This post refers to events that occured in Algeria last weekend.

The Algerian regime, though it has made some reforms, is not pleasant. It is corrupt, gluttonous, and repressive. Life is difficult for many in Algeria, especially for the forgotten ones of Boumerdes who were displaced by an earthquake in 2003 and still have not been able to return to their homes from temorary housing units made of tin called chalets. Corruption, frustration with the tortse rate of housing construction, and the general quality of life led 200 Algerians in the area to demonstrate infront of the town hall of Bordj-Manaiel on Saturday. They complained that the chalets were around for too long for too many people and that the efforts to bring them home were not sufficient.

Today 15 people are in prison in connection with riots in Thenia on Friday. According to Lameen at Jazairana (a great English language blog by an Algerian linguist),

The Friday demonstrations in Thenia took place when supporters left the stadium after the local football club lost its match with Lakhdaria. El Khabar says that the rioters destroyed telephone poles, burned the local cultural center and telephone booths, threw stones at the town hall, and blocked the road. As El Watan tells it, the demonstrators deny any connection with football, speaking instead of jobs, housing, development, and care for the earthquake victims; according to El Khabar, the initially football-related riots rapidly turned into political protests about the marginalized state of Thenia, arguably the town hardest hit by the 2003 earthquake, protesting delays in housing development and repairs. The town remains in a sad state, according to El Khabar: ruined buildings everywhere and garbage in the streets.

The Thenia 15 are charged with destruction of other people’s property, destruction of State property, infringement of a constituted body, arson, and breach of peace. The city is calm today, with riot police everywhere. The detained protesters include “a 55-year-old English teacher and a person who lost his mother and four sisters in the earthquake, rendering him head of what remains of the family.”

Well isn’t that grand? Punishing the victims for the shameful inaction of the government. Rather than make a major change in policy, by oh, say, expediating the construction of housing for the displaced, or perhaps giving the quake victims a better lot, the government has decided to defend its miserable, terrible, inhuman, and misanthropic policy.

Ali Bendrici, governor of Thenia’s wali, Boumerdes, has said that no one will be forgotten. Maybe he means that they won’t be forgoten after Friday. Or perhaps he means that the Thenia 15 will not be forgotten until they are dealt with. The governor is very optimistic, almost nauseatingly so. No, it is nauseating. He proudly told El Watan that a third of those displaced have been rehoused. Half of the homes destroyed have been rebuilt! Great! That would be truly amazing and comforting if, I stress if here, this earthquake had occured in 2005, maybe even late 2004. But it happened in 2003! What is that? Four years now? That’s not progress, that’s neglect. With all the money coming into Algeria from the new and high gas prices (I know they’re getting some of this, I mean, I’ve been seeing people pay 40, 50, even 80 bucks a gallon here in the States, and that can’t possibly be hurting Algeria’s cash flow (34% of US gas comes from Algeria), much of which goes to the state), you would think the government would use it for something. I mean, Sonatrach, along with foreign companies, have been making finds throughout Algeria. People have been buying and bidding up contracts and cutting multi-billion dollar deals with the state. It has even been said that Algeria is feeling the beginnings of an “economic boom,” fueled by high oil prices.

Where is this money going? Luxembourg? Switzerland? St. Lucia? Singapore? Nauru? The only thing I’m certain of is that it is not going where it should be. Algeria made the mistake of squandering oil wealth on fancy cars, pan-Arab aid, and fine foods for the elites before. The result? Massive riots, repression, and economic depression and structural decay. Nigeria has made the same mistakes. Algeria has a second chance. Though the government has somewhat diversified the economy, the fact remains that far too much of the economy is reliant on petrol. Petrol states don’t produce democracy or order, and they don’t produce useful and lasting employment. When the wells dry up, so too do the jobs (not that the industry is creating many jobs in Algeria anyway). As economist Nacer Jabi was quoted as saying,

The macro economy is great. But, the micro economy is still lagging behind . . . Social problems are a reality … we do have good economic indicators . . . but we do also have high unemployment particularly among the youth . . . We do have a severe housing crisis, we do have water problems, poor education and so forth.

These miskates are not the fault of France, the US, Israel, the pieds noirs, the EU or anything else. It is the fault of the leadership. Le Pouvoir. Bring the people of Thenia home. Stop ruining the educational system. Stop locking up the weak and poor. Use oil revenues wisely (well, first become wise).

There is a System Of A Down song called “Deer Dance,” its lyrics perfectly describe the way the Algerian government (as well as the Islamist militias) has always treated its people, without exception (every president has abused the people, every president has spit in their eye). Here are some excerpts (full song lyrics are here, and you can listen to a sample here, it is track three)

Battalions of riot police,
With rubber bullet kisses,
Baton
courtesy,
Service with a smile

. . .

Push them
around,
A deer dance, invitation to peace,
War staring you in the face, dressed
in black.
With a helmet, fierce,
Trained and appropriate for the
malcontents,
For the disproportioned malcontents,
The little boy smiled,
it’ll all be well,
The little boy smiled it’ll all be
well,

Pushing little children,
With their fully automatics,
They like to push the weak
around,
Pushing little children,
With their fully automatics,
They like
to push the weak around.