Pave the Way for Development
The swearing in of the government of national unity on Sep 29 sparked both waves of hope and cynicism. There were those who wished the government well, others who thought it would not last.
In Kandahar, Zabul and Uruzgan provinces, people wanted the new leaders to put the country back on the development track that would pave the way for the creation of jobs.
Tribal elders
Allegations of fraud have stained the presidential election. Tribal elders worked honestly in public, but they used their power to promote their favourite.
Haji Agha Lalai Dastageer, a tribal leader and member of the Kandahar provincial council who was head of Ashraf Ghani’s campaign team says that he and others were impressed by his programmes, high thoughts, and decisiveness.
Dastageer was a Zulmai Rassoul supporter in the first round of election. He told Killid he received no money for campaigning, but the central team paid him expenses for holding meetings.
According to him, the turnout in the April 5 poll was poor. But due to the efforts of Ghani’s team, polling was brisk in the runoff on June 14.
Wali Shah Agha, another member of Ghani’s campaign team in Kandahar, feels voters did not find it difficult to choose between the two candidates. According to him, Ghani was “thoughtful, educated and an international personality”, while Abdullah Abdullah was not. Agha says Ghani had promised him that he would solve all the problems of tribes in Kandahar.
Wali Shah Agha heads the 600-member tribes’ coordination council of Kandahar. All the council members voted for Ghani in the runoff, according to him, not for money or power but for the establishment of a government that would root out administrative corruption and rehabilitate Afghanistan. He says some tribal elders asked for money for their votes but “I did not give any or promise seats.”
Mohammad Nayeem, a member of the Uruzgan provincial council and an important member of the Ghani campaign team said they chose him for his abilities. “He would work for Afghanistan,” he says.
Naeem says the team mobilised thousands of votes from the districts and capital for Ghani. No money was paid for the votes.
Mohammadullah Munshi, member of the Uruzgan provincial council who headed the Ghani team claims former president Hamid Karzai told them to vote for Ghani at a meeting. He claims they were told he has the capability to develop the country and pave the way for peace.
Munshi had supported Rassoul in the first round.
He says he received 50,000 Afs (870 USD) from the central campaign team, and raised the rest from his own resources. He campaigned across the province for Ghani, mobilising people through meetings and the media.
According to him, campaigning for Abdullah in Uruzgan was poor.
Maryam Rahmani, a member of the provincial council of Zabul who was in the Ghani campaign team says she worked tirelessly without expecting any favours in return. She used her own resources for the campaign. Many people came out to vote for Ghani, she says.
Sardar Mohammad, a Ghani supporter in Zabul, is sorry he bothered to vote because of the outcome of the polls. Ghani formed a coalition government, which he had promised not to do, he asserts. “I will not greet him again,” he adds.
Mujahid loyalties
Abdul Khliq Noori, a powerful member of the Abdullah campaign in Kandahar province, is all praise for the mujahedin who have made many sacrifices for the country. The gathering for Abdullah, a mujahid, was the biggest in the campaign, he claims. Abdullah has promised to tackle unemployment, encourage agriculture and infrastructural development of the country. Noori expressed strong reservations about General Rashid Dostum, Ghani’s first-vice president, who he accused of killing tens of people “for his own private interests”.
Noori denied the campaign bought votes from voters. He insists that if there were people who asked for money, they were not allowed to join the Abdullah team.
Haji Ehsan, head of the Kandahar provincial council, an Abdullah supporter in both rounds of elections, calls him “the most capable candidate”. He insists he never asked for favours.
Hamidullah Tokhi, representative of Zabul in Parliament, says he supported Abdullah because he is a mujahid and a decisive leader. He believes Abdullah is the best leader at this critical juncture, acceptable to both Pashtuns and Tajiks, the two biggest ethnic groups in the country. His father is Pashtun and mother Tajik.
Meanwhile, Salam Jan, a tribal leader in Uruzgan, says as a mujahid he is a member of the Abdullah team. In the past 30 years of war, Abdullah never left his people alone, he adds.
He believes Abdullah should have been the winner in both rounds of elections “but he has been cheated … the elections were not transparent”.
Time to act
Javid Khpalwak in Uruzgan province says the national unity government was “necessary” because Afghanistan is a tribal society and all the tribes had to be accommodated.
Sharifullah, a resident of Kandahar, says the government has an opportunity to work according to the wishes of people and solve their problems.
Mohammad Shafi reminds tribal elders that they must keep the promises they made.
Gulalai Mashal from Uruzgan province has a question for the two leaders. If the outcome of the election was to be a partnership of the two front-runners, then why was the country put through two rounds of presidential polls? he asks. The government cannot afford to put off dealing with the business of governing any longer, says Mashal.
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