[Vision2020] 06-01-04 LA Times: For Iraqis, a Symbol of Unkept Promises

Tue, 1 Jun 2004 08:10:44 -0700

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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-school1jun01.story
THE CONFLICT IN IRAQ
For Iraqis, a Symbol of Unkept Promises
By Nicholas Riccardi
Times Staff Writer

June 1, 2004

BAGHDAD - Past the charred remains of a U.S. military truck, down a pitted road
lined with rubble sits Shura Primary School.

Outside, the squat schoolhouse glistens with fresh lime-green paint, courtesy of
the renovation spree launched by the U.S.-led coalition. Inside, the floors are
buckled, the blackboards are scarred, and the bathrooms are little more than
open-air sewage pits. There is one working water fountain for 1,125 students,
who must pick their way through a parking lot strewn with mounds of trash to get
to the school's front doors.

"They promised to make it a paradise," said Hana Abbood, a teacher of Arabic
language at Shura. "But all they've changed is the paint."

To many Iraqis in the area, the sorry state of the school is a symbol of how the
coalition has failed them.

As much as civilian casualties or detainee abuse, the erratic reconstruction of
their country has turned Iraqis against the occupation. Many people welcomed
last year's invasion, hoping that the world's only superpower could elevate
their wretched standard of living.

But a year later, the promised $18 billion in U.S. reconstruction money is only
now hitting the streets. Projects have been delayed by insurgent attacks and
rampant corruption, committed by Iraqis but blamed on the Americans. Baghdad's
boulevards are lined with trash. Geysers of sewage erupt in even the wealthiest
neighborhoods of the capital. Unemployment is epidemic nationwide.

Misgivings are particularly sharp in neighborhoods such as the one in northwest
Baghdad that surrounds the Shura school - predominantly Shiite Muslim areas that
were neglected under the Sunni Muslim-led government of President Saddam
Hussein, which have turned against the occupiers.

In an acknowledgment of the problem, the military has begun to step up basic
services in northwest Baghdad, from sewer service to garbage pickup.

The complaints of inadequate rebuilding frustrate occupation officials and the
dwindling ranks of Iraqis who support them, because progress is not nonexistent.
Although schools such as Shura sit in disrepair, numerous others have been
renovated. The coalition has dramatically boosted the salaries of teachers and
other government workers and sparked a consumer mini-boom.

"Everybody in Iraq wants to eat and have a new salary and a new address as soon
as possible. They do not want to say thanks to the Americans for getting rid of
that bloody tyrant, Saddam Hussein, which will not be repaid for 10
generations," said Hasanein F. Muallah, who is in charge of school construction
for the Education Ministry. "The Iraqis are impatient. They need to have
everything right now."

Dan Senor, the main spokesman for the coalition, said citizens overestimated the
power of the United States.

"It's perfectly understandable, but sometimes the Iraqi people have unrealistic
expectations of what the Americans can do," he said. "They don't understand how
a country that could defeat the Iraqi army cannot get the power back on. But the
fact is that the nation's infrastructure was in a lot worse shape than we
thought."

Another issue is that the occupation has decreased Iraqis' sense of personal
security. Many say the roving bands of kidnappers and bandits - not to mention
the heavily armed U.S. soldiers - are more terrifying than Hussein's secret
police.

To the teachers and students at Shura, a new paint job and higher pay seem like
a poor trade.

"The lives of Iraqis are getting worse," teacher Abbood said as her classroom of
11- and 12-year-old girls nodded in agreement. "Now these pupils are frightened
that someone will throw a bomb at them, or kidnap them.

"The walls, the paint, yes, they have improved, but the general situation at the
school - the curriculum, the books, the food - has not changed for the better."

Shura Primary has long stood out as an eyesore in a neighborhood full of
eyesores.

It lies at the edge of Baghdad, in the heart of the Ghazaliya district, a warren
of fraying apartment buildings, modest houses and potholed byways.

The school is not hooked up to Baghdad's sewer system, so the septic tanks from
the restrooms drain into a reservoir beneath the front courtyard. The sewage
seeps up through the ground and into the path of students. The classrooms have
no window screens to keep out the swarms of flies and mosquitoes, and no air
conditioning.

