Signs of accomplishment

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson of Cape Girardeau recently visited the Middle East. She kept a daily journal. Here is the sixth installment.

By Jo Ann Emerson

Monday, Nov. 10: Kirkuk is in many ways off to a better start than Baghdad.

All the different ethnicities are coming together in Kirkuk. There is no more looting, and the city has little violence or crime. Officials are rebuilding the infrastructure here and encouraging the emergence of political parties. In the past, Kirkuk had no radio or TV station -- those things would have been dangerous to Saddam Hussein if they ever fell into his enemies' hands, I suppose. But now there are two TV stations, several radio stations and even more newspapers.

Other elements of a free and democratic society are high on the list of the mayor and the five other members of the governing council. We met with them soon after arriving in Kirkuk.

They want to use the natural resources of oil to build a good quality of life for their citizens. Under Saddam, the oil revenue was used for guns, soldiers and the extravagances of power (such as the mammoth palace we visited in Baghdad.)

The governing council recognizes it needs help with economic development and job creation. It is hard to tell the council's members there is no quick fix for these problems.

The basic services need work here. Sewage is a particularly bad problem, especially with winter coming. We are at a higher elevation here in Kirkuk, so there is more of a change in the seasons.

In our conversation, one council member stressed the importance of laying the groundwork for democracy in local government: freedom of speech, labor unions and the creation of political parties to share the responsibility of government. Coalition forces need to add the stability to these fledgling indications of democracy, since though most Iraqis here want democracy, they do not yet fully understand it. Who can blame them? In more than three decades, they haven't ever known freedom.

The council member's comments underscore to me the need for a constitution to serve as the foundation for the rule of law and give local governments a framework from which to build.

Another council member is from South Dakota. He has lived there for many years and is a successful businessman. But now that he has the opportunity to return home and help lead his people, he is in Kirkuk. Halfway around the world again, he is bringing his experiences with free markets and democracy to Iraq. This is the kind of civic duty you have to admire the most. There are some very dedicated people here, working hard to give the children of Kirkuk a bright future.

We also visited the Kirkuk School for Girls. All of the different ethnicities and religions are represented there. Kurd, Turkmen, Iraqi, Sunni, Shia and Christian are all together. They have a very organized, orderly environment. There is no fear of Americans, not even a little bit of skepticism. They are all warm and trusting, and they treat one another with kindness and polite manners. I'm not sure if they were just on their best behavior or if they always act this way.

I think they know there is a brighter future ahead for them with Saddam out of power and the seeds of democracy being planted.

We need to be careful that the ethnic divisions and religious differences don't tear this country apart. When the American presence is reduced here, there will be a delicate peace. Those will be critical times, but I can see clear hope in the faces of the young girls I met today.