speechifying continued, the audience began to melt away until the only people remaining were those who still wanted to ask questions and television teams.

Dr Pachachi was rushed out in a protective cocoon of bodyguards.