Iraq's Untold Story: Celebrating The Vote

Some positive editorials from the Iraqi Press Monitor:

OPINION: People's Constitution
        By Fulayah Wuday Mijzab
        (Al-Sabah, 18 October 2005) The citizens showed their support for the constitution, ensuring that it would never be a document focused on gathering people around the ruler, or for providing legal pretexts for his moods, adventures and his private intentions, as was the case before. This time it is the people's constitution, whether by organising the state's structure, establishing its political agenda or establishing legal principles. The true backbone of this constitution is that it should not be for the ruler's benefit. It will enable the people to avoid repeating a painful and harsh era marked mainly by the absence of law. Support for the constitution embraces a vision for the future that Iraq did not have over the last few decades. It will be a country that achieves equality, freedom and true citizenship, and has law and order. Even those who said "no" were not rejecting the constitution, but hoping for a better draft to suit their positions … It is historic moment between a regime where singular power prevails and one where law prevails.
        (Al-Sabah is a daily independent publicly owned newspaper.)

EDITORIAL: Regardless of the result, political process overcame violence
        (Al-Mada, 18 October 2005) Regardless of whether the decision is "yes" or "no" to the constitution, what is important for us is that people participated in the political process without any fear and did not give into threats. When we weigh the political process, "yes" or "no" are (not as important as) reasonable decision making and individual free will in accepting or rejecting it. Opinions are liable to change in the political process ... so long as there was general consensus without resorting to violence. This is positive achievement of the constitutional process. Of course the result is very important -- not just the statistical result of who won and who lost, but the result of a calm political process, with people participating in democracy. This was a great victory for the Iraqis when they headed for the ballot boxes. The Iraqis went out twice to cast their votes within a very short time (including the January 2005 elections), despite the threats, car bombs poor security, mismanagement and administrative corruption which runs rampant through the government. The politicians of this country should respect that Iraqis want change … and above all, they want democracy.
        (Al-Mada is issued daily by al-Mada Institution for Media, Culture and Arts.)

OPINION: Entitlement
        By Muhammed Abdul-Jabbar al-Shabout
        (Al-Sabah, 19 October 2005) We, thank God, are done with the constitution. Irrespective of the results of the referendum, the referendum day passed peacefully. More than 60 per cent of registered voters cast their votes either for or against the constitution. As of now, it seems as though the constitution is likely to succeed. The success of the referendum process is yet another indication that the political process in Iraq is still moving ahead peacefully, at least formally. If the constitution succeeds, there remains one stage in the political process -- the coming parliamentary elections, which are scheduled for December 15, 2005. The goal of the political process is to rebuild the Iraqi state that collapsed on April 9, 2003. The state in its comprehensive meaning includes the people, territory, government and national sovereignty. The permanent constitution, if it passes, would be the foundation on which the state and its constitutional, political and democratic institutions would be built. The constitution includes many foundations and principles essential for buildings the Iraqi state, but there are also many shortcomings and postponed issues. There is a promise to amend it in the four-month period after the national assembly elections. Thus the constitution seems temporary rather than permanent. This is somehow positive, though at first glance it seems to be negative. It is positive because it keeps the document open to changes and amendments that will help all of the components of the Iraqi community to reach a national consensus.
        (Al-Sabah is a daily independent publicly owned newspaper.)

Update: Linked to Open Posts at Mudville Gazette, part of a blogilicous open trackback party this weekend. For Mudville Gazette readers and others new to PostWatch: Iraq's Untlold Story is a regular feature at PostWatch. Monday through Friday, I list every primary Iraq-war related story in the paper under the banner Iraq in the Post Today (clever, huh), followed by a brief on under-reported positive news, in Iraq's Untold Story. It's my small contribution to the tradition of Arthur Chrenkoff's Good News From Iraq & Afghanistan, carried on at Good News Central, and of course at Mudville Gazette itself. Cheers.