Canadian government urged to back democracy promotion agency

April 20, 2011

TORONTO, ON, Apr. 20, 2011/ Troy Media/ – Afghanistan is recovering from decades of war and destruction, and it continues to need substantial international support to stand on its own feet, to provide security for its people, to build its democratic institutions, to protect the human rights of its citizens, and to support the country’s emerging civil society.

Canada has been assisting Afghans in their struggle for democracy in Afghanistan since 2002. From Kabul to Kandahar, and now moving to other parts of the country, Canada has done a lot for Afghans. The people of Afghanistan deeply appreciate Canadian contributions to the mission to date, and we want Canada to stay with us, to support us in our fight for democracy and freedom, to support better opportunities for our children, and to assist Afghan women to realize their fundamental human rights.

Thirst for democracy is palpable

As we witness the promise of change in the Middle East, and as the pro-democracy movement spreads outward from that region, it reaches throughout the Muslim world, where the thirst for democracy and freedom is palpable. Polls in many countries of the Middle East and Central Asia show that the majority of the people in these regions support democracy and see it as the only alternative to the dictatorial, corrupt and oppressive governments under which they live for now.

Afghanistan’s new born democracy gives hope to the region, but the challenges ahead are still significant and Afghan democracy still very fragile. Yet, should democracy in Afghanistan succeed, the implications for the region as a whole could be profoundly positive, giving momentum to the pro-democracy movement in the surrounding region, and entrenching stability in a country that has too often served as the pawn for interfering neighbours and, under the Taliban, for the multinational terrorist network of Al-Qaeda. The stakes are very high and the international community cannot afford to forfeit the opportunity to ensure that Afghanistan’s nascent democracy only progresses forward, rather than collapses on itself.

This is why the organization that I head, the Canada-Afghanistan Solidarity Committee (CASC), had advocated for the establishment of a Canadian Democracy Promotion Agency, which would include a well-resourced Kabul Field Office. In March, 2010, our report on Canada’s post-2011 role in Afghanistan, “Keeping Our Promises,” specifically recommended action on this long-promised imitative.

The agency should contribute with practical measures to the strengthening of democratic political parties, to the cessation of corruption and nepotism, to an independent media, to fair and free elections, civic education and to promoting access to information, among other possible areas of focus.

The 2009 Senate Advisory Panel Report on the Creation of a Canadian Democracy Promotion Agency proposed that the agency, with a budget of up to $70 million a year, include at least one Afghanistan field office. The proposal has also been mentioned in two Conservative throne speeches and was even raised in the Conservative Party’s 2008 campaign platform. Christopher Alexander, Canada’s first ambassador to Afghanistan and now the Conservative candidate for Ajax-Pickering in Ontario, told me that he personally endorsed the idea of opening a Canadian Democracy Promotion Agency Kabul field office, and we had anticipated hearing further from Conservative leadership on whether they would offer support for this initiative. Then, late last year, the proposal was finally considered by the Prime Minister’s office, but nothing happened.

Canada has much to offer

However, the establishment of the Agency was contained in the Liberal Party’s campaign platform unveiled last week. While CASC is a non-partisan organization that has never received government funding or funding support from any political party, we enthusiastically welcome the inclusion of this critically important promise in the Liberal Party’s campaign, and we urge all the political parties to follow the Liberals’ lead.

Canadian soldiers have been fighting and dying to build a democracy in Afghanistan and we are determined that their sacrifices will not be in vain. It’s now time to continue the fight for peace in Afghanistan through a focus on good governance and democratic development: Canada still has much to offer. It’s now or never: I urge all parties to seriously commit to a robust investment into supporting the evolution of Afghan democracy. The idea for a Canadian Democracy Promotion Agency has already won wide support on Ottawa. It’s time to get on with it.

Babur Mawladin is President of the Canada Afghanistan Solidarity Committee.