In the days shortly before and shortly after the U.S. invasion, we were given rosy promises, some of them by the invaders themselves and some by Iraqi exiles who returned to the country.

We were told each Iraqi family would be given a share of the revenues from our massive oil riches. Iraqis would no longer suffer from lack of food, medicine or housing, we were told. There would be no more jobless Iraqis, they led us to believe, and the days of constraints and restrictions on our movements would be gone forever.

They even said there would no more torturing of prisoners, no more summary arrests and no more extra-judicial killings or imprisonments.

We were so naive to believe them.

Today, they are repeating the same pack of lies. They are making similar promises in the run-up to the general elections scheduled for December 15.

The incumbent government, for example, is making so many promises, none of which it bothered to realize during its time in office.

Other political factions vying for power are making even rosier promises. Going to the polls is a duty which I encourage all eligible voters to undertake.

But before casting our votes, we need to make sure those we select don't deceive us again. Otherwise there is not point in voting.