When Hussein's government fell in April 2003, U.S. military officers and
civilians began appearing at Shura. They handed out new book bags and pens for
some of the students and promised to improve conditions.

Nearly a year later, in March, contractors showed up and began painting the
building and shoring up the walls. They tore out the student restrooms in the
rear courtyard and began to lay the foundation for a new bathroom. Several weeks
later, the work abruptly stopped.

The floor of the students' bathroom is now littered with construction debris;
the children must relieve themselves on the rubble. The door to the teachers'
bathroom was removed and has yet to be replaced. Cracks run up through the walls
where new wiring is supposed to go.

"The Americans promised to improve our conditions," student Nura Ahmed said,
"but we think they were all lying."

The problem with the Shura project is one that bedevils much of the country:
corruption.

The culprit, according to Iraqi education officials, is a former teacher who
persuaded the U.S. military to give her an office and let her choose which
schools should be refurbished, and by which contractors. The woman, identified
as Ezra Abdul Razak, allegedly demanded bribes from the contractors. She has
since vanished, and an Iraqi judge is investigating the case.

Meanwhile, the contractors have not been paid and have halted work on Shura and
nearly 100 other schools.

The Al Kake company is one of the contractors owed money - more than $500,000.
It suspended work on 13 schools, including Shura. Dakhil Muhsin Mohammed, Al
Kake's president, said that even though the fraud appeared to have been
committed by Iraqis, the Americans bore responsibility.

"You occupy this country, you should do your utmost to make sure things work,"
said Mohammed, who has a certificate of appreciation from the U.S. military
prominently displayed in his office. "I don't blame people when they criticize
the Americans for not doing things that are tangible."

Abbas Musawi is one of those critics. Last year, the member of the Ghazaliya
neighborhood council praised the U.S. occupiers so vocally that he was the
target of an unsuccessful assassination attempt by insurgents.

"I was so enthusiastic," he recalled. "I was always telling the people that all
you have to do is be patient, because these people are going to rebuild this
country."

A year later, Musawi says he's seen almost no changes. He has resigned in
disgust from his post in a central organization of neighborhood councils. He
displays a photograph of radical anti-American cleric Muqtada Sadr outside his
shop and proudly pointed to the other pictures lining the streets of the
neighborhood. When U.S. troops tore the photos down after Sadr's armed
supporters fought them in the area last month, Musawi helped replace the
pictures with hundreds of new ones.

"Nothing has changed in this neighborhood," said Musawi, driving past acres of
smoldering roadside trash. "They've moved tanks and weapons thousands of miles
and they can't bring trucks to take this away?"

Later, Musawi sat in the office of Shura's headmaster and his colleague on the
Ghazaliya council, Ibrahim Mohammed Abdullah, and inspected its empty door
frames and crumbling tiles.

The men complained that the occupation authority did not seek enough input from
Iraqis, who could guide them through the corruption-riddled world of local
contracting. They rattled off stories of the graft that has infected the
reconstruction process, including a local project in which the contractor did
not repair sewer lines yet pocketed $25,000 from the Americans.

"We're talking about schools and sewage," Musawi said. "Wait until we reach the
phase of rebuilding the Iraqi Ministry of Defense. There will be weapons
contracts. Imagine the corruption."

In her classroom, Abbood said Iraqis would focus on results.

"Our traditions and religion teach us to be a peace-loving society," she said.
"We will be grateful to those who help us. But those who only bring terror and
killing, beware."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Times staff writers Charles Duhigg and Patrick J. McDonnell and Suhail Ahmed of
The Times' Baghdad Bureau contributed to this report.

If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at
latimes.com/archives.

Article licensing and reprint options

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright 2004 Los Angeles Times

