President Hamid Karzai's brother, Ahmad Wali Karzai. In the interview,
he claimed to favour traditional tribal councils rather than
Western-style elections or a Western-style central government. Well if
that is the case, then he should try to influence his brother, President
Karzai. It is President Karzai that has been trying to strengthen the
central government at the expense of the traditional tribal councils. It
is President Karzai that has been trying to gain control of the
Election Commission. President Karzai needs to listen to what his
brother is saying and let go of this impractical idea of having a strong
central government in Afghanistan.
Senator John McCain, last year, had suggested that Ahmad Wali Karzai
leave Afghanistan for the good of the country. Ahmad Wali Karzai claimed
that Senator McCain's suggestion smacked of imperialism. Toronto's
Afghan community does not believe Ahmad Wali Karzai (or AWK) should
leave Afghanistan. They believe he should be investigated. And if
evidence is found that he is involved in the illegal narcotics trade,
then he should be prosecuted in Afghanistan. As for AWK's claim that
McCain's's suggestion smacked of 'imperialism,' then having thousands of
foreign troops in Afghanistan also smacks of imperialism.
At the end of the day, the NATO mission in Afghanistan is not a
humanitarian mission to help the country get back on its feet. It is
primarily a counter-terrorism mission. Counter-terrorism missions
generally do not require thousands of troops -- rather, they require
Special Operations Forces units and/or drones. Thus, the only
conceivable reason for thousands of foreign troops to be in Afghanistan
is... imperialism.
In the interview, AWK said that the US wants Afghanistan to move into
the 21st century but that Afghanistan is still in the 18th century. 'You
want us to achieve in eight years what you achieved in 100 years.' No,
that is not America's main criticism of the Karzai government. The slow
pace of development is not America's main criticism of the Karzai
government. The rampant corruption is America's main criticism of the
Karzai government. Whether Afghanistan remains in the 18th century or
moves into the 21st century, there is no excuse for having corruption in
the state apparatus. There is no justification for government
corruption.
AWK and his brother, the President, tend to use the same tactic. When
accused of corruption, they try to distract the international community
by claiming that 'Afghanistan is moving at its own pace' or that
'Western-style democracy will not work in Afghanistan.' The issue is not
the absence Western-style democracy, and the issue is not the slow pace
of development. The issue is corruption. One Toronto-based analyst
said, "If the Karzai government is able to get rid of the corruption, it
won't matter to the US if there are Western-style elections or
traditional tribal councils in Afghanistan. If the Karzai government is
able to get rid of the corruption, it won't matter to the US if
Afghanistan remains in the 18th century or moves into the 21st century.
Just get rid of the corruption.'
