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Not only political analysts and MPs, but a cross-section of Afghan society is worried by the large number of Wolesi Jirga members accused of war crimes and human rights violations, fearing such MPs would greatly reduce the parliament's effectiveness.
A report by the Afghanistan Centre for Strategic Studies said 35 percent in the 249-member Wolesi Jirga were former jihadis who fought against the Soviets in the 1990s. The fighting resulted in the deaths of more than one and a half million Afghans and injuries to millions of others.
On July 7, 2010, Afghanistan's Electoral Complaint Commission disqualified 36 candidates from the September 2010 parliament election, claiming they had ties to illegal private militias.
The disillusionment was apparent in Nangarhar resident Nasrullah Fazli’s voice. “In the first round of parliamentary elections, my entire family voted but no one paid heed to our problems. We decided never to vote again,” he said.
A taxi driver echoed the sentiment, calling parliament “a field of competition for smugglers and warlords”.
Several traders said, requesting anonymity, that they suspected some MPs of receiving funds from abroad. This, they said, would compromise their decisions.
Some MPs said foreign intelligence agencies were active in Afghanistan and that some MPs could have been influenced by them.
The strongest criticism came from students. Shabana, a Grade 10 student, said: “A large number of MPs are former warlords. They might be easily bribed. How can such a parliament solve our problems?”
Other students said that MPs have forgotten their primary function – to represent constituents, approve laws and better the employment scenario.
Kamal Nasir Osoli, an MP, said: “Afghanistan has been a battlefield for three decades. There are warlords everywhere, even in Parliament.” He added: “This time, we have more young MPs, who are not corrupt. This will help.”
Another MP, Obaidullah Kaleemzai, accepted that “there could be some MPs working for other countries”. But, he too said that the “presence of young MPs would achieve results”.
Kabul resident Habibullah said most of the MPs won because of their ethnicities and “foreign support”. “Such warlords and criminals can never work for the national interest,” he said.
Qari Muhammad Saeed, a Grade 12 student, said: “People are not happy. Such MPs don’t even know what their duties and responsibilities are. How can they serve the nation?”
Wahidullah Ghazikhel, a journalist and political analyst, was scathing in his observations: “The previous parliament was bad, and the present one is worse.” He divided the MPs into four categories: “Only 49 of the MPs are true representatives of the people; 50 represent serve America’s interests; 50 represent Europe’s interests, while the rest have links to Iran.”
But taxi driver Ahsanullah saw a ray of hope. “The present parliament will perform better because the previous MPs were unfamiliar with the rules and procedures. The current lot knows better.”
Afghans concerned about
A report by the Afghanistan Centre for Strategic Studies said 35 percent in the 249-member Wolesi Jirga were former jihadis who fought against the Soviets in the 1990s. The fighting resulted in the deaths of more than one and a half million Afghans and injuries to millions of others.
On July 7, 2010, Afghanistan's Electoral Complaint Commission disqualified 36 candidates from the September 2010 parliament election, claiming they had ties to illegal private militias.
The disillusionment was apparent in Nangarhar resident Nasrullah Fazli’s voice. “In the first round of parliamentary elections, my entire family voted but no one paid heed to our problems. We decided never to vote again,” he said.
A taxi driver echoed the sentiment, calling parliament “a field of competition for smugglers and warlords”.
Several traders said, requesting anonymity, that they suspected some MPs of receiving funds from abroad. This, they said, would compromise their decisions.
Some MPs said foreign intelligence agencies were active in Afghanistan and that some MPs could have been influenced by them.
The strongest criticism came from students. Shabana, a Grade 10 student, said: “A large number of MPs are former warlords. They might be easily bribed. How can such a parliament solve our problems?”
Other students said that MPs have forgotten their primary function – to represent constituents, approve laws and better the employment scenario.
Kamal Nasir Osoli, an MP, said: “Afghanistan has been a battlefield for three decades. There are warlords everywhere, even in Parliament.” He added: “This time, we have more young MPs, who are not corrupt. This will help.”
Another MP, Obaidullah Kaleemzai, accepted that “there could be some MPs working for other countries”. But, he too said that the “presence of young MPs would achieve results”.
Kabul resident Habibullah said most of the MPs won because of their ethnicities and “foreign support”. “Such warlords and criminals can never work for the national interest,” he said.
Qari Muhammad Saeed, a Grade 12 student, said: “People are not happy. Such MPs don’t even know what their duties and responsibilities are. How can they serve the nation?”
Wahidullah Ghazikhel, a journalist and political analyst, was scathing in his observations: “The previous parliament was bad, and the present one is worse.” He divided the MPs into four categories: “Only 49 of the MPs are true representatives of the people; 50 represent serve America’s interests; 50 represent Europe’s interests, while the rest have links to Iran.”
But taxi driver Ahsanullah saw a ray of hope. “The present parliament will perform better because the previous MPs were unfamiliar with the rules and procedures. The current lot knows better.”
Afghans concerned about
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