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A woman activist turned to us in disbelief: "This is worse than our worst expectations. The warlords have been promoted and the professionals kicked out. Who calls this democracy?" Interim government ministers with civilian rather than military credentials were dismissed. Karzai did not announce the minister for women's affairs, prompting speculation that Sima Samar, the popular current minister in that post, will be removed once international attention shifts elsewhere. Meanwhile, the key ministries of defense and foreign affairs remain in the hands of General Mohammed Qasim Fahim and Abdullah Abdullah, both from the dominant Northern Alliance faction. Three powerful Northern Alliance commanders - Fahim, Haji Abdul Qadir and Kharim Khalili - have been made vice presidents, surrounding Karzai. These are the very forces responsible for countless brutalities under the former mujahidin government. There are a few glimmers of hope in the appointments of professionals like Ashraf Ghani as finance minister and Juma Mohammed Mohammadi as minister of mines. But will they be able to accomplish anything within a government of warlords? As the loya jirga folded its tent, we encountered frustration and anger in the streets. "Why did you legitimize an illegitimate government?" one Kabul resident asked us. The truth is, we didn't. While the Bonn agreement and the rules of the loya jirga entitled us to choose the next government freely, we delegates were denied anything more than a symbolic role in the selection process. A small group of Northern Alliance chieftains decided everything behind closed doors and then dispatched Karzai to give us the bad news. This is not what we had expected when we first gathered in Kabul to participate in one of the most extraordinary events in Afghan history. Delegates from all backgrounds - Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks; urban and rural; Sunni and Shiite - sat together as if we belonged to a single village. Women played a leading role at these meetings. We were living proof against the stereotypes that Afghans are divided by ethnic hatreds, that we are a backward people not ready for democracy and equality. Within a day we had developed a common wish list focused on national unity, peace and security. We also emphasized access to food, education and health services. But the issue that united the delegates above all others was reducing the power of warlords and establishing a truly representative government. This sentiment quickly grew into a grass-roots movement supporting the former king, Mohammed Zahir Shah, as head of state. The vast majority viewed him as the only leader with enough popular support and independence to stand up to the warlords. But our democratic effort to nominate Zahir Shah did not please the powers that be. As a result, the entire loya jirga was postponed for almost two days while the former king was strong-armed into renouncing any meaningful role in the government. After that announcement, the atmosphere changed radically. The loya jirga was now teeming with intelligence agents who openly threatened reform-minded delegates, especially women. Of course we are discouraged that our experiment in grass-roots democracy was suppressed. We are disappointed that our leaders are not willing to recognize women's rightful participation. Above all, we regret that they and the international community abandoned any commitment to democratic rights as soon as we sought to exercise those rights. Yet we still believe that the seeds of democracy planted by the loya jirga will take root and flourish. As delegates return home, every town and village will gather to discuss what happened. The initial experience of democracy we had in Kabul can be developed into new forms of political expression. The course of the loya jirga demonstrated that powerful forces inside and outside the country remain categorically opposed to democratic accountability. But the reactions we saw on the streets of Kabul showed that the popular will of Afghans will not tolerate a retreat into the past. Omar Zakhilwal, an economics professor at Ottawa University, and Adeena Niazi, president of the Afghan Women's Association of Ontario, were delegates to the loya jirga in Afghanistan. They contributed this comment to The New York Times. Copyright © 2002 The International Herald Tribune |