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As allegations of corruption wear away at the scant remnants of authority left to the Western-sponsored Karzai government, the people of Afghanistan watch helplessly from outside the palace walls, worrying that many of the economic gains achieved since the Taliban’s flight from Kabul in 2001 stand to be thrown into reverse.
Stroll any market, and you'll hear a common complaint: there may be food in the shops, but at prices beyond the means of most Afghan families. Worse, the outlook for the coming years remains bleak. The economy has grown remarkably from the ashes of the Taliban era, but far too few jobs are being created.
Looking ahead, what ordinary Afghan citizens see are horizons of want, stalked by incessant outbreaks of violence from al Qaeda and the Taliban.
As Kabul municipal worker Sayed Omar told skyreporter in the film report AFGHAN RESENTMENT (see Recent Stories): “With all the international aid, we should be doing better by now.”
Father of five Mirwais Agha told us the government is irresponsible. “We’ve got economic problems, social problems – the ministers just aren’t working for us. They’re only out for themselves.” He laughs when I point out that U.S. President George W. Bush boasts of the Karzai regime’s achievements.
“We’ve seen this on TV, too. Of course it’s only politics. Karzai is his creation, so he must be seen to be good. Living here, we know different.”
Meantime, functionaries and hangers-on of the Karzai camp are doing just fine, thank you. This is especially true of the president’s more aggressive and conservative ministers, including two profiled extensively here at skyreporter.com: Attorney General Abdul Jabar Sabet and Information Minister Karim Khoram. (See THE AMERICAN CONNECTION film report, and our articles on the new media law.)
These officials represent a new breed of hard-headed, fundamentalist plutocrats. The dramatic improvements in their living standards since taking office is lamented not only by people in the street, but also by honest government employees, including some of high rank.
One official in the capital has communicated with skyreporter, but asks not to be named due to the “certainty” of being fired by his minister’s staff should he or any of his colleagues speak out of line. We’ve verified his identity.
He calls figures like Sabet and Khoram “relics of the past” who have nothing to offer war-weary Afghans. “We need to professionalize the highest levels of government,” he says. “We need to create a strong team of honest, qualified people around an honest president. We need people who really believe in delivering services to the people. Instead, we’ve got these people. They’ve shown they’re interested only in what power can bring to them personally.”
The good news for the country is the considerable managerial and leadership talent taking shape in parliament. The bad news is that President Karzai and his advisors are keeping them on the margins.
Kabul Member of Parliament Ramazan Bashardost told skyreporter.com in February that there is only one sure way of breaking the regime’s chronic maladministration, embezzlement and influence peddling.
“Get rid of the present government, and start over.”
Of course Mr. Karzai’s ministers have a vested interest in seeing that this course of action is never pursued. Unfortunately, the foreign powers that continue to pour tax dollars and troops onto Afghanistan’s chaotic political landscape show the same desire to maintain the status quo.
Coming soon to skyreporter.com – solutions to these ills, from people who still see possibilities of success and stability.
10 Comments
Thanks Arthur from your good and constructive articles, we really appreciate your hard work. Let me thank you on behalf of Afghans here in the South. We do not have any further hope from Karzia corrupt government after waiting almost five years for improvments....nothing is done to improve the governance and remove thoes they are invloved in looting. Recently, there are some news of changes in the cabinet of Karzia, reportedly, the defence minister, interior minister, chief of staff, the attorny genral and national security director are eithier going to be replaced or exchnaged as the informed sources reported. Karzia is going to bring fromer interior minister Ali Ahmad Jalali, the fomer foriegn minuister Dr. Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai to his cabinet..the current foriegn minister will also lose his job, as he is not welcomed by the president Karzia team. The main problem is that Karzia is leading Afghanistan without an strategic vision for the future, his reaction is based on the current situation. He is good to talk English fluently but not in action. He has no strong and good working team to work like a team and coordinate. Each minister has problem with other and they destroy thier colleagues performances to build up his career. Since Karzia sgtarted to lead Afghanistan, he put all the corrup warlords and druglords as governors of the country's provinces....the people don't like the governors, since they are not qualied to be governors and they are doing nothing and involved in the corruption, drug traffaficking and other bad activities. They have no strategies for good governance and to lead the locals honestly....to be very short and clear this government is the same like president Rabbani government which was only confined in Kabul and had no authority in the provinces. the reason of Taliban resurgance is not the people like them, but the weakness of the government and becuase lost thier hopes from this corrupt government..you see Karzia brought all fundimentalists to his government and praised them like Jabar Sabet, Farroq Wardak and KArim Khorum, all were and are members of Hekmatyar party and have the same vision to stop our freedom and stop life in Afghanistan.
We need a president, who is determied to lead us and his words have meanbing not like Karzia just talk and do not work....we need a person with good vision, who has a startegy to fight the terrorists on all angles and clean our socity from all thoese people they don't like freedom and don't want Afghans to have a good and possitive life...there are more to say. Thanks for
You could have substituted Canadian politicians publicly attacking a young hockey player ( Doan )to make this story . Not because he has been convicted of a crime but to appease a segment of voters or cause bad feelings against other politicians in order to gather votes .
Want to rein in these political parisites ? Please tell us your solution . I would like a public enactment of political ethics and accountability legislation with very sharp teeth .
Hello from Kabul, where, as Ahmad says above, President Karzai has stoked the rumour mills by acknowledging that a shakeup of his cabinet is in the works. Clearly he's feeling pressure after a number of his leading political rivals formed a united front to challenge his leadership. It seems that Mr. Karzai will try to head them off at the pass by welcoming several of these prominent figures into senior government posts - some for return tenures.
However, this is all talk and speculation at this point. A number of Kabulis I spoke with today say that the bigshots at the top can rearrange their cabinet chairs all they like. But until that new strategic vision Ahmad mentions is brought into being, all this talk and a fistful of Afghanis will get you a cup of tea in Kabul. Keep an eye out tomorrow, when we'll bring you the latest from the capital in Breaking News.
Arthur,
Please stay safe over there now ... your honesty is going to make you a marked man.
Thanks for all the great information and objectiveness.
yes , stay safe Arthur , a lot of us know your worth , and love of what you do , and we need you more than every , when the canadain gov , can get ppl talkin about who should be captain of a hockey team , it is a sad day for the rest of us.
imagine , them talking about someone callin the other a cocksucker , on the ice , never been said , lol ,but i guess the word french , or frog , when attached to , the act of sex , is worht taxpayer money
and yet i watched a brave young man on my tv , he was the one from nova scotia , who survived the easter attack ,on the canadian LAV , that killed six , but what story was bigger ,
ty arthur , please keep safe and reporting
All's well in Kabul, thanks, and the good news is our Afghan colleagues are reporting valiantly on - despite the Karzai adminstration's media crackdown. More soon.