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POLITICAL PROGRAM of ABDUL-HAFIZ MANSOUR
(Source: BBC Monitoring International Reports)

The Afghan presidential candidate Abdol Hafez Mansur has set out his programme in a manifesto summarized by the Afghan newspaper Kabul Weekly. Mansur called for Islamic democracy, election of a parliament and balanced political and economic growth. He said security should have top priority. He stressed the need to make better use of international aid to improve the situation in the country. The following is the text of the version of his programme published in Kabul Weekly on 28 July; subheadings are as published

Dear readers! As one in the series of the publications of the programs of each presidential candidate, we review the viewpoints of Abdul-Hafiz Mansur this week.

"In the name of God, the Wise, the Almighty.

"Afghanistan had a particular grandeur throughout history. It has been the nurturing cradle of scientific and political personalities of national and international fame. It has been the cradle for Jihad (holy war) and resistance in the recent decades and has made epics and established pure values. Also, major conspiracies were hatched during this period, such as the Taleban, and values were transformed.

"We believe that under the present circumstances the following five maxims can be as foundations for the activities of the Afghan people:

"adherence to political peaceful struggle, instead of armed struggle, to establish a democratic government;

"attention to security and stability of the country and standing against any move that jeopardizes the security and stability of the country;

"appropriate and legal handling of the international assistance to Afghanistan;

"attention to a balanced growth of the economic, political, defensive, administrative and cultural dimensions of the country;

"reliance on the internal material and spiritual potential of the country and handling the assistance of the international community as a supporting force.

"Regarding the points mentioned above, we believe that we should make optimal use of the present situation and not miss this opportunity.

Here is an explanation of our viewpoints on the issues that, we believe, need discussion and addressing."

(Because of space constraints, we cannot publish all of Mr Mansur's viewpoints in detail. Here is an abstract of his 15-page programme - Kabul Weekly management)

Islam and Democracy:

Our understanding of democracy is that the people should have the right to determine their own fate. Such participation prevents the concentration of power in an individual, family and group. The power is then restrained and will lose its destructive dimension.

Since democracy is a way to control power, the systems advocated by democracy in different cultures are not similar. It has different shapes as witnessed in different countries.

As a matter of fact, neither Islam nor democracy stress a similar structure for the administration of affairs and the application of power. They take into consideration the cultural and historical conditions and support a system compatible with the specific situations. What is unalterable is the respect and commitment to human dignity, of which the result is the vote and the will of the people, without which no political legitimacy is established.

The easiest way to establish a democratic system in Afghanistan is the application of the religious injunctions that are supported by human experience. Such a way never approves hostility and aggression. It also does not endorse omitting and ignoring others.

We think those who want to establish democracy and a justice-loving system in Afghanistan by fighting against religion and Jihad jeopardize the security and stability of the country rather than establishing a democratic system.

We believe that, without respecting and observing the injunctions of the religion of Islam, we cannot make any achievements in political and social areas in Afghanistan. The experiences of the past decades in the country prove well that the anti-religious efforts end in disaster.

Human Rights

The Islamic teachings are the foundations of our viewpoints towards human rights. Since man has been called God's viceroy on earth and a holy being and all of the other provisions are at his service, discrimination and tribal, racial and language superiority have been described as infidelity. All of the people are equally responsible under the law. The life of a human being is, without any reservations, equal to the life of the whole of mankind.

As we believe, observing human rights does not mean just respecting human conventions. Beyond that, it is respect for mankind and obeying the divine orders. Therefore the government is duty-bound to support the independent human rights organizations. The basis should be laid so that the right to life, freedom of thought and speech, the right to work, the right to residence and the right to political activities are institutionalized according to the law.

Nationwide campaign against terrorism

The restoration of peace and stability in Afghanistan is of equal value to everybody, whether they are attentive to it or not. We believe that no group or tribe benefits from the deterioration of security in Afghanistan. As a matter of fact, all Afghan citizens are harmed by the deterioration of security. Without peace and security, we cannot advance constructively and we cannot promise positive changes to the people.

Therefore, the restoration of security is the most important thing.

This goal cannot be achieved without a nationwide campaign against the terrorism threatening the security of our country now. In addition to military campaigns, a nationwide campaign against terrorism needs to be fought by us in the political, social and cultural fields as well.

To prevent the interference of the neighbouring countries and to restore security, the existence of the international forces is a necessity until the country stands on its own feet. In order to establish national sovereignty, their presence should be according to the international laws and regulations.

Restoration of security in Afghanistan is in close tandem with restoration of justice. Unless the government administers justice in the reconstruction of the country and the recruitment of the civil and military personnel, it cannot win the confidence of the people and security is not then restored in the country. We believe that we cannot forcefully restore security in the country.

The terrorists infiltrate into Afghanistan from outside. So, to restore security, our country is in need of a well-thought-out foreign policy, not one day speaking of Afghan bravery and then the head of state apologizing to Pakistan and calling his own people hooligans (reference to speech and subsequent apology by Hamed Karzai after anti-Pakistani disturbances in Kabul).

Political system

With respect to the tribal, language and religious diversity in Afghanistan, a parliamentary system is a desirable system for us. We strive to establish such a system through legal channels. However, at present we have to respect the constitution.

To prevent the concentration of power in one individual and for the sake of the participation of the other institutions, it would be better if the deputy presidents had irreversible executive powers.

Speaking of a parliamentary system, we mean the participation of the people in the appointment of top government officials and consistently supervising their performance. In other words, they can impeach the authorities and, if necessary, remove them from power.

The formation of a strong parliament does not mean supporting a specific tribe, group or religion but support for the whole Afghan nation. Every resident of the country can have a representative that voices their demands. If the governments are accountable to the people, the ministers will always try to serve people to gain their satisfaction.

