Democracy review

Ahead of the International Day of Democracy, Sep 15, we chart our progress, and look at goals ahead.
For civil society activist Habiba Aman the rule by a majority that protects liberty of political thought and media is democracy. On Twitter, President Ashraf Ghani wrote: “Afghanistan would not wait for history to decide … The Afghan people themselves have made history and would build democracy.”

Dawood Murdian, chairperson of the Institute of Strategic Studies (ISS), sees democracy in the people’s participation in elections. “Democracy in Afghanistan has challenged the viewpoint that it cannot grow in the Islamic world. When a war stricken, tribal and conservative country such as Afghanistan can take important steps for democracy, surely stable countries living on welfare have numerous opportunities to strengthen democracy,” he says.

There are others, jihadists like Islamudin Azizi, who think Islamic beliefs are contrary to democracy. He identifies “three pillars of democracy – humanism, liberalism and secularism”.

For parliamentary speaker Abdul Rawoof Ibrahimi, each country’s experience of democracy is different. “I don’t have a specific idea of what kind of democracy is best for Afghan society,” he told Killid.

What is Afghanistan’s democratic experience? To Hasan Ayubi, a master’s student at the Ibn Sina private university: “The democracy of representation means that decisions related to society are being taken not by a single individual but by representatives elected by people.”

What lies ahead for democracy?

For all the people who believe in democracy, there are many naysayers like Sharif Islamkhil who has lived through several regime changes in Afghanistan. “I think foreigners have brought this word to destroy our religion, and indoctrinate our offspring,” he says.

The challenge will be to strengthen democracy, which is now threatened by foreign interference and internal conflict. For all those who are sceptical, it must be remembered that there are millions of Afghans who risked their lives to cast their vote. According to Murdian, “If there is no foreign interference and leaders in Kabul act responsibly, Afghanistan can be an inspiration for democracy in the region.”

Speaker of Parliament Ibrahimi believes Afghans are a democratic people. “If all government institutions fulfill responsibilities, our people have a talent to build a democracy.”