阿拉伯撰稿人披露的伊拉克內幕 (包括伊拉克國內選票熱賣的行情)

阿拉伯撰稿人披露的伊拉克內幕 (包括伊拉克國內選票熱賣的行情)


首先，讓我們感謝阿拉伯撰稿人提供的信息。
這些信息向我們展示了“民主”“選舉”在伊拉克上演的鬧劇。

伴隨著許多暴力事件和混亂，伊拉克在前一陣上演了“民主”“選舉”的大戲；在
“民主”“選舉”期間，“選票”買賣的生意也非常火爆。

埃及媒體已經披露了伊拉克的“民主”政閥和軍閥向海外伊拉克難民購買“選票”
的內幕。具體情況，請參考我的博客文章 (埃及媒體關於伊拉克最近情況的報道)
(注：向海外伊拉克難民購買“選票”的行情為每票300美元)

既然敢到國外購買“選票”，這些政閥和軍閥在伊拉克國內就更加肆無忌憚。
下麵是關於伊拉克的“民主”政閥和軍閥們在投票前積極購買“選票”的情況：


伊拉克的小百姓們希望出售手中“選票”以換取急需的現錢

伊拉克的小百姓們對於那路政閥或軍閥能在“民主”“選舉”中獲勝毫不關心。他
們唯一關心的是他們手中的“選票”可以從政閥和軍閥手中換到現錢。
由於這次“民主”“選舉”中伊拉克的各路政閥、軍閥競爭趨於白熱化，所以伊拉
克的小百姓們也有機會把自己手中的“選票”賣個相對好點的價錢。

伊拉克的“民主”“選舉”的經紀人們積極操辦“選票”買賣事宜

自從伊拉克有了“民主”“選舉”以後，出現了一種新興的特殊職業--“選舉”經紀人。
“選舉”經紀人到小百姓們那裏聯係“選票”，然後把這些“選票”賣給願意出最
高收購價的政閥和軍閥。而“選舉”經紀人可以從這種“民主”的生意中牟取相當
的利潤。

這些“民主”的“選舉”經紀人幫助活躍“選票”買賣市場的事跡難以計數。
我們可以看一看其中的幾個例子。

多囤積“選票”等待最佳出售時機

艾哈邁德-薩拉姆平時是薩德爾城的一名臨時機修工，現在已經成為一個“選舉”經紀人。
他說：“選舉是賺錢的好機會 ... 有好些人要出售他們的選票，又有好些人要收購
這些選票。”
他指明，小百姓不在乎誰贏得“選舉”，誰也不相信“選舉”能帶來不同，所以他們
要賣手中的“選票”換錢。現在一般百姓為一張“選票”向經紀人要20到100美元，也有
的貧窮百姓隻要每票5美元。
艾哈邁德-薩拉姆現在已經聯係到100張要出售的“選票”，他還在聯係更多的“選票”，
當地各路的“民主”政閥和軍閥們都向他表示要收購這些“選票”。
但作為一名過硬的“選舉”經紀人，艾哈邁德-薩拉姆還在等待“民主”“選舉”的
最後時刻，到那時價格會進一步上漲，那他控製的“選票”就可以賺取最大利潤。

和批量收購“選票”的“民主”政閥建立合作關係，以此謀求晉升的機會

默哈默德-馬利基是一名25歲的“選舉”經紀人，他住在巴格達南麵60公裏的西拉。他
平時是一個掃大街的臨時工。
他表示他現已聯係到200張要出售的“選票”，而當地的某個“民主”政閥表示願意
以每張“選票”60美元的價格收購默哈默德-馬利基的全部“選票”。那個政閥還表
示願意給默哈默德-馬利基安置更好的工作。

積極參與每次“民主”“選舉”的“選票”買賣，從而致富,並可到政府或軍隊當官

祖海爾-阿基爾也是一名“選舉”經紀人。他住在巴格達東南60公裏的阿齊齊亞。
和前麵那些“選舉”經紀人一樣，他也是到處聯係要出售的“選票”並賣給各路“民主”
政閥和軍閥。
他表示從2005年第一次“民主”“選舉”以來，他就一直在幹“選票”買賣的生意。
光是伊拉克2009年的地方“選舉”，他就賺了足夠的錢去購買一輛出租汽車，並過上了
好日子。
關於今年的“民主”“選舉”，祖海爾-阿基爾認為充滿著更多的商機和利潤。
他表示某個“民主”政閥已經向他批量訂購“選票”，那個政閥答應在當選後
把祖海爾-阿基爾介紹到伊拉克的“民主”的政府裏做官或到“自由”的軍隊或警政機關
裏當總監。
祖海爾-阿基爾表示那樣的話，他的日子就更舒服了。