On the other hand, if the parliament is not authorized to supervise, every minister will try to satisfy the president, rather than serving the people.

National solidarity

In a country like Afghanistan, the role of governments in creating solidarity and understanding among the people is conspicuous. We think the following measures will be effective in this regard:

holding general elections in the country;

emphasizing the formation of a strong legislative force. It can control the unrestrained despotic actions of the executive force and the executive force will be emanating from the will of the people or, in other words, a parliamentary system in the country;

formation of an independent judicial force so that the members of the Supreme Court are first chosen by the National Assembly. Then, they choose their head from among themselves;

nation-building by making the identities of the tribes equal to one another. Efforts to generalize a specific culture in Afghanistan will sow discord and distrust and, instead of solidarity, it will spread disunity among the people. Therefore, Afghanistan can achieve unity and solidarity only through the tolerance of cultural diversity. The government should assign a group of intellectuals and benevolent people in certain structures that constantly deal with the issue of creation of understanding and solidarity among the people and make practical suggestions to the relevant authorities;

Formation of a free and independent election commission

Education

Education is the cornerstone for the development and prosperity of a country. We cannot expect any kind of advancement in Afghanistan without enhancing the level of education. Therefore, the improvement of education in the country is of particular importance.

Promoting the position of teachers will guarantee the improvement of education, both materially and spiritually. To begin a cultural revolution, it is a must to pay attention to both ordinary and religious schools. It is necessary to enhance in both of them curricula that help one another.

To accelerate the campaign against illiteracy and to examine the grounds for the education of women and girls in every corner of Afghanistan are other serious missions. Without giving an active role to women, it is impossible to change people's lives.

Defense

A national army and a national police are among the urgent needs of the country to defend the country and to restore peace and law and order.

Therefore Afghanistan should determine the quality and quantity of the army and the disciplinary forces. As experience shows, the prescriptions of foreign countries have not yielded any results in Afghanistan. They even harm Afghanistan.

Afghanistan, like other countries, is in need of a non-factional army that is committed to the country and its religious values. As witnessed now, there are some efforts to appoint indifferent people to key posts in the army and prevent the committed and experienced individuals who have been seasoned in the hard circumstances of Jihad and resistance.

The policies of the government towards the Mojahedin (veterans of Jihad) have been erroneous and abominable. Instead of expressing gratitude to the self-sacrifice of the Mojahedin, the government embarked on unbecoming propaganda against them. It has been striving for the exclusion of the Mojahedin from the government departments. Such an approach is only supported by those who do not want a government to be established in Afghanistan or the people of Afghanistan to stand on their own feet.

To restore security and prevent the armed men from interfering in people's affairs, it will be more realistic if the government drives all of the armed units out of towns and villages. Also, the government should disarm those who misuse their weapons to intimidate the people and have created a government inside the government.

Economy

The welfare and comfort of the people is the primary goal of the economy, that is, the government should not spare any efforts to improve the living standards of the people.

We believe that Afghanistan must handle the international assistance very carefully and should not let such assistance be misappropriated.

It is evident that the Afghan people cannot have such assistance always. Therefore the assistance should be controlled in a manner that can organize the economic infrastructure in the country and the people can improve their lives and advance towards development and prosperity.

The Afghan geographical situation is such that it connects Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent. It is also a short route for Chinese products to reach the Middle East markets. Such a position enables Afghanistan to become a regional trade centre and in this way make big economic profits. Afghanistan has rich underground resources. If rivers are tamed, Afghanistan can be an exporter of grain. This is very important for the country.

Attracting national and international investment is of importance in economic development. The government should provide the needed facilities and guarantees to encourage investment in Afghanistan.

Judiciary

The position of a judge in Afghanistan is more ceremonial and the judges are subservient to the authorities.

Instead of a ceremonial body and an false respect, we need to have a judicial system that is completely independent and discharges its duties away from pressure and coercion. We believe that the separation of the three forces is not sufficient at present. In order to avoid any pressure from any side, all of those forces should have their own independence. To achieve that, the selection of the members of the council of the Supreme Court should be excluded from the duties of the president. Instead, the National Assembly should, as the first step, choose nine judges. The council elects its head from among the members. In the case of death or terminal disease of a member of the council, the incumbent president should select the new member, who then only has the authority of a new member.

Foreign relations

The relative peace and stability of Afghanistan was disturbed by the interference and occupation of the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, the defeat of the Red Army and the collapse of the regime dependent on Moscow was not followed by peace and stability in Afghanistan. Instead, it encouraged Pakistan to carry out acts of aggression.

Also, with the collapse of the Taleban, the United States entered Afghanistan and was followed by the arrival of thousands of NATO and US soldiers. Such dramatic changes were such that one went out and the other came in. Afghanistan should seek a status where it can make decisions by itself.

The status of Afghanistan and its internal situation require that the country avoid any political and military competition with the strong countries of the region and the world. It should not fuel tensions in the region either. Therefore, establishment of friendly ties with all of the countries and not supporting a specific country will help restore peace and stability in Afghanistan.

For decades now there has been a dispute between Afghanistan and Pakistan over the border issue of Durand. Some of the regional countries fuelled the differences, which worsened the relations between the two countries. Beside other factors, Pakistan has manipulated this issue to interfere in Afghan affairs. Since having good relations with its neighbors is very important for Afghanistan, the Afghan National Assembly should find a solution to that problem as soon as possible.

Now that our country has found the opportunity, after years, to stand beside the international community, an appropriate and legal utilization of the international community's assistance is of great importance. The Afghan government should avail itself this opportunity to restore peace and security, achieve reconstruction and not allow the facilities to be lost.

Source: Kabul Weekly in Dari 28 Jul 04

 BBC Monitoring