Iraqis’ anger boils over as electricity shortages spread

Opinion: July 12, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

By Khalid Waleed

Institute for War & Peace Reporting

BAGHDAD

The interim Iraqi government is reeling from riots and demonstrations that have erupted across the country to protest severe electricity shortages just as summer temperatures start to soar.

Anger, which had been growing for weeks, finally erupted on June 19 in the southern city of Basra when security forces opened fire on protesters who were angry that electricity was available for less than two hours a day. Two demonstrators were killed.

Three days later, 17 police officers in Nasiriyah were wounded when they clashed with hundreds of protesters outside provincial administrative offices.

In recent weeks, similar protests have become an almost daily occurrence in some poor neighborhoods of Baghdad.

Resignation

Electricity minister Karim Waheed recently resigned and the crisis has put Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s efforts to gain a second term in office in jeopardy.

“The fact that we still have so little electricity after all these years makes people think the government has done nothing for them,” said Ibrahim al-Sumaidaei, a lawyer and political analyst in Baghdad. “Maliki was counting on his security achievements to guarantee him the prime minister position again, but these demonstrations are a message that security alone is not enough. You have to deal with the needs of the people.”

The government has attempted to divert blame for the shortage of electricity.

“Neither the ministry of electricity nor the government has done anything wrong,” said Thamir al-Gadhban, a top adviser to Maliki. “All that happened is a delay in our plans to boost electricity due to lack of money because of the international financial crisis which has hit the whole world, not just Iraq.”

Ali al-Mosawi, another top adviser to Maliki, said the government is doing all it can to reduce power shortages and blackouts that have left some in the capital with electricity for less than an hour a day.

“Looking to the future, the government is going to complete the electricity generating and infrastructure projects that have already been started. These projects will save the country from this problem, but the problem cannot be solved in a month or two months or probably not even a year. Such projects take time,” he commented.

Billions spent

The government said it has spent $3.5 billion on electricity generating and infrastructure projects annually. While work is under way to build power plants and improve the country’s electricity grids, most projects are still years away from completion.

But other officials say they government isn’t doing enough to correct the electricity shortage.

“The ministry needs $5 billion per year, and we get around $1 billion to $1.2 billion,” said Deputy Minister of Electricity Raad al-Hares.

“According to our plans, electricity was meant to be provided to Iraqi citizens at a rate of 12 hours per day in 2010 and 24 hours per day in 2011.

“But the lack of money has changed all our plans; we could not build new power plants or fix the old ones. To improve the electricity situation, we need to increase the budget,” he said.

The United States, which says it has invested $4.6 billion in rebuilding Iraq’s electrical grid, claims the country is producing 50 percent more electricity than it did in 2003, but demand has outstripped increased productions.

“The dissatisfaction of some citizens with the intermittent supply of electricity points up the need to form a new government quickly so that (it) can focus all its attention on providing essential services to the Iraqi people,” said U.S. embassy spokesman Phil Frayne.

Iraqis united

The electricity shortage has succeeded in uniting Iraqis across sectarian and social divisions. The power shortage was the single biggest issue in this year’s parliamentary campaign.

In the Bab al-Moadham district of central Baghdad housewife Um Abdullah, 49, tries to raise her family on only two hours of electricity per day.

“I’ve heard all the promises from the government about giving us electricity. This government should just give up and admit they can’t provide us what we need to live,” Abdullah said.

Khalid Waleed is a reporter in Iraq who writes for The Institute for War & Peace Reporting, a nonprofit organization in London that trains journalists in areas of conflict. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.