Ministry of Truth

4 October 2004


Karzai Controls Media in Pre-Election Afghanistan

There are 18 individuals running for the office of President of Afghanistan. One of them, President Hamid Karzai, is getting more than his share of media attention. As the incumbent, naturally, he has a job that puts his face in the spotlight. But with 85% of the editorial coverage and 75% of the media attention from state-run TV, the playing field is far from level. Even in political advertising, which all candidates receive, Mr. Karzai has three times the slots the nearest rival has. This media control undermines the legitimacy of the upcoming elections.

While this journal doesn’t have much to say for or against Mr. Karzai’s service thus far, he has not been democratically chosen. He serves largely at the behest of the US and its allies who installed him after the evil Taliban were thrown out so nicely. The loya jirga meeting that selected him, largely because Washington said so, held some legitimacy as a traditional Afghan way of addressing major, national issues. But it was not an expression of democracy.

Not that democracy in a country like Afghanistan has to take on western habits. There are many ways for the people’s voice to be heard. And democracy does not exist to choose good and wise government. Its purpose is to bestow legitimacy, placing the responsibility for the choice of government on the governed.

However, the stated policy of the occupying powers has been to create a government that reflects the will of the Afghan people based on an election to take place on Saturday. The actual policy has been to make sure that the current regime gets the stamp of democratic approval. That is not quite the same thing.

The problem with the pro-Karzai media is that it creates the impression that the election won’t be fair – that is that only Mr. Karzai has a chance to win. Those familiar with the elections held in the late and unlamented Soviet Union see the parallel. It is not enough for the people to vote. They must hear all views and then make their decision. By saturating the airwaves with pro-Karzai news, those who oppose the incumbent have reason to believe the event is a sham. And when the ballot fails, the bullet is an alternative. Afghanistan has a long history of bullets, and a very short one of ballots. The policy may be self-defeating.

© Copyright 2004 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.

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