Opinion Up next in Kabul: polls key to its future
Tiny green pieces of cloth flutter atop a group of graves just near the old town of Kabul.
Tiny green pieces of cloth flutter atop a group of graves just near the old town of Kabul. Large mud homes with well crafted wooden windows still show what the small valley city of Kabul once was. As we walk into the alleys to immerse ourselves into the rhythm of the city,we see an almost endless street. Women in their blue veils seem to be floating through the street as the westerly winds catch their beautiful fabric.
We stop at the street corner of a very popular tailor. He isnt just a famous tailor; he has also played the villain in several Afghan movies. We begin chatting with him in broken Farsi and then later,through a translator,about the upcoming elections. Seeing us at the store,a woman decides to stand back,away from the store. We almost move away,but another woman walks up and begins talking to the shopkeeper and then to us. We ask her about the upcoming elections. She is unsure who to vote for. In any case,she says,it is not the Afghans who will decide but the Americans.
I ask her why. She says,In the last election people voted. But ballot boxes went missing for many hours and then the votes from Afghans in Pakistan were all forged. And it isnt just her: such rumours have become common. And the spread of disillusionment reflects poorly on the quality of democracy available to Afghans,and that was promised to them by the world community. Of course,the feeling of being set up extends all the way to the top.
Ahmed Wali Masoud,the brother of the late commander Ahmed Shah Masoud,recalls the U.S. role in selecting Hamid Karzai,the current president: The Bonn conference had 13 votes. Hamid Karzai only got two,but the then US and the British Ambassador insisted that we elect him. We had little choice,so we went ahead with it. Back then,in 2002,Masouds Northern Alliance was very strong,but they also decided to go with Hamid Karzai to try and bridge the divide between the Tajiks and the Pashtuns. The Americans and the British were the only ones that had the money to help them rebuild their country and help stop it from becoming an al-Qaeda training ground,so Hamid Karzai was chosen.
Yet thats in the past. The future is what matters: Afghanistans upcoming election is going to determine the road this country is going to travel during the next few decades. Forty-four candidates have filed papers to become the all-powerful president of a nation that has been in turmoil for several decades now. (Many will drop out in favour of one candidate or the other.)
One of the frontrunners is Hamid Karzai,the incumbent,and the one whos being attacked by critics like the woman in the shop for being a U.S. puppet. He is also accused of being corrupt,that his brother has since amassed huge wealth. Hes managed to displease the West,too: one of his vice-presidential candidates is Mohammed Qasim Fahim,and several Western officials have criticised the choice,accusing Fahim of severe war crimes. His strongest opponent Abdullah Abdullah makes fun of Karzai. He calls himself the representative of 25 million Afghans,but he cant find 25 people to guard him and needs American security personnel.
Dr Abdullah Abdullah,the former foreign minister of Afghanistan and a medical doctor is one of Karzais strongest challengers. He was the one who appealed to the world post-9/11 to help rid his country of the Taliban. Abdullahs running strongly,as he has a clean,articulate image and his United Front is attempting to be inclusive. So while one of his vice-presidential candidates is from the south,a Pashtun,the other is a Hazara from the west. Another strong contender is former university chancellor,finance minister and World Bank executive Ashraf Ghani. Karzai,however,is strong with Pakistan-returned Pashtuns,who say that the good part about him is that he is not a killer.
In the past,Afghans have voted on the lines of their communities. But in this election the lines are blurred as each party tries to get its vice-presidential candidate from another group. As for issues,theres really just one: most Afghans say they are going to vote for a leader who can help them get rid of foreign troops from Afghan soil. If any leader could credibly promise them that,it would be a clincher.
This is for the second time that the people of Afghanistan will participate in an election. This election is yet another test to see whether the worlds efforts to install true democracy in war-torn Afghanistan will be a success or not. It will be an effort to steer the country clear from violence,fundamentalism and from being a fighting ground of warlords and a safe haven for al-Qaeda fighters. But it has to work even given Afghans suspicions about the U.S. The only option is to ensure that choice is visibly seen to be in the hands of the Afghans. What the international community needs to do is to make sure the election is free and fair.
The author is an Afghanistan-based writer
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