The re-election of Hamid Karzai as President of Afghanistan augurs well for the future of democracy-building in this troubled nation. Whatever the merits and demerits of the election process, President Karzai still retains the ability to keep his nation united and ensure that it has a fighting chance to win the war against the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Karzai’s critics may have a good case against him on many counts, but he remains the best bet for the future of Afghan democracy. His main rival, Dr Abdullah Abdullah, is also a good and competent man, but he would not have been able to fill the space that would have been vacated by Karzai, if for no other reason than his ethnic identity. As a Pashtun, Karzai represents a larger, and politically more important, segment of the Afghan people. Retaining their commitment to democracy-building is vital, before Afghan democracy can focus on empowering other, minority, groups like Dr Abdullah’s Tajik brethren. It is just as well that Dr Abdullah chose to opt out and concede defeat. Mr Karzai could consider inviting Dr Abdullah to join him in a national government, but creating a healthy opposition is also good for the future of Afghan democracy.
Democracy-building is messy business. Making real democracy work is even messier. And, make no mistake, a messy democracy is better than no democracy. It is time the West understood this. None of their democratic systems started off perfectly. Indeed, they remained grossly imperfect for a long, long time. Women got to vote in Britain more than hundred years after men. Blacks in the US got voting rights many generations after the whites. Forget history. Barely a decade ago, the US was caught in an electoral deadlock with serious charges of fraud in Florida that could well have cost Mr George Bush his presidency. The charges of fraud against Karzai may be bigger in quantitative terms, but in qualitative terms, they are no different from the ones hurled against then President Bush. If American democracy has survived that fraud, Afghan democracy can be given this chance to survive this fraud. Western do-gooders and bleeding heart liberals are often quick to condemn democratic malpractice without appreciating the strategic importance of making even imperfect elections work. Nothing is more important to democracy-building than a second election. Many democracies have been waylaid by first-time winners who have then gone on to destroy democracy. Mr Karzai is not one such demagogue. He may be corrupt and may have manipulated the system, but he offers hope to all those Afghans who wish to see their nation evolve as a modern Muslim society, with gender equality and respect for minority rights. Ignorant western critics used to tarnish the admittedly flawed democratic process in Jammu and Kashmir on similar grounds. But Kashmir has shown that staying the course helps widen the base for democracy as more and more people begin to trust democracy and participate in elections. Bad democracy yields place to good democracy. No democracy never yields.
