Bearded, or not?

Good riddance! No. I am not talking about the prize catch of Saddam Hussein. It's about his beard. He doesn't have to put up with this little nuisance any longer.

What puzzled me was whether it was his real beard or a false one to hide his identity from the U.S. forces in Iraq. The Jakarta Post of Dec. 15, 2003 carried two versions. In the front page, while publishing the images of Saddam Hussein, he was shown "before and after" his beard was shaved in custody. Actually, the photos were printed wrongly, his clean-shaven face on the left and the bearded one on the right. It should have been the other way round.

On the Business page of the same day, the Post also said that the soldiers tore off a false beard. Which version was correct? The capture of Saddam Hussein could have far-reaching effects, particularly in the Middle East. The people of the region should expect to have more freedoms, though it will take decades before they can enjoy full democracy.

First, Afghanistan. Second, Iraq. Third? Libyan leader Qaddafi seems to have got the hint, and hastened his pledge to eliminate weapons of mass destruction (WMD) from his soil. Iran has already agreed to cooperate with the UN for inspection of its nuclear facilities. It won't be too long before the other "rogue" state, North Korea, also sees the writing on the wall.

However, the Russian president looks at democracy in a different vein: "If by democracy one means the dissolution of the state, then we do not need such democracy. I don't think that there are people in the world who want democracy that would lead to chaos" (Gwynne Dyer the Post of Dec. 10).

Haven't we heard this kind of remark before? Even in the 21st century, there are still some leaders who think that their people are not yet ready for democracy, and, under this pretext, hold tight their grip on the electorate for decades. Some who usurp power through coups conveniently start wearing "democratic coats" but in reality, deny freedom to their people, by misinterpreting their constitution, or even change the constitution at will.

At this point in history, President Bush needs to be supported by all democratic heads of state so that more countries are nudged towards democracy. However, while doing so, he should avoid the temptation to appeal to "the law of force rather than to the force of law", as rightly reminded by the pope.

D. CHANDRAMOULI Jakarta