I'm not an economist and I have a very limited background about economy since its a very big science but when economy contradicts logic I try to find an explanation.

          Today, we received a press release. As a summary for the release, the Iraqi minister of finance received the Italian ambassador in Iraq and they discussed the procedures of ending the subject of the Italian loan to Iraq. The loan (400 million euro) will be used to buy Italian agricultural machines to be distributed to the Iraqi farmers

          Until now, everything seems normal and logical. A third world country takes loan money from an industrial country. That would be completely acceptable if this third world country is a poor country but is it acceptable for a country that gained 32 billions dollars only as supplementary budget from the increasing of oil prices?

          Why does Iraq need this loan? Our government wastes millions of dollar everyday in putting more blast walls, renewing pavements and of course in buying new armored vehicles for the enormous and increasing number of Iraqi officials. We can buy thousands of agricultural machines with the millions that have been wasted for the faked projects. Of course I'm not talking about the millions that had been stolen by the former ministers or even by the contractors.

          I'm seriously waiting for an answer by an economist because the whole loan seems one more contract in the wallet of someone. 

          It is summer in Iraq as it is in the northern half of earth but summer in Iraq is something different. Its not hot because the world hot is not strong enough to describe our summer. So, let me say it is like hell. Yes, we practice hell every minute during summer in Iraq with a temperature of 107 degrees. Furthermore, Ramadan started. Today is the second day of Ramadan. As so many people know; fasting is ordinance. That means to control myself from dawn until sunset. I must not eat or drink and I have also to control my nerves because fast means more than feeling hungry or thirsty. It means to feel the suffering of poor people and to behave like real good people.

          When I come to office, I pass through the city center. It is an area called Bab al Sharji. Most of the convoys of the officials pass through this area also. Today and as usual, I reached the area. I found a kind of traffic. A convoy of one of our (sacred officials) was waiting to pass. Six pick- up trucks of the Iraqi national police and the car of (his majesty the sacred official) is in the middle of them. I was walking in this hot day while his majesty was in his bullet proof air conditioned vehicle. I was about to cross the street when one the policemen who shouted "Stop. Wait. Don't pass." I was like "what you want me to wait in this sunny place for the sake of a man?" I lifted my shirt mocking "see there is not explosive vest." He didn't talk; he only waved for me with his hand to stop. Before doing or saying a word. A young soldier from the checkpoint on the side of the street came towards me smiling. He took my hand and he helped me to cross the street as if he was telling the policeman to be a human being. The policeman kept watching without saying a word. I felt I'm a child who can't do anything without the help of an adult. God damn it. What a big size child I am; a 38 years old child. Isn't that funny? That is really humiliating. I thanked the soldier and continued my way coming to the office.

          With such officials who moves only with protection and air conditioned vehicles and who know nothing about their duty in Iraq and with such a stupid policeman (we have a lot of policemen who are the same as the one who stopped me);with such arrogant Iraq has no chance to walk one step forward.

          It was about 10:30 a.m. when I got in a mini bus to come to the office. The capacity of the bus is eleven passengers. I was the first. The driver told me that he would move when only seven passengers get in the bus. That was good for me because it means saving time in this hot summer. I was followed by an old man. When he sat on his place he said "let's see. The man said he would move when seven passengers get it." I told him that the driver told me the same thing. The man replied "Yes, we will move when we have quorum." I don't know why I couldn't control myself. I started laughing loudlly. I said "Thanks God its only eleven. If it was like the old buses which carry 40 passangers, It would be a big problem and we will never have quorum." We laughed for seconds and then the dream came true. we were only five men when three women with a kid got in the bus. I told the old man "Now we have quorum and more, we have a high representation of women. Its more than 25% as it's mentioned in the Iraqi constitution." The speaker of the bus (the driver) didn't waste time and he turned on the engine.

          Our bus parliament was much better than the Iraqi parliament. The driver gave up a part of his right and we also did. This is life. No one can get everything but we always work to get the best but we have all to remember than we live with others and they also work for their best. I don't know when our politicians will realize this truth. They have been discussing important issues like the oil law, Kirkuk issue and the SOFA. Each party wants to win everything and that is why no one of these parties is a winner. Our parties lost their popularity.

          We always use the term the ship of Iraq to refer to Iraqi nation. With the ongoing disagreements between our political parties, our politicians will never lead the ship of Iraq to the shore of safety