Loya Jirga 'The Grand Council'

    These days the streets are strictly blocked and the security is tight in most parts of Kabul, Afghanistan . The four-day long Loya Jerga ‘The Grand Council’ is in progress and is going to last three more days. It is annually held in Afghanistan by the government inviting about 2000 people from around the country. It is like a ‘leader-follower’ meeting which is common in some countries for making major plans for which the presence of experts from around the country is needed. In Afghanistan, however, it is different.  Mostly countrymen are given the chance to come ‘putting on their big turbans as showing respect to the old way of holding the Jerga’ and meet the president but whether those men are expert or if their presence is required for plans being made and matter discussed on in the Jerga, is not in priority.

      The Jerga traditionally starts out with the speech of President Karzai and whatever he says is often followed by hand clapping of the local men. After Karzai’s speech, some others are given some time to give speech on the history of how Loya Jerga was held years ago and so forth. As the speakers go on giving their speech, it is typical of those countrymen not to show any interest after a while since they are politically illiterate. And when they find the Jerga unworkable, they start to feel bored, sitting comfortably, some taking their shoes make discussions of their own favorite topics as in the pictures below.

Attendees having their own talks-not interested in what others say 

This strategic planner feels being detained  

Strategic Planners of 21^st Century?..their feet must stink 

    It is interesting that today as part of the agenda, the Jerga was to discuss the 40 issues planned on Strategic Plans between the U.S and Afghanistan, but in the middle of the discussion, the countrymen rejected the 39^th issue of the declarations because 39 is considered as an unlucky number in some of the regions these local men are coming from. And that argument ended today’s Jerga with nothing in conclusion which partly means the attendees will be spending another day arguing on unlucky number.

     Worthy to mention that in multi-ethnical Afghanistan, the Jerga used to be traditionally held only among the Pashthun tribal leaders usually to prepare for major events such as choosing a new king, adopting a constitution, or discussing important national political or emergency matters as well as disputes in the Pashthun areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan regardless of considering the other ethnic groups’ ides. Now it has changed a little and the decisions are more regarding strategic plans and political relationships with the neighbor and helper countries. The attendees form other ethnic groups are being let in as well; however, the majority of the attendees are still from the Pashthun group and the others are only a little over observers.

    In Afghanistan, since everything is done traditionally, it takes a long time to make this Jerga, a factual ‘Grand Council’ as its name implies. As I mentioned, it is still held in an old-fashioned way and the decisions and plans being made are not as sufficient. To make it even a little better, necessity of the equally presence of educated tribal leaders from every ethnic group should be on the top of the list. As I read, the agenda of today’s council was not worth bringing 2000 people together from around the country and spending millions of dollars. For instance, in his today’s speech, Karzai was shouting out ‘we are the lions! And the world should know us as the lions’. And the countrymen clapped as he paused.  I wonder why would Karzai didn’t think that the world is not first a jungle to know him and other Afghans as the lions. Second, let’s suppose it is, the ‘lions’ are the ones who don’t need help from other animals of the jungle; while today Afghanistan is surviving on the goods all being imported from the neighbor countries and Karzai himself ‘the big lion’ is seated secure in the Arg ‘Presidential Place’ by the security provided by other ‘foxes of the world’.