During a short work trip, I faced with my colleague two difficult questions and we worked hard to find the answers. One question was answered by a picture but the other question is still buzzing my mind.

In our way back to the office, we were forced to go through Sheikh Maroof neighborhood which is one of the hot spots in Baghdad. Most of the drivers avoid going through the area because of the sudden changes that might happen in it any moment.

For me and my colleague, we had no choice by to go through the area. We don’t know how controls it. My colleague kept driving as fast as he could through the small dirty bystreets trying to find an end. A young man was looking to us in a strange way while we were laughing. My colleague was telling me “hey laith, I swear this guy is Mahdi army member” and I answered him “its possible but you know, he could be Qaeda”.

I cant deny that we were trying to control our fears by keep laughing because we expected an attack at any moment. After about ten minutes of driving in the small bystreets, I saw a pig picture of one of the Shiite clerics who was killed by Saddam’s regime. I felt of because I knew this is a Shiite area but how about my colleague, I cant feel safe enough if he is not safe. I found out a very quick funny and strange solution.

Shiite people are very well known that we wear rings with gems. So, I put my right hand on the door of the car after lowering the window and I prepared myself to use my original accent. Thanks Allah I didn’t need to say a word because we reached the main street and we came back safely to the office. Now we know for sure that Sheikh Maroof is a Shiite dominated area and that was the answer of the question that terrified us.

Again and after passing through the main street leading to the office, we saw some daily workers who were doing their job. They were not cleaning the street, they were not maintaining the sewage network, they were not fixing the electricity towers. No, they were doing something completely different.

They were PAITING THE CONCRETE SIDES OF THE BRIDGES WITH A PALE GREEN COLOR. One of the workers was painting one of the decoration in the concrete side (8 angles star with a dark green color. When I saw this useless work, I started making fun as my friends know. I told my colleague “see this hard work. Don’t ever blame or even say a bad word about our brave patriotic government and don’t ever say that there are no strategic projects. Did any country ever think about painting the sides of the bridges? Im sure no country did”.

I felt bitterness killing me. Why does the government give money for such useless work? What is the benefit of painting the concrete sides of the bridges? How does the painting participate in rebuilding Iraq. I couldn’t find any answer for my questions accept for one common answer.

The whole thing is not more than a clear picture for the administrational corruption.

The money spent for these useless PROJECTS is my money, the poors money and its even Americans taxes payers’ money. I hope that the Iraqi and the American officials do something about this money wasting and should punish all the corrupted people severely with the hardest legal sentences because the hard sentences would be a good lesson for all the corrupted people and a real good start for the real reconstruction. The big question is (when will the Iraqi and US officials start the war against the administrational corruption?)