The election of Hamid Karzai as the Afghan president for a second term ends a tumultuous period of uncertainty. The long-drawn electoral process was marred by allegations of ballot-rigging and other frauds, and finally the withdrawal of Abdullah Abdullah from the presidential runoff.
Many people may regret Abdullah's withdrawal from the runoff, scheduled for Nov 7, because it prevented Afghans from making a relatively fairer choice of their president. But the runoff was fraught with security risks, and Karzai did lead the election in the first place.
With the Taliban targeting election workers and voters, the government would have had to spend huge amounts of money and other resources to ensure their safety as well as fair voting. Many people could have lost their lives, families could have been ruined and precious property destroyed. The money and resources so saved can now be used for economic reconstruction, development and government reform, and to fight terrorism.
Abdullah is widely recognized as the political representative of the Tajiks, the second largest ethnic group in Afghanistan, says Ma Xiaolin, a commentator on international affairs who covered the Middle East as a journalist for many years. Therefore, Karzai's attitude toward him will determine whether Afghanistan will see ethnic harmony and national unity.
Abdullah has left room for negotiations, says Li Guofu, a researcher with China Institute of International Studies. Though he withdrew from the runoff, he did not call his supporters to take to the streets to protest.
Karzai, too, has said he is open to talks and cooperation with his rivals. That is an encouraging sign, and Karzai and Abdullah could even come to an agreement and form a coalition government, which would have a wider ethnic representation.
The other vital development to watch is how the new administration tackles corruption and cronyism in the government. Many Afghans have accused the Karzai government of being corrupt and incompetent. A free and fair election could have helped Karzai to prove, at least partly, that the truth is otherwise, but that did not happen. Now, to restore its legitimacy, the Karzai administration needs to win over the people with its competence, achievements and transparency.
Corruption in the Afghan government is not confined to one or two political figures, Ma says. Some politicians, including parliament members, are tribal leaders or former warlords who have patronized people with vested interests in their areas. So if the political establishment is not overhauled, even Karzai and Abdullah together will not be able to root out corruption.
Karzai, who vowed to combat corruption after being reelected, could start his fight against corruption in earnest by devising a process to select the ablest and honest people to run the government. Selecting such people will be a long and painstaking process, but it is the only road toward a stable, clean and competent political system. Only if a robust political system is in place can the Afghan government be free of cronyism and foreign forces.
The role of these Western powers is worrying, too, because the election has revealed they, especially the US, can still manipulate Afghan politics. The shadows of Western powers, especially the US and Britain, were long in both the presidential runoff and the power-sharing solution.
It's true that these powers have acted responsibly so far. But in the ultimate analysis, it's the Afghans who should be running their country. They have the right to design, foster, maintain and improve their political system. A sound and robust government can be established only through the will and efforts of the people.
Therefore, the international community should restrict its role to that of advisers and assistance providers, instead of dictating terms. After all, the colonial and invading powers are to blame for many of Afghanistan's problems.
The Western media, too, should restrict their role to journalism. They are watchdogs, not oracles. Hence, they should desist from ordering the Karzai administration to do something, which they think is right but may not actually be so. The arrogance of the Western media will in no way help the Afghan people or the country's reconstruction. It will not help the government, either.
(China Daily 11/06/2009 page9)