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tory</A>=20

<H4>THE CONFLICT IN IRAQ</H4>
<H1>For Iraqis, a Symbol of Unkept Promises</H1>By Nicholas =
Riccardi Times=20
Staff Writer June 1, 2004 BAGHDAD =97 Past the charred =
remains of a=20
U.S. military truck, down a pitted road lined with rubble sits Shura =
Primary=20
School. Outside, the squat schoolhouse glistens with fresh =
lime-green=20
paint, courtesy of the renovation spree launched by the U.S.-led =
coalition.=20
Inside, the floors are buckled, the blackboards are scarred, and the =
bathrooms=20
are little more than open-air sewage pits. There is one working water =
fountain=20
for 1,125 students, who must pick their way through a parking lot strewn =
with=20
mounds of trash to get to the school's front doors. "They =
promised to=20
make it a paradise," said Hana Abbood, a teacher of Arabic language at =
Shura.=20
"But all they've changed is the paint." To many Iraqis in the =
area, the=20
sorry state of the school is a symbol of how the coalition has failed=20
them. As much as civilian casualties or detainee abuse, the =
erratic=20
reconstruction of their country has turned Iraqis against the =
occupation. Many=20
people welcomed last year's invasion, hoping that the world's only =
superpower=20
could elevate their wretched standard of living. But a year =
later, the=20
promised $18 billion in U.S. reconstruction money is only now hitting =
the=20
streets. Projects have been delayed by insurgent attacks and rampant =
corruption,=20
committed by Iraqis but blamed on the Americans. Baghdad's boulevards =
are lined=20
with trash. Geysers of sewage erupt in even the wealthiest neighborhoods =
of the=20
capital. Unemployment is epidemic nationwide. Misgivings are =
particularly=20
sharp in neighborhoods such as the one in northwest Baghdad that =
surrounds the=20
Shura school =97 predominantly Shiite Muslim areas that were neglected =
under the=20
Sunni Muslim-led government of President Saddam Hussein, which have =
turned=20
against the occupiers. In an acknowledgment of the problem, the =
military=20
has begun to step up basic services in northwest Baghdad, from sewer =
service to=20
garbage pickup. The complaints of inadequate rebuilding =
frustrate=20
occupation officials and the dwindling ranks of Iraqis who support them, =
because=20
progress is not nonexistent. Although schools such as Shura sit in =
disrepair,=20
numerous others have been renovated. The coalition has dramatically =
boosted the=20
salaries of teachers and other government workers and sparked a consumer =

mini-boom. "Everybody in Iraq wants to eat and have a new salary =
and a=20
new address as soon as possible. They do not want to say thanks to the =
Americans=20
for getting rid of that bloody tyrant, Saddam Hussein, which will not be =
repaid=20
for 10 generations," said Hasanein F. Muallah, who is in charge of =
school=20
construction for the Education Ministry. "The Iraqis are impatient. They =
need to=20
have everything right now." Dan Senor, the main spokesman for =
the=20
coalition, said citizens overestimated the power of the United States.=20
 "It's perfectly understandable, but sometimes the Iraqi people =
have=20
unrealistic expectations of what the Americans can do," he said. "They =
don't=20
understand how a country that could defeat the Iraqi army cannot get the =
power=20
back on. But the fact is that the nation's infrastructure was in a lot =
worse=20
shape than we thought." Another issue is that the occupation has =

decreased Iraqis' sense of personal security. Many say the roving bands =
of=20
kidnappers and bandits =97 not to mention the heavily armed U.S. =
soldiers =97 are=20
more terrifying than Hussein's secret police. To the teachers and =

students at Shura, a new paint job and higher pay seem like a poor=20
trade. "The lives of Iraqis are getting worse," teacher Abbood =
said as=20
her classroom of 11- and 12-year-old girls nodded in agreement. "Now =
these=20
pupils are frightened that someone will throw a bomb at them, or kidnap=20
them. "The walls, the paint, yes, they have improved, but the =
general=20
situation at the school =97 the curriculum, the books, the food =97 has =
not changed=20
for the better." Shura Primary has long stood out as an eyesore =
in a=20
neighborhood full of eyesores. It lies at the edge of Baghdad, in =
the=20
heart of the Ghazaliya district, a warren of fraying apartment =
buildings, modest=20
houses and potholed byways. The school is not hooked up to =
Baghdad's=20
sewer system, so the septic tanks from the restrooms drain into a =
reservoir=20
beneath the front courtyard. The sewage seeps up through the ground and =
into the=20
path of students. The classrooms have no window screens to keep out the =
swarms=20
of flies and mosquitoes, and no air conditioning. When Hussein's =

