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| Afghanistan |
| Meeting on Afghan Constitution Delayed |
| 2003-12-09 |
| C’mon, nobody here thought this would happen on time. EFL. An historic gathering to ratify a new constitution for this war-ravaged country has been delayed for several days to give delegates time to reach the capital, a constitutional council spokesman said Tuesday. The government had planned the loya jirga - or grand council - to start Wednesday, but spokesman Farooq Wardak said that would not be possible. ``The delegates need more time to get here,’’ he told The Associated Press. "It’s all the road construction, the commute is terrible." He said the meeting would start Saturday, with addresses from former king Mohammad Zaher Shah and President Hamid Karzai. Wardak said pre-council meetings have already begun, and some of the 500 delegates - elected in local meeting from each of Afghanistan’s 32 provinces - were already trickling into the capital. Security is a great concern for the gathering, to be held in northwest Kabul at an enormous tent, according to Afghan tradition. Guardian reporter has an outstanding command of the obvious. "A great concern". I could write this story from Chicago. The 50-page draft constitution was unveiled Nov. 3 after a year of work and many delays. It envisions an Islamic republic with a powerful presidency and a bicameral legislature. The president would be commander in chief of the military, appoint one-third of the legislature’s upper house and name judges, military officers, police and national security officials. It also guarantees a role for women in running the country and enshrines their right to an education. Not a bad start. Perhaps they can slip in something about religious freedom. The grand council is open ended, though Wardak said they were hoping to wrap things up in about 10 days. The delegates will be allowed to approve amendment. Ratification of the constitution will pave the way for national elections scheduled for June but also likely to be delayed by a month or two. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #6 LH, I agree that the Russians totally ignored the people that actually lived in Afghanistan and tried to lay a Xerox of their own government and society. Continued pressure on Pakistan to improve human rights will leach into Afgahnistan as well. It will probably leach faster as we improve the Afghan infrastructure. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-12-9 11:44:13 AM |
| #5 we spent blood sweat and money in Afghanistan to get rid of the people who flew planes into the WTC and the Pentagon. At the same time, as a SIDE benefit, we're leaving the Afghan people FAR better off than they were. If afghan ends up with a govt that defers to mullahs on some issues, instead of being run by mullahs - that lets women go to elementary school, and go to high school and university EXCEPT when theyre married instead of one that made it a crime for girls to go elementary school - that gives women the vote and has women cabinet ministers etc then we've done our job. Making Afghanistan into a secular state like Turkey would take 100,000 or more troops, and would likely fail anyway (see the USSR and 1979) |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-12-9 11:05:41 AM |
| #4 SH and LH--Good points. We can't expect Afghanistan to become a utopia for human rights overnight. However, it's not 1789 anymore, and I hope we haven't sacrificed so much blood, sweat, and money just to get a Taliban LiteTM government installed. If nothing else, installing a secular government has got to be the highest priority. Women will have a much better chance to claim their rights eventually under a secular government. |
| Posted by: Dar 2003-12-9 10:14:37 AM |
| #3 how many married women were in school in the US in 1789? |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-12-9 9:31:39 AM |
| #2 We will probably be more comfortable with the constitution that the Iraqi's create. I expect civil society will leach through Iran after the coming upheaval in whatever form it takes. Social overreaching in Afghanistan will just hand the country back to the Taliban. Afghan history is full of governments that held no power outside of Kabul while the countryside remained lawless. I don't particularly care for the compromise on slavery that was required to get a constitution ratified in the US in the 18th century. Socially, the forefathers were centures ahead of the hinterland Afghan tribes with respect to women's rights. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-12-9 4:39:27 AM |
| #1 There are disturbing things about these 'advancements' in Afghanistan. Using a law passed in the mid-70s, Karzai's government is prohibiting thousands of young married women from attending high-school classes. It's a big blow for female students, who had been denied the right to be educated under the hardline Taliban regime. LINK Article 3, of the draft constitution, condemns any law "contrary to the sacred religion of Islam." Accordingly, the Holy Koran, the Sunna and Sharia, as interpreted and applied by mullahs, are the supreme law of the land. LINK |
| Posted by: Gasse Katze 2003-12-9 2:13:33 AM |