Not so long ago, Mohammad Tahir was a government official with a comfortable salary and a position in the Defense Ministry. Today, he sells bread from a mud-and-wood shack along the side of a road.
To Tahir, democracy is a distant dream.
"It appears our country is moving in that direction," he said as just a few kilometers away the final preparations were being made to open Afghanistan's first parliament in more than 30 years. "But my life is getting worse."
PHOTO: AP
Though proud to be once again participating in the administration of their own government, the anticipation many Afghans feel ahead of the opening of parliament on Monday is marred by deep-rooted pessimism and doubt.
Like Tahir, many cite a litany of pressing day-to-day concerns -- rising unemployment and prices, long stretches without electricity, the dangers of crime and the random violence of an ongoing insurgency.
"I'm not optimistic at all," Tahir said as a group of fellow shopkeepers nearby nodded in agreement. "We've done our part. Now it is up to the politicians to do theirs."
In a historic vote, Afghans filled the 249-seat Wolesi Jirga in elections three months ago. They also elected provincial councils that then chose two-thirds of the 102-seat upper chamber, the Meshrano Jirga.
President Hamid Karzai, a popular figure here, appointed the remaining 34 members.
The elections were generally seen as a success and marked a major step forward after the ousting of the hardline Taliban regime four years ago. It will be the first time parliament has convened in this war and strife-torn country since 1973.
The elections were even more impressive considering the hurdles Afghanistan continues to face. After three decades of occupation and civil war, its economy is a shambles and its security is in large part in the hands of the 20,000 US troops and thousands of international peacekeepers deployed here. Bombings and suicide attacks are a daily fact of life.
So on one point everyone agrees -- the road ahead will be bumpy.
Many critics -- and average Afghans such as Tahir -- believe the legitimacy of the parliamentary elections was undermined by the government's failure to keep warlords from strong-arming their way into office.
"The opening of parliament will not be viewed by many Afghans as a positive step," Saman Zia-Zarifi said, the research director for the Asia division of New York-based Human Rights Watch. "They will see it as a potential disaster."
Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries in an airplane fire in South Korea, authorities said yesterday, with local media suggesting the blaze might have been caused by a portable battery stored in the overhead bin. The Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321, was set to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in southeastern Busan, but caught fire in the rear section on Tuesday night, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants and staff were evacuated down inflatable slides, it said. Authorities initially reported three injuries, but revised the number
‘BALD-FACED LIE’: The woman is accused of administering non-prescribed drugs to the one-year-old and filmed the toddler’s distress to solicit donations online A social media influencer accused of filming the torture of her baby to gain money allegedly manufactured symptoms causing the toddler to have brain surgery, a magistrate has heard. The 34-year-old Queensland woman is charged with torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations. A decision on her bail application in a Brisbane court was yesterday postponed after the magistrate opted to take more time before making a decision in an effort “not to be overwhelmed” by the nature of allegations “so offensive to right-thinking people.” The Sunshine Coast woman —
BORDER SERVICES: With the US-funded International Rescue Committee telling clinics to shut by tomorrow, Burmese refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals Healthcare centers serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after US President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which funds the clinics with US support, told the facilities to shut by tomorrow, a local official and two camp committee members said. The IRC did not respond to a request for comment. Trump last week paused development assistance from the US Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his “America First” policy. The freeze has thrown
PINEAPPLE DEBATE: While the owners of the pizzeria dislike pineapple on pizza, a survey last year showed that over 50% of Britons either love or like the topping A trendy pizzeria in the English city of Norwich has declared war on pineapples, charging an eye-watering ￡100 (US$124) for a Hawaiian in a bid to put customers off the disputed topping. Lupa Pizza recently added pizza topped with ham and pineapple to its account on a food delivery app, writing in the description: “Yeah, for ￡100 you can have it. Order the champagne too! Go on, you monster!” “[We] vehemently dislike pineapple on pizza,” Lupa co-owner Francis Wolf said. “We feel like it doesn’t suit pizza at all,” he said. The other co-owner, head chef Quin Jianoran, said they kept tinned pineapple
RSS