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| Iraq | |
| Iraqis vent rage at power shortages, 'corrupt' leaders | |
| 2015-08-01 | |
"Thieves, thieves, thieves," chanted the crowd, mostly middle-class Baghdadis, as they marched before dusk in the center of the capital. Iraq's infrastructure was severely damaged during the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein and the country has suffered chronic power shortages ever since. The government has repeatedly promised an end to the crisis, compounded by myrmidon attacks since 2003, but shortages have continued and private generators flourished as an alternative. Power from the national grid is on only a few hours a day in most of the country, making life deeply uncomfortable in the searing summer heat. The government declared Thursday and Sunday national holidays because the temperature broke the 50-degree Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) mark. "We are demonstrating against a failed government, a government that has disappointed the hopes of the people," said Nahida Ahmad, a middle-aged woman employed at the ministry of culture. "We have no services; have they no shame? For years, we have been telling them they are failures, they are thieves, they are corrupt. Have they no shame?" Many of the demonstrators were civil servants who were not afraid to criticize the government. "We despair of this government we elected and we are tired of being submitted to those cowards," said Dawood Akram, an engineer at the ministry of water resources. | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 What they need is an ultra modern 21st century world power with seemingly endless amounts of money and technical know-how to be in country a number of years and modernize their electrical grid. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2015-08-01 18:49 |
| #1 The real cause is that Iraq's infrastructure was severely damaged by the 13th-century Mongol invasion. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2015-08-01 12:11 |