BAGHDAD, 29 June 2004 — When the US formal transfer of sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government was televised yesterday, some Iraqis on a bustling downtown street dismissed it as a cosmetic change in a country destabilized by occupation. But others said the handover was a step in the right direction, and called on Prime Minister Iyad Allawi to take stern measures to restore stability. “We are happy. Although Allawi was chosen by the Americans, at least now we have some sovereignty,” said Mohammed Al-Daraji, a driver for a transport company.
“Allawi may succeed if he is very tough.”
At a grimy transport firm, long-haul drivers predicted more trouble on Iraq’s roads, where they have seen everything from suicide bombings to carjackings in the last 14 months.
“What could change now? I was held up by armed men and then detained by the Americans for a month for holding a weapon in my vehicle for protection,” said Ali Ibrahim.
“How can sovereignty mean anything when American soldiers are going to stay in Iraq? If they leave it will be stable.” US troops will lead a multinational force of more than 160,000 soldiers that will support Allawi’s government.
Although Iraqis were happy to see their interim government take over after the occupation that ended 24 years of Saddam Hussein’s rule, some questioned the extent of their sovereignty.
“We will have an American embassy here with thousands of employees, the biggest embassy in the world. The Americans will keep interfering,” said the transport company’s manager, Bashar. “Sovereignty means full sovereignty - no American troops.”
Many of his drivers hope sovereignty means Iraqis will no longer be treated as second-class citizens on the Jordanian border, where passport inspections became rigorous after Saddam’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
“We have been treated badly for so long. I drove Iraqi families to Jordan and the customs people would just send them back. This Iraqi passport has no value in the rest of the world,” said driver Abbas Mahmoud, waving a friend’s passport.
The Al-Quds transport company, with its diverse ethnic mix of employees, offers a glimpse into the minds of a people who have seen no way out of suffering for decades.
First there was Saddam’s brutal one-party state. Then US President George W. Bush’s troops invaded with promises of prosperity and democracy. Now Allawi’s untested government faces a host of challenges, with security as the highest priority.
Violence has become so pervasive that many want to see stern measures to restore security. Allawi says the government plans to introduce emergency laws, including curfews. “I want to behead Saddam Hussein for what he did. He killed four members of my family,” said Akeel Kathim, another driver. “Despite that I hope he comes back because only he can end the security crisis.”
The roads were safe under Saddam because criminals faced severe sentences such as long prison terms, or the severing of hands for illegal money dealing. During the chaos of occupation, armed gangs preyed on motorists. Now Al-Quds’s 25 drivers can only wait to see if Allawi delivers.
“I used to take jobs at two in the morning. Now I shut down at six because it is too dangerous to drive at night,” Bashar said. “The future is uncertain now. I hope we can work at night again soon.”
