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My name is Syed Faqir.
I am 84 years old and I have been a taxi driver for 55 years. Before 1953 there were only 16 taxis in the whole of Kabul. Now there are more vehicles in Kabul than there are people. You can find any type of vehicle, any model, all the high class ones.
I leave home at around 8.30am and work till 1pm. I rarely work the whole day, I am not that strong. I stay at home with my grandsons in the afternoon. It’s spring now; we have flowers and vegetables. I water the plants.
Sometimes I make 1000Afs in one hour and sometimes nothing in a whole day. Petrol is expensive; I don’t always cover the cost. The Mafia owns the oil. Prices change all the time – there is no one controlling it. Sometimes they sell water and pretend its gas.
It was 1959 when I married. I have 4 sons and 2 daughters. We all live together. My sons are very nice. We won’t get separated. We have dinner all together. I am so happy with them.
Driving is very dangerous. It’s too hard to drive in this city. If you have an accident, you are gone. You have to drive slowly. But when you drive 120 Km/h, it’s nothing but death for you. It’s all filled with danger. I don’t like it at all but I am forced to do it. I don’t know how to do anything else, I never finished school. But God looks after me and I can handle it.
It’s hard to be a taxi driver. Everyone is a thief – whether they are stealing your food, your taxi or pretending to be a taxi driver and stealing your fares. I have to pay an annual tax of 20,000 Afs but if you have an important family you only have to pay 1,500 Afs. Like the ministers’ children, they all run private taxis with their nice cars. Even Karzai’s car works as a taxi. These guys have 2010, new models. Mine is 1972. It’s such a mess.
The only thing this government has done for us is to bring too many cars and too many televisions. Such thieves, the government, all they know are dollars. Such thieves with such big tummies that they can’t get into a car. They have forgotten God. I’m so sick and tired of it all. If there is a NATO contract to build a road for $10 million, $5 million goes to Mr. Minister and $5 million to Mr. Director.
A minister goes to the toilet and blocks the road and 100,000 cars are stuck. In the past, we used to go to a minister just like that; his door was open. Now we can’t even see the minister on TV. These guys don’t even allow you in their offices. His soldier will hit you with a machinegun.
That is what they made for us. Now that these Americans are here, let them work and build the country. We are stuck in this tragedy. At least they give us money – like the Communists – they loved the country. They fed the poor. They looked after jets and tanks. They were building the country but they were called “Infidels…infidels…” The Americans are infidels too, but nobody cares because of the dollars. Once a Canadian man left $70,000 in my taxi. I kept it until he came back for it three months later.
My best memories are from when Zahir Shah was King. If someone was killed he would bring in the whole tribe or district and beat them or throw them in the river until they told him who did it. But now nobody cares.
In 1973 after the coup against Zahir Shah I saw his family being put on a flight. The police left them with nothing. That scene made me cry for a few days. The day after that I hit 30 sheep on the road because my mind wasn’t calm. I had gone insane after I saw that scene.
A person has two good times in his life – once when he is a small child, people will love him then. And once when he is old – people respect me now. I can do what I want because I am so old. I can even insult people and they will do nothing. Everybody is so nice to me. The traffic police and soldiers leave me alone. If they ask for my license I tell them ‘what license? My beard is my license.’
!!!! I like this loyan's attitude.
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