It’s now 0230hrs on Dec 15th in Iraq. A few more hours until the vote starts and Mohammed writes about his joy and fear over the elections:
[…]With joy, worry, fear and hope I await tomorrow. Our hearts beat fast hurrying the clock to bring us faster to the other shore.
Tomorrow it?s going to be us who decide and I can feel the greatness of the responsibility because the result will draw the shape of our future and will determine how long it will take till we can announce victory in this war; our war against the past, against the past?s illusions and the past?s mistakes; with our hands we can make this war last shorter? with our own choices.
One year ago we wanted to defeat terror and the shadows of dictatorship and tell them that we are not willing to go backwards and that we?re ready to build a new Iraq where the people choose their representatives?
The choice didn?t matter then as much as voting itself did; all we wanted to do was to go and cast our votes regardless of the choices we made.Yesterday we were sitting together with our friends talking and discussing our points of view. We found that our ambitions are way bigger than the mere idea of voting or practicing our right to elect, now we feel that our votes are a responsibility and a heavy one.
We are hesitant and worried about our choices and maybe the opinion polls results that we?ve seen-or at least from what I hear from people I meet-indicate that there?s a higher percentage than normal of people who haven?t made up their mind yet on who to vote for.
Me and my friends were sitting discussing ?who?s best for Iraq?? and the reasons on which each one of us based his/her opinion. I was seeing a drastic change in the sense of the historic responsibility we shoulder.
I see my friends call their friends and acquaintances encouraging them to vote for this candidate or that list and putting effort in convincing them with this or that idea.In a matter of one year questions and answers changed a lot; less than a year ago the question was ?will you vote?? But now the question is ?who are you going to vote for??
We are making progress, definitely we are!
Yes, our present is rough and bloody but don?t we have the right to dream of a better future?!
The pessimists had facts to rely on and we also have facts on which we build our attitude but we try to see beyond the smoke of the battle.
We don?t have a wand or something and we know nations do not build their history overnight but we believe we are walking the right path.
They say the people can be fooled once but they cannot be totally corrupt?and one or two rounds of elections are not enough but we have no better choice than to keep trying and to listen to what the people say. Maybe we?re not smart enough to learn from others? mistakes but Iraqi?s are capable of learning from their mistakes and correct the path.
I?ll go and vote tomorrow and I will be adding one more brick to the building.
I?m very proud of my nation for it didn?t surrender in spite of all what it?s been through; this nation is fighting, deciding, challenging, falling and rising and trying to learn.
We are all very proud of your nation, for having the courage to face up to these terrorists and begin the work of building a new Democracy.
We are all very proud of your nation, for having the courage to face up to these terrorists and begin the work of building a new Democracy.
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