Iraqi president hands out cash on Bagdad’s streets

14Jul08

An unlikely statement as it may seem, Gordon Brown really could learn a thing or two about how to win votes from the Prime Minister of Iraq.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was spotted dishing out wads of cash to members of the public in Bagdad this weekend.  The handouts are meant to ease the pain of the war torn nation and help the Iraqi people get back on their feet.

A few rules were in place to govern the generosity: no sum was to be larger than £4,000 and no person was to receive a grant twice.

While this sort of scheme appears to have an inherent sense of disorder and unstrategic spontaneity, in an oil-rich nation where money is not the issue, the eye-catching initiative served to recognise the needs of the people. Politicians are too often seen as all talk, no action – a notion which al-Maliki single-handedly disproved.

Furthermore, although corruption is never far from the shadows of the Iraqi government, this move clearly demonstrates that those entrusted with the almighty task of steering Iraq to a brighter future are trying to make a connection with their people.

Hopefully, this gesture will have made an indelible imprint on Iraqi’s brains and offer them long-living hope. In many African states where a wealth had been accumulated through natural resources, that capital was harnessed by the elite and not a penny reached those who needed it most.

So from one struggling leader to another, Gordon Brown should take heed that the best political moves are not always those that balance the books, but which win the hearts and minds of the people who are being led.

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