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Afghanistan/South Asia
Democracy Afghan style: "Vote, or we burn your home!"
2004-09-25
Call me crazy, but to me this seems more like democracy Chicago-style.
KHOST, Sept 23: One of the largest Pakhtun tribes in southeastern Afghanistan threatened on Thursday to torch the homes of voters who fail to elect incumbent Hamid Karzai in next month's presidential vote. "All the Terezay tribes' people should vote for Hamid Karzai...if anyone from Terezay tribe votes for other candidates, the tribe will burn their houses," the tribe warned on local radio in the border province of Khost.
After which the Marines will come and burn yours.
In a tape of the broadcast, the statement urged both male and female members of the tribe to take part in the polls and throw their support behind Mr Karzai, a fellow Pakhtun. "All of Terezay tribe people, including males and females, have to vote for Hamid Karzai because he is the only suitable person for the presidential post," it said. The Terezays number between 120,000 and 150,000 and are scattered in the mountains of southern and eastern Afghanistan.
I rather like this style of campaigning. Direct and to the point; no nuance here! Terezay tribe is taking the voting process seriously and acknowledging the women voters. They grasp the concept of "one person, one vote." They will abide by the results of the election (as long as it swings their way, heehee). They've come a long way from the Stone Age they existed in on September 10, 2001.
Mr. Karzai, favourite to win the Oct 9 polls, must draw his support from the same communities that the Taliban militants hail from. The English-speaking transitional leader will race against 17 candidates, among them former education minister, Yunus Qanooni, an ethnic Tajik who enjoys wide support in the north.
While Terezay tribe debates the finer points of party machine politics and getting the vote out, the "Short-Bus Coalition" also has election ambitions:
Taliban-led militants have threatened to disrupt the polls and attack all 18 candidates.
How can the people who are so stupid be trusted to govern themselves, as a nation they are not classifiable as adults and it is true for the whole muslim part of the globe
Posted by:Fawad

#7  sKerry's tactic is a bit different, but not by much. He establishes phantom voters and has felons go door-to-door. Then, after the election, he sends out his lawyer goons across the country to "enforce" the vote.
Posted by: Capt America   2004-09-25 4:37:56 PM  

#6  But Fawad, the mere fact that the Terezay leadership has to issue threats to get people to vote "their way" shows that some of the tribe members might be thinking independently. I still think that this is an incredible leap forward for Afghans.
Posted by: Seafarious   2004-09-25 1:08:01 PM  

#5  As long as there are tribes and feudal lords any where, democracy cannot exist. All you have to do to win an ellection is to bribe a tribal leader. Same is true of Pakistan. India is much better off because the first thing they did after independence was to crush the feudal system.
Posted by: Fawad   2004-09-25 9:42:18 AM  

#4  Mike, are you serious? Only sKerry is led by Terayza Ketchup.
Posted by: Nutcracker   2004-09-25 9:19:29 AM  

#3  Are the Terezay led by Terezay Heinz-Kerry?
Posted by: Mike   2004-09-25 8:42:10 AM  

#2  Wait, are the Terezays hunched-over yellowshirts? If so, I can't tell them apart from the SEIU!
Posted by: Edward Yee   2004-09-25 1:29:52 AM  

#1  Hey, the Democrats do much worse with their "Get Out the Vote" campaigns. The Democrats have dead people vote for their candidates. Come to think of it, this seems strangly appropriate for them.
Posted by: Capt America   2004-09-25 1:11:47 AM  

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