The nascent democracy in Afghanistan is struggling to gain traction and get off the ground of seemingly insurmountable challenges that confront it today. The bizarre happenings in the parliament a few days ago were indeed appalling. The controversies surrounding the proposed impeachment of two cabinet members, the Interior and finance ministers lingered on to the point of creating an unmitigated political farce.

Perhaps, more than being a political farce, it was an outright disaster showcasing the extent of corruption that has, unfortunately, found its way also into the national parliament. The proposed impeachment of these two ministers, actually, never took place.

The parliamentarians, amid uproar and a scene of confusion and outright disorder, refrained from going ahead with the impeachment process and no casting of votes took place. In the days before the impeachment day, a significant number of parliamentarians had already coordinated positions with the concerned ministers and the outcome of the impeachment day was largely chalked out beforehand.

This is unfortunate not because the impeachment process never went ahead but because the whole mechanism of political representation, democratic accountability, and the system of checks and balances were reduced to a political farce whereby such important matters as impeachment are used for personal enrichment.

The question that now confronts the national parliament is whether or not this pillar of the state and the edifice of the nascent Afghan democracy can rise above these problems and consolidate itself as a well-functioning organ of this democracy.

The track record of the previous parliament in upholding the democratic ideals has fallen short of satisfactory. Disorderliness, lack of genuine political groupings and the haphazard nature of the parliament have always plagued the workings of the parliament.

It was so in the previous parliament and it continues to be so today with more than a year having already passed since its inauguration. The national parliament, in its more than 6 years of existence, has largely failed in utilizing the vast authorities vested in it for the purpose of promoting and consolidating a stable, democratic, inclusive and pluralistic political system.

The track record of the parliament has been abysmal. Lack of political parties and, more important, lack of a mature political culture where political common sense can prevail over disorder and chaos have been the main issues with our political system in general and our national parliament in particular.

The national parliament continues to be tarnished by internal and external handicaps. What is more unfortunate is that the political will to move out of this state of morass does not exist with fragmentation and disunity dealing one blow after another to the this important institution of Afghan democracy.

While the government's relations with the parliament has been rocky over the past several years, the parliament too has suffered from internal fragmentation, outright corruption and lack of any clear vision on the part of these fragmented groupings that make up the parliament.

The government witnessing the uproar and chaos in the parliament and sensing the inclination of many parliamentarians to resort to illegal measures, feels justified and even emboldened to wade the muddy waters and manipulate the MPs and many outcomes of the parliamentary deliberations.

It is important that the national parliament of Afghanistan be turned into an effective institution that can prevent abuse of power by the government while holding high standards of internal management and principles of professionalism.

While the parliament should not be allowed to be manipulated by the government or other moneyed forces that are out there, internally, the national parliament should be managed in such a way that no group of rogue or corrupt parliamentarians can seize the management and ensure outcomes consistent with their own personal and group agendas.

Corruption and accepting of material and financial incentives in return for cross-voting or voting in a certain way should not be tolerated at all. Unfortunately, in the wasteland of Afghan law enforcement, no such institution and power is able to uphold the rule of law as it should be. The result is that corrupt politicians get away with their crimes and the cancer of corruption further spreads its tentacles into our national parliament.

What is further adding fuel to this fire is the uneasy relations between the government and the parliament. The confrontation between the Parliament and the government has made the ethnic, linguistic, regional and sectarian fault lines among the Parliamentarians resurge again.

These ethnic, linguistic and regional divides inside the Parliament is yet another bitter reality that Afghanistan has to deal with. The long saga of the election of the administrative officials of the lower house has been a bitter experience that has repeated year after year.

During these controversies, the ethnic and linguistic rivalries and divisions dominated the farcical scene. This is yet another issue that holds back the growth, consolidation and maturing of a reformed state that can effectively address the diversities of this land.

These are all happening while the country continues to burn in the flames of a roaring Taliban insurgency, spreading breakdown of governance, crippling corruption, consolidation of a narco-mafia establishment and outright violation of our territorial integrity and national interests by our neighbors.

Dark days will be ahead if those responsible do not forego their personal quest for power in the larger interest of the country and the nation. It is also important to note that that the upholding of the rule of law and making drastic improvements to how the state in Afghanistan enforces the rule of law are crucial imperatives for Afghanistan of today. Without making improvements in these sectors, it will be impossible for the government of Afghanistan to make improvements in bringing 'good governance' and deliver on the imperative of reducing social injustice.

Afghanistan's parliamentary crisis cannot be resolved without introducing wide-ranging reforms. One crucial area of reforms is allowing political parties to strengthen and having elections conducted on party platforms. Moving towards a political system based on political parties is necessary for the larger goal of bringing about a more mature political culture and political system.

The nest elections will be four years away. This is sufficient time for allowing political parties to strengthen and it will be good for the sake of healthy political system. Party-based politics is also a natural bulwark against corruption in politics.