Sunday 9th October 2005
Ewa Jasiewicz (the name is Polish and Ewa is pronounced `Eva`) gave a detailed talk on the situation in Iraq at Glasgow’s Caledonian University on Sunday 9th October. Ewa spoke to a group of around 30 people and told of the thousands of mercenaries now in Iraq. They are completely unaccountable and cannot be prosecuted if they kill local people. Much of the money set aside for the `reconstruction` of Iraq has gone in to `security` and paying mercenaries.
Oil of course is central to the economy of the country, and Ewa spoke of the Basra oil union. They have a website: www.basraoilunion.org
The oil workers are very important to the country and they have been kept under surveillance by the occupation. In June 2003 the workers took direct action and by taking strike action managed to get back wages due to them. In August 2004 there was a wildcat strike in protest against the attack on Najaf.
There has been a policy of importing vast numbers of foreign workers in a country with an unemployment rate of 70%. This has been resisted. Iraqi workers are well capable of reconstructing their own country – they have been denied the tools they need. In other words the occupation is obstructing the reconstruction.
The union has held a conference against privatisation –
http://platformlondon.org/carbonweb/documents/PR260505-2.htm See also this article from the Beirut Indymedia website about Iraqi oil privatization:
http://beirut.indymedia.org/ar/2005/10/3334.shtml A communiqué from the union said that the privatisation of Iraq was unacceptable and unions would fight against it even if it cost workers their lives – which sadly it will do. The laws enacted by former consul Paul Bremer mean that 65% of Iraq’s oil reserves are to be handed over to foreign corporations. However, here is a very important point: Iraq’s oil is STILL not privatised. The intention of the occupation has still not been realized. They haven’t got what they came for yet. This is down to the resistance.
Ewa thinks the anti-war movement isn’t fully conscious of the economic occupation of Iraq. Remember war crimes are not necessarily crimes of violence. The theft of Iraqi oil and oil revenues counts as war crime.
When the levers are in place all the big companies are ready for the kill. Ewa said Basra floats on lake of oil. Remember how in the run up to war there was an insistence that the “war was nothing to do with oil.” Eventually foreign companies could own over 80% of Iraq’s oil.
Ewa asked for a show of hands about who knows about Bremer’s orders. Not everyone had. Paul Bremer was the former American overseer in Iraq.
Here is a report from the BBC website:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3589057.stm Bremer was responsible for the complete overhaul of Iraq’s constitution went largely un noticed as peoples minds were focused on the violence, massacres etc. One of his orders – No 30 – related to setting Iraqi wages at a pittance. One consequence of this was the fact that new recruits to the Iraqi army are paid three times as much as an oil worker with 30 years experience. This is how Iraq is becoming so militarised. The militarisation is a way of terrorizing the Iraqi people all over again. Average wages in Iraq (potentially such a rich country) are only about a third of those in a sweatshop in neighbouring Iran.
Other orders allow for 100% repatriation of profits, legalized plunder of Iraq’s wealth. The economics are somewhat complicated which helps to explain why many people didn’t pay attention to it. Ewa suggested Paul Bremer should stand trail as a war criminal.
Ewa asked how many people knew that Poland was the third biggest occupier in Iraq. Someone rather sheepishly said they thought Italy was number three but no, it’s Poland.
Bremer said Poland would be the economic model for Iraq – Poland underwent vicious economic `shock therapy` in 1989 when it went suddenly to a dream `free market` economy with the privatisation of over 2,000 firms.
Another parallel between Poland and Iraq is the vast debts that both countries have. Most of Iraq’s `odious debts` were incurred by the Saddam regime to finance the Iran – Iraq war etc and the Iraqi people feel they should not have to pay it. However the occupation and IMF insists it must be paid.
The food ration on which so many Iraqis depend is being scrapped. Part of the IMF `structural adjustment` programme is the cutting of state subsidies including the fuel subsidy. Free market policies must be implemented and the debt is the crowbar, which the occupation hopes, will open up the economy for plunder.
There was a discussion after the talk including a point about the comments made by Ann Clwyd MP (Ann `haven’t a` Clwyd) who says: “things get better day by day”. Clearly this is just absurd propaganda. Will Bush and Blair attack Iran? Is the anti-war movement focused on a pacifist’s agenda and not enough on the economic pillage?
Ewa jokingly said that in order to get more people to listen to her – perhaps she should grow a cock and a pair of balls!
Here are some useful websites relating to Iraq:
Basra Oil Union: www.basraoilunion.org
Iraq Occupation Focus: www.iraqoccupationfocus.org.uk
For articles written by Ewa Jasiewicz:
http://vitw.org/cat/voices-from-iraq/ewa-jasiewicz/ Here is a report about an Iraq protest at the cenotaph:
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/london/2005/10/326393.html Finally please remember the All Scotland End the Occupation in Edinburgh on Saturday November 12th: www.edinburghstw.org.uk
9 labelled photos are attached.
Word count 921 words
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