小老百姓希望這次的“選票”能賣個好價錢

“選舉”經紀人祖海爾-阿基爾的鄰居烏姆-馬爾克是一個上了年紀的寡婦，
她說在去年(2009年)的地方“選舉”中，她把她的“選票”賣給了一個什葉派的
“民主”政閥。那個政閥給她一些毯子和電器商品作為交換。
烏姆-馬爾克感歎上回的“選票”賣的價錢太低了，她表示這回一定要賣個好價錢。
她說這回她的這張“選票”一定要賣到100美元，同時，她說她的三個女兒也有“投票”權。

“民主”政閥和軍閥的努力不斷刺激著“選票”買賣的市場

有“民主”“選舉”護航，伊拉克“自由”的政閥和軍閥們顯然是要官運長久的。
到目前為止，以努裏-馬利基和阿亞德-阿拉維為首的各路政閥、軍閥和“選舉”經紀人
仍將為具體的官位分配而繼續打鬥，繼續經營“選票”買賣。





下麵是參考材料：

The March 7 election may be a critical event in the contest to decide Iraq's future, but for some of the nation's poor, the right to vote does not mean having a say in who leads the country; it means having something to sell to make desperately needed cash.

With intensive campaigning now under way in what is shaping up to be a highly competitive ballot, votes have become a precious commodity, a fact not lost on many ordinary people who care little for politics but who struggle to make ends meet.

"Elections are a beautiful opportunity to get some money," Ahmad Salam said. "There are lots of people willing to sell their votes, and lots of people who want to buy them."

A mechanic by trade working in the impoverished Sadr City slum of north-eastern Baghdad, Mr Salam has taken on the role of an election agent with a difference. He collects votes and then offers them en masse to whichever party is prepared to make the highest bid, taking a commission for his efforts.

"I have 100 people who have given me their vote to sell," he said outside the small garage where he is employed as a casual worker, earning a few dollars a day. "None of them cares who wins, none of them thinks it makes any difference, so they give me their vote, and I sell it."

According to Mr Salam, some of the poorest voters were prepared to take as little as US$5 (Dh18) to guarantee their allegiance in the election booth. Most charge more, between $20 and $100, depending on the number of voting-age adults in their family.

"If you have five or six people in your family who can vote and you get $20 for each one, that's good money when all you have to do to earn it is stand at a polling centre for an hour," he said.

Various parties had already been in negotiation with him over the 100 votes, he said, but he has not yet made a decision to sell; with two weeks left before election day, he expects to be able to push the price up and collect more votes to sell.

"I've spoken with many candidates already about this from various political parties," he said. "I've talked to most of the big parties, all of them, religious, secular, nationalists and they were all interested in buying. Here [in Sadr City] it is the religious groups that are the richest and strongest so I expect I will sell to them."

Selling and buying votes is illegal under Iraqi law and various parties and candidates contacted by The National insisted they would never engage in such practices.

None were prepared to comment on the record about the issue, insisting they did not want their name associated with election fraud in any context, even to deny it.

One MP allied with Iraqiyya, the nationalist movement led by the former prime minister Ayad Allawi, said buying votes was "unethical and pointless". Iraq has a secret ballot system, which means that a voter could in theory take money from one candidate and cast their ballot for another, without ever revealing who they really supported.

However, many Iraqis, especially the uneducated - often, although not always the poor - do not believe their votes are cast in secret. Therefore if they made a deal to sell their support, they would honour the sale.

In the military neighbourhood of Aziziyah, 60km south-east of Baghdad, Um Malk, an elderly widow, said she had sold her vote in the 2009 provincial elections to a candidate who brought her some blankets and electrical goods.

"That man was from a Shiite party and said if I voted for him, I would get gifts," she said.

"This time I know better and I will not give my vote for so little. I want to sell it, but I need $100 because I have three daughters who will vote as I tell them."

One of her neighbours, Zuhair Aqeel, is also an election agent, who collects votes and sells to the highest bidder. "I have done this work in every election since the first in 2005. From the last elections I earned enough to buy a small taxi which has given me a good living.

"This year I hope to do even better and I think I will be able to get one of the candidates to promise me a job in a government office or as an administrator in the police or army. If I get that, I will be comfortable; I'll have a stable salary and a stable life."

In previous elections winning parties have made little secret of bestowing favours on supporters. Under the sectarian system of Iraq's current government, which is due to change constitutionally after this election, ministerial portfolios were divided out among parties, which then gave out jobs largely as they saw fit.

In Hilla, 60km south of the capital, Mohammad al Maliki, 25, said he was also touting votes as a selling agent. He normally works as a street sweeper on temporary contracts.

"I've got almost 200 people who have given me their vote to sell," he said. "All I need is the money to pay them and a promise that I will have a job after the election. Whichever candidate gives me that, I will give them the votes."

Mr al Maliki said he had spoken to a leading local candidate who had given him an assurance of $60 per vote, plus employment. He dismissed suggestions his actions were either illegal or immoral.

Those working as election agents all said they kept a list of the names they had collected and, once they have sold the votes to a candidate, would make sure the entire group voted on polling day. Payments would only be made after the election.