government fell in April 2003, U.S. military officers and civilians =
began=20
appearing at Shura. They handed out new book bags and pens for some of =
the=20
students and promised to improve conditions. Nearly a year later, =
in=20
March, contractors showed up and began painting the building and shoring =
up the=20
walls. They tore out the student restrooms in the rear courtyard and =
began to=20
lay the foundation for a new bathroom. Several weeks later, the work =
abruptly=20
stopped. The floor of the students' bathroom is now littered with =

construction debris; the children must relieve themselves on the rubble. =
The=20
door to the teachers' bathroom was removed and has yet to be replaced. =
Cracks=20
run up through the walls where new wiring is supposed to go. =
 "The=20
Americans promised to improve our conditions," student Nura Ahmed said, =
"but we=20
think they were all lying." The problem with the Shura project is =
one=20
that bedevils much of the country: corruption. The culprit, =
according to=20
Iraqi education officials, is a former teacher who persuaded the U.S. =
military=20
to give her an office and let her choose which schools should be =
refurbished,=20
and by which contractors. The woman, identified as Ezra Abdul Razak, =
allegedly=20
demanded bribes from the contractors. She has since vanished, and an =
Iraqi judge=20
is investigating the case. Meanwhile, the contractors have not =
been paid=20
and have halted work on Shura and nearly 100 other schools. The =
Al Kake=20
company is one of the contractors owed money =97 more than $500,000. It =
suspended=20
work on 13 schools, including Shura. Dakhil Muhsin Mohammed, Al Kake's=20
president, said that even though the fraud appeared to have been =
committed by=20
Iraqis, the Americans bore responsibility. "You occupy this =
country, you=20
should do your utmost to make sure things work," said Mohammed, who has =
a=20
certificate of appreciation from the U.S. military prominently displayed =
in his=20
office. "I don't blame people when they criticize the Americans for not =
doing=20
things that are tangible." Abbas Musawi is one of those critics. =
Last=20
year, the member of the Ghazaliya neighborhood council praised the U.S.=20
occupiers so vocally that he was the target of an unsuccessful =
assassination=20
attempt by insurgents. "I was so enthusiastic," he recalled. "I =
was=20
always telling the people that all you have to do is be patient, because =
these=20
people are going to rebuild this country." A year later, Musawi =
says he's=20
seen almost no changes. He has resigned in disgust from his post in a =
central=20
organization of neighborhood councils. He displays a photograph of =
radical=20
anti-American cleric Muqtada Sadr outside his shop and proudly pointed =
to the=20
other pictures lining the streets of the neighborhood. When U.S. troops =
tore the=20
photos down after Sadr's armed supporters fought them in the area last =
month,=20
Musawi helped replace the pictures with hundreds of new =
ones. "Nothing=20
has changed in this neighborhood," said Musawi, driving past acres of =
smoldering=20
roadside trash. "They've moved tanks and weapons thousands of miles and =
they=20
can't bring trucks to take this away?" Later, Musawi sat in the =
office of=20
Shura's headmaster and his colleague on the Ghazaliya council, Ibrahim =
Mohammed=20
Abdullah, and inspected its empty door frames and crumbling tiles. =
 The=20
men complained that the occupation authority did not seek enough input =
from=20
Iraqis, who could guide them through the corruption-riddled world of =
local=20
contracting. They rattled off stories of the graft that has infected the =

reconstruction process, including a local project in which the =
contractor did=20
not repair sewer lines yet pocketed $25,000 from the =
Americans. "We're=20
talking about schools and sewage," Musawi said. "Wait until we reach the =
phase=20
of rebuilding the Iraqi Ministry of Defense. There will be weapons =
contracts.=20
Imagine the corruption." In her classroom, Abbood said Iraqis =
would=20
focus on results. "Our traditions and religion teach us to be a=20
peace-loving society," she said. "We will be grateful to those who help =
us. But=20
those who only bring terror and killing, beware." 
<HR width=3D"20%">

<HR width=3D"20%">
Times staff writers Charles Duhigg and Patrick J. McDonnell and =
Suhail Ahmed=20
of The Times' Baghdad Bureau contributed to this =
report. <BR=20
clear=3Dall> 
<DIV class=3Dcopyright align=3Dcenter>If you want other stories on this =
topic,=20
search the Archives at <A=20
href=3D"http://www.latimes.com/archives">latimes.com/archives</A>. <A =

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