Ben's Column

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Once again, the doomongers and naysayers were proved wrong. They had predicted a far lower turnout, not just because of the intimidation, but because the Iraqis felt the elections were a sham.<br> <br> Some critics even claimed that Arabs and Muslims did not want or were not capable of democracy. <br> <br> What rubbish! The Independent newspaper, a fierce critic of the liberation of Iraq, warmly welcomed the elections but said there success was no justification for the military action. How exactly does the Independent imagine Iraq would have reached this democratic milestone with Saddam still in power? <br> <br> The sneering and patronising tone towards the election by some critics in the west has been a disgrace. These people have never lived in a dictatorship and take their freedom for granted. But they have been put to shame by ordinary Iraqis who queued for hours and braved suicide bombers to have their first say in the future of their country. <br> <br> From Baghdad to Basra, even in the heart of terrorist strongholds like Fallujah they voted. <br> <br> Enormous challenges still lie ahead for Iraq. But the success of these elections should make progress easier, as similar elections have in Afghanistan. Terrorists and their supporters will no longer be able to claim they are fighting �American imperialism�, their fight, such as it is, is against the Iraqi people themselves. They have spoken. A flame of democracy has been lit in the Middle East. <br> </font></td> </tr><tr> <td height="-7"><a href="#top"><img alt="Back to Top" src="../../graphics/180601_pages/back_top.gif" width="100" height="27" border="0"></a></td> </tr> </table> </body></td></tr></table>