Hope for Afghanistan
Afghanistan has for centuries been the subject of foreign invasion and occupation. Its time for democratic enfranchisement and prosperity is long overdue.
Congratulations are thus in order for Hamid Karzai on becoming the country's president-elect after securing 55 percent of the popular vote in the Oct. 9 election. After being pawns in endless rounds of superpower and tribal conflicts, it is our sincerest wish that these elections will herald a time of sustained peace so that the next generation of Afghanis may be properly fed, cared for and educated.
We hope that the people of Afghanistan are rejoicing in the same way that Indonesians did after their recent election.
Despite being the first country in the almanac, few know of this southwest Asian nation's hidden potential. People's perceptions of it are blurred by news reports such as those on the Soviet occupation, Osama bin Laden, terrorism and Bush's invasion.
Afghans have much to build with little to build upon except their faith in sovereign democracy. That in itself is a strong enough foundation for any country -- irrespective of religion, ethnicity, economy or geography -- to build upon.
We all know how adept their guerrillas are at unleashing rockets and mortars. Now is the time to unleash their potential in constructively building a young nation. There is much work to be done. Per capita annual income averages US$300, with 86 percent of the country's 28 million people, according to the World Bank, being illiterate.
Having won the election, the onus is on Karzai to ensure that it was all worth it. Elections do not a democracy make, and thus it is essential that he substantiates his victory with real results by forging a truly dynamic society in the coming years.
The Pashtun tribal chief, who has led Afghanistan's interim administrations since the Taliban was ousted in 2001, will now come under even greater scrutiny as lingering questions about electoral irregularities continue to cast a shadow over the election.
Karzai certainly has a lot to prove, not least that he is more than just some peon supported by the United States.
The world has seen enough of those sort of regimes -- procedural democracies that hold regular elections and claim to have representative institutions, while in fact there is very little semblance to the free society, open opposition and freedom of expression required for a true egalitarian state.
We in Indonesia should know. Our society was for decades in thrall to a system that was most adept at subverting democratic ideals.
Democracy in Afghanistan will mean allowing for competing political views, respect for non-traditional views of civic rights and a show of independence by not cowing to Washington's every whim. It will mean avoiding the easy route, which will entail the constructing of an economy that is not based on drug money and aid dollars.
It is also worth reminding ourselves that democracy -- no matter how benevolent the system -- is something that cannot be imposed. National societies must embrace the ideals inherent in democracy rather than being forced to accept them. A passion for democratic ideals should evolve naturally.
The creation of an environment that will allow democracy to bloom is what is needed of Karzai. An atmosphere that will blend Afghanistan's unique cultural perspectives with universally accepted norms, and not simply mimic American liberal democracy.
For the first time in many decades, the opportunities are available to the Afghan people. The road lies ahead of them and the possibilities are endless.