People are saddened by the happiness and happy by the misfortune of each other in our country.
By Malik Sitez
Original article: آیا ما میتوانیم ملت شویم؟
First, we must ask ourselves: Are we a nation? Unfortunately, the obvious answer to this question is "no". No, we are not a nation. We share a common home, but we have different goals. We belong to the same land, but we do not have common psychological interests. We must accept this bitter reality. Despite the emotional slogans of politicians about one nation, the bitter truth is that our people are more divided than ever.
Here are five major factors of the lack of a nation in Afghanistan.
1 - Inequality and Arrogance
When political power in a society becomes an instrument of oppression and tyranny and makes one group dominate other social groups, equality is replaced by discrimination and tyranny. Discrimination in the distribution of resources, rights, culture, and economy opens the way and causes a social crisis. The ruling ideology imposes its political goals on citizens while violating basic human rights.
2 - Lack of social justice
Social justice becomes meaningful when political sovereignty respects the human dignity of citizens as a fundamental component of the political system. In our country, justice is viewed through the prism of ideologies that rule the people and make citizens feel poor and unhappy. Citizens get used to the poverty of justice, and injustice becomes the culture of political structures.
3 - Lack of psychological interests
Inequality and injustice do not allow us to create psychological interests and social communities with each other. Therefore, we do not share each other's joys and sorrows. Believe me, even disparate tribes are saddened by the happiness and happy by the misfortune of each other in our country. We must speak the truth and not be afraid of the truth.
4 - Weakness of identity
Inequality, injustice, and lack of psychological interests have become the cause of our identity crisis. We even question the name, flag, national identity, and other national commonalities, which are the symbolic and historical characteristics of the nation-state. How we have lost our common identity! I know it is bitter and painful, but it is true.
5 - Weakness of National Interests
Well, how can you form national interest if your justice, dignity, community, and identity are hostage to political and imposed rule? National interest is a valuable discourse that binds the bonds of power, security, stability, the rule of law, human rights, and legitimacy. However, we have not strengthened these bonds around national interest.
These five major shortcomings and contradictions have parted our society into small islands without masters. The Taliban have established a rule in our society that does not meet any of these criteria. We are ashamed to tell the truth. I know a large number of my compatriots who are well aware, understand, and admit these shortcomings, but do not want to say the bitter truth that “we are not a nation”. I think this apparent illusion has become very widespread among us. The truth is that we are not a single nation at all.
But I return to the main question of this article: can we become a nation?
My answer to this question is conditional, that is, I consider these conditions necessary for moving towards statehood.
The first step towards nation-building is TOLERANCE. Tolerance means accepting and tolerating opinions, beliefs, behavior, and values that are different from your own. They consist of the following elements:
Respect for diversity means that you should respect the cultural, ethnic, religious, etc., diversity of others as your own.
Being peaceful means having peaceful relations with others, even with your opponents.
Pluralism means accepting the views of others and respecting criticism and opinions different from your own.
Avoiding bias, that is, observe moderation and avoid unfair judgments.
The second condition for nation-building is education. Education means the collective coordination of dedicated people in society to develop a public conscience for reform and justice. For clarity, the following elements should be considered separately.
Wisdom and rationality, that is, the use of logic and critical thinking, must say no to superstition.
Faith in science and research, that is, to achieve statehood, it is necessary to study and use scientific norms, as well as historical and international experience.
Human rights - it is necessary to correctly define the relationship between the government and citizens and interpret the political system and structure on their basis.
The third step towards nation-building is strengthening SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS. Social institutions play a key role in creating platforms and bridges of communication and dialogue. Social institutions are called civil society, that is, those that are the link between the demands of citizens and political sovereignty for the transition to nation-building. Civil institutions are structures that control the power and will of citizens.
The fourth step towards creating a discourse of nation-building is the establishment of THE RULE OF LAW. The rule of law actually paves the way for such a discourse and plans for its implementation. For this, it is important that the rule of law is formed with the active political participation of the people and is aimed at launching the stages of nation-building.
The fifth priority of nation-building is to create a value space for CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE. The essence of these dialogues is the result of research that appeared during the enlightenment period. On the other hand, civil society can become the leader of civil rights and demands in this process, so that nation-building takes root in society.
The sixth and final stage of nation-building is the SOCIAL CONTRACT. The social contract defines the relationship of citizens with the political system, determines the position of the system, redefines the role of the nation in determining its own destiny, and legitimizes the obligations of the nation-state. The social contract defines the nation, the state, national interests, national security, and civil obligations. The social contract must be based on the essence of the five highest stages and be approved by all citizens in a referendum.
If we follow this path, I believe that we certainly have the opportunity to become a nation. I know that this is a very difficult path, but it is not impossible. I have worked in different states around the world that have gone through this journey with all the difficulties and challenges. But these states were able to become a nation, and so can we.
I am committed to this mechanism and will continue to raise awareness in this way. I hope those who do not know me very well will read this article and understand me.