Afghanistan's Presidential Elections: From Undercounting in Florida to Over-counting in Kabul


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Related article in the Press: Afghan vote threatens Bush's credibility One Afghan, 6 votes — and 5 up for sale Other contributions by Jan Qarabaghi: Watch of the Battle of the Puppets Tale of Two Plans: the Marshall Plan and the 'Peanut' Plan Not In the Name of My God, Not in the Name of My Freedom G8 Summit: It Takes Two to Tango The Threat of B52 and the Palliative Effect of Kleptomania "Grand Assembly" or Grand Deceit?	`From Undercounting in Florida to Over-counting in Kabul` `By: Jan Qarabaghi` "The rise of democratic institutions in Afghanistan and Iraq is a great step toward a goal of lasting importance to the world. We have set out to encourage reform and democracy." `President George W. Bush, March 2004` `"If Afghans have two registration cards and if they would like to vote twice, well, welcome. This is an exercise in democracy. Let them exercise it twice. But it will not have an impact on the elections. If someone gives me three cards, I will take it and will go and vote. But my choice in voting will be the same. As a matter of fact, it [voting trice] does not bother me.”` `Karzai at the press conference with Donald Rumsfeld on the fraudulent practice of multiple registrations, (Daily Afghan Report, Radio Free Europe, August 12, 2004` `“I have only six cards but I have met many people who have 10 or nine cards.”` `Aziz, a French fries seller in Kabul (Toronto Star, August 16, 2004)` `“These people are responding to the opportunity that has been provided to them by Enduring Freedom and the presence of the international community. We are really in the frontline of freedom here.”` `Zalmai Khalilzad, U.S. ambassador to Kabul (Reuters, August 21, 2004)` It is ironic that contrary to the presidential elections of the year 2000, when then Republican candidate George W. Bush was accused of undercounting (through his brother Jib Bush) the black vote in Florida, in the upcoming elections of November 2004 he will likely be accused of over-counting the Afghan vote (through his regent Kahlilzad and satrap Karzai) in Kabul. In spite of the great distance and other significant differences between the two cities, the similarities of vote-counting problems among the two places are indeed striking. It appears that some people somehow have serious problems with basic arithmetic in both places. Judged by the quotes given above, one gets the impression that the only one who does not fall into this category of arithmetically illiterate is Aziz, the young Afghan French fries seller on the streets of Kabul, who, according to a story run by Toronto Star on August 16, 2004, knows that by selling 5 of the 6 voting cards he has garnered, he can make $1,000 in cash, and can still use the one remaining card to cast his vote for the candidate whom he might favor. The most confused among the quoted, however, appears to be Karzai, the satrap, who fails to understand that multiple voting by the same individuals does affect the outcome of an election, and that democracy is not about the procedural act of voting per se, to be exercised twice or trice, but about empowering the will of the people through honest, free, and fair elections. The next person on the list of the confused seems to be the American regent, Zalmai Khalilzad, who describes his warlord-dominated, drug-infested fiefdom of Afghanistan as the frontline of freedom. One wonders if his fiefdom is the frontline of freedom, where is then the frontline of tyranny? By making such ludicrous pronouncements, Karzai and Khlilzad raise the suspicion of either being under influence, or suffering from the delusional effects of the sleepless nights they spend in their barricaded quarters in the midst of the ruins of Kabul. Or perhaps they think that by making such far-fetched pronouncements they will exude optimism and make the problems of the beleaguered country go away. Let’s remind them both of the wisdom an old Afghan saying: “Saying sugar alone, does not sweeten your mouth.” In the meantime, despite this truth, over-counting in Afghanistan will likely on only to compensate for the undercounting in America!

News - Opinion - Analysis

Related article in the Press:

Afghan vote threatens Bush's credibility

One Afghan, 6 votes — and 5 up for sale

Other contributions by Jan Qarabaghi:

Watch of the Battle of the Puppets

Tale of Two Plans: the Marshall Plan and the 'Peanut' Plan

Not In the Name of My God, Not in the Name of My Freedom

G8 Summit: It Takes Two to Tango

The Threat of B52 and the Palliative Effect of Kleptomania

"Grand Assembly" or Grand Deceit?

From Undercounting in Florida to Over-counting in Kabul

By: Jan Qarabaghi

"The rise of democratic institutions in Afghanistan and Iraq is a great step toward a goal of lasting importance to the world. We have set out to encourage reform and democracy."

President George W. Bush, March 2004

"If Afghans have two registration cards and if they would like to vote twice, well, welcome. This is an exercise in democracy. Let them exercise it twice. But it will not have an impact on the elections. If someone gives me three cards, I will take it and will go and vote. But my choice in voting will be the same. As a matter of fact, it [voting trice] does not bother me.”

Karzai at the press conference with Donald Rumsfeld on the fraudulent practice of multiple registrations, (Daily Afghan Report, Radio Free Europe, August 12, 2004

“I have only six cards but I have met many people who have 10 or nine cards.”

Aziz, a French fries seller in Kabul (Toronto Star, August 16, 2004)

“These people are responding to the opportunity that has been provided to them by Enduring Freedom and the presence of the international community. We are really in the frontline of freedom here.”

Zalmai Khalilzad, U.S. ambassador to Kabul (Reuters, August 21, 2004)

It is ironic that contrary to the presidential elections of the year 2000, when then Republican candidate George W. Bush was accused of undercounting (through his brother Jib Bush) the black vote in Florida, in the upcoming elections of November 2004 he will likely be accused of over-counting the Afghan vote (through his regent Kahlilzad and satrap Karzai) in Kabul. In spite of the great distance and other significant differences between the two cities, the similarities of vote-counting problems among the two places are indeed striking. It appears that some people somehow have serious problems with basic arithmetic in both places. Judged by the quotes given above, one gets the impression that the only one who does not fall into this category of arithmetically illiterate is Aziz, the young Afghan French fries seller on the streets of Kabul, who, according to a story run by Toronto Star on August 16, 2004, knows that by selling 5 of the 6 voting cards he has garnered, he can make $1,000 in cash, and can still use the one remaining card to cast his vote for the candidate whom he might favor.

The most confused among the quoted, however, appears to be Karzai, the satrap, who fails to understand that multiple voting by the same individuals does affect the outcome of an election, and that democracy is not about the procedural act of voting per se, to be exercised twice or trice, but about empowering the will of the people through honest, free, and fair elections. The next person on the list of the confused seems to be the American regent, Zalmai Khalilzad, who describes his warlord-dominated, drug-infested fiefdom of Afghanistan as the frontline of freedom. One wonders if his fiefdom is the frontline of freedom, where is then the frontline of tyranny?

By making such ludicrous pronouncements, Karzai and Khlilzad raise the suspicion of either being under influence, or suffering from the delusional effects of the sleepless nights they spend in their barricaded quarters in the midst of the ruins of Kabul. Or perhaps they think that by making such far-fetched pronouncements they will exude optimism and make the problems of the beleaguered country go away. Let’s remind them both of the wisdom an old Afghan saying: “Saying sugar alone, does not sweeten your mouth.” In the meantime, despite this truth, over-counting in Afghanistan will likely on only to compensate for the undercounting in America!