While inaugurating the new session of National Assembly after its winter break, President Karzai spoke in reference to the meeting of some Afghan politicians and US congressmen in Berlin. Leaders of National Front Ahmad Zia Massoud, Haji Muhammad Muhaqiq, Abdur Rashid Dostum and former NDS Chief Amrullah Saleh met a bipartisan group of US congressmen in a session organized by Aspen Institute in Berlin recently. They released a joint statement calling for decentralization of power in Afghanistan and parliamentary form of democracy.

President took the opportunity at parliament's inauguration, the house of peoples' representatives, to strongly condemn the increasing calls for reforms. He used very strange language, with the cover of his usual punching bag when talking to public—the foreigners.  

He said, "Afghanistan is not the political laboratory of foreigners to test new systems". And went on saying he will defend the current system with his life. Inappropriate as it is in public, such a language shows the violent mindset of our political elite in the new era of a democratic system in Afghanistan, where unfortunately the traditional dictatorial attitude still prevails.

It will take us long to reach to a normal political arena of harmony where debate and dialogue would push the cycle of our political evolution, not violent thinking. The entire current setup in Afghanistan is running by the grace of foreign support. When President Karzai was called on his Thuraya satellite phone ten years ago to tell that he has been chosen as the leader of interim Afghan authority, to all expenses of the Government until very this moment and for years to come, all has been possible only because of foreign support.

Absolute domestic power has made President Karzai a victim of selective amnesia and ingratitude towards the international community. His criticisms of foreigners are always selective, when and where it fits his political interests.  Much of the anti-foreigner sentiments among ordinary Afghans other than sympathizers of Taliban are as a result of President Karzai's calculated accusations all the time.

By using the reference of unpopular tag of "foreign intervention", President Karzai wants to distort public opinion about the calls of decentralization of power before there is a real mass mobilization campaign on ground by the opposition factions. Aside from the fact that Western countries involved in Afghanistan have sacrificed blood and money for the last decade supporting the Afghan Government, Karzai's tricks of playing with public sentiments for personal political agendas making foreigners a punching-bag is no good for our own fragile society and the whole current setup.

Apparently it is portrayed to seem as if the hellfire erupted after the Berlin meeting of Afghan politicians and some US congressmen.  But these demands are as old the current setup. There were deep disagreements about Afghanistan's future political system among Afghan participants in the Bonn process of December 2001.

And since then, it has been discussed. Some prominent presidential candidates in the last two elections had manifestos promising decentralization of power and parliamentary systems. Neither National Front leaders are calling for this demands and constitutional reforms for the first time, nor are they the only ones with such agenda.

NF leader Ahmad Zia Massoud was calling for parliamentary system even when he was Vice President. Once he openly talked about it in 2006, saying Vice Presidents have no power. It is a symbolic role. Very simple notifications of office of vice presidents have to go through the office of President Karzai's Chief of Staff and approved.

National Coalition, another important opposition faction led by Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, former rival of President Karzai in election, calls for electoral, constitutional reforms and parliamentary system in their manifesto.

Similarly, another important faction of opposition Right and Justice Party of intellectuals and former leftists also demands electoral reforms.
Are they all acting on behalf and pursuing agenda of "foreigners"? 

President Karzai's reaction saying "I will defend the current system with my life" is not only our example of what English historian John Dalberg-Acton said in 1887, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely", since we have that honor consecutively for the last several years as second most corrupt country in the world, but also, absolute power makes blind and self-destructive.

Our presidency enjoys absolute power. He controls appointment of governors, district chiefs, mayors, judges from supreme court to the lowest district level, provincial police chiefs, one third of Senate, members of the Election Commission and even member of 'Independent' Human Rights Commission of Afghanistan. The powers of parliament other than legislation are nonexistent in practice.

There no respect for rule of law and constitution even in the current system. The list of violations of constitution just in last two years is long. In the parliament inauguration speech, President told MPs that cabinet nominees to replace acting-ministers will be sent for approval soon.

It has been almost two years that six ministries are being run by acting-ministers. According to law, an acting minister cannot run office for more than a month, and a nominee rejected from parliament cannot serve as acting.

In the Kingdom of Karzai, one could go to Supreme Court against such violation of law and mockery of the system, but the Chief Justice of Supreme Court himself is on acting-service, as his tenure has ended. This system has been made a mess undermining the very essence of the entire process of Afghanistan's democratic journey. The over-centralized concentration of administrative powers has made the current setup more like a kingdom. Constitutional reform is inevitable.

But President Karzai with his remarks to defend the current system with his life is actually threatening the opposition parties calling for constitutional reforms. This is the self-destructive direction of absolute power when one thinks he is the king of jungle and can roar against political realities.

The ongoing year of 2012 is going to mark the start of a movement towards new political realities in Afghanistan. The increasing calls for reforms are reacted against with threats, which will result in opposition factions getting a united stance on their mutual demands, such as electoral reforms and rally mass mobilization and generate political awareness and activism to a new level among ordinary Afghans.