海角大神

Afghanistan's imperfect democracy is finding one of its purest forms over the television airwaves, where ordinary聽citizens are getting a rare chance to question their highest officials face-to-face.

A debate program named "Open Jirga" is for the first time bringing a studio audience from every corner of the聽country to directly question the powers-that-be, from President Hamid Karzai and his ministers to the army chief. Rampant corruption, 鈥渨asted鈥� years, and security fears of what will happen after US-led international forces drawdown in 2014 are all fair game.聽

A co-production of the BBC and state-run Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA), the program has given Afghans an unaccustomed taste of political accountability on a national stage.

鈥淭his is the kind of thing that shows democracy and freedom of expression, and people need to hear it,鈥� says Zarghoona Salihi, a Kabul reporter for the Pajhwok Afghan News agency.

鈥淵es, there are different opinions among people,鈥� says Ms. Salihi. 鈥淪ome are shocked [at the access to authorities], some are tired of this system. Some people say it is useless and can鈥檛 change anything. Others say it is very good, and can cause many changes.鈥�

In the nine episodes since December, officials sometimes appear as surprised as the audience, to be questioned by Afghans who are usually far from the nation鈥檚 security-bubble elite. Civil society activists, teachers, and lawyers rub elbows with farmers, cobblers, and butchers 鈥撀爓ith an average audience size of 70 鈥� in feisty debates that are recorded and aired in both of Afghanistan鈥檚 two primary languages, Dari and Pashto.

鈥淣inety-percent [of the audience] are real people, a lot of them have never seen a provincial governor, let alone a minister,鈥� says Shirazuddin Siddiqi, the BBC program鈥檚 country director and architect of Open Jirga.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been an amazing experience. I really don鈥檛 know if we will achieve the aim of contributing to building the future of Afghanistan, by people questioning their officials to bring some accountability,鈥� says Mr. Siddiqi. But the events 鈥渆specially bring minorities, women, the really aggrieved 鈥� especially people from remote areas and the provinces 鈥撀爐o this national platform.鈥�

The theme is based on the BBC show Question Time, which has been popular in the UK since the mid-1990s. The Afghan version resembles a similar, earlier project in Bangladesh. A couple of Afghan TV channels also run debate format shows, one that focuses on provincial issues, and another widely watched show called 鈥淜abul Debate.鈥�

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 get enthused by [the concept in Afghanistan] until I was convinced in 2010 that the whole decade of investment in blood and effort and goodwill was at stake,鈥� says Siddiqi, of national rebuilding efforts after the US military forced the Taliban from power in late 2001. He says that millions poured into Afghan media development 鈥渓eft the provinces behind,鈥� and that most media 鈥� because they choose to operate in either Dari or Pashto languages 鈥� were not inclusive.

鈥淚 had serious doubt [and thought] that Afghanistan鈥檚 politics were too fractured. And who can tolerate ordinary people putting their issues on the national agenda?鈥� says Siddiqi. 鈥淢y idea was to create a national dialogue and adopt the Afghan concept of jirga, opening it to educate everyone, so it naturally fit into Afghan culture.鈥�

Karzai takes questions

The show is presented by Daud Junbish, a well-known Afghan BBC journalist. He twice interviewed the elusive Taliban leader Mullah Omar,聽who has been a fugitive since 2001. 鈥淧resenting鈥� Open Jirga means only facilitating the conversation between Afghans and their authorities, under the gaze of five cameras. Mr. Junbish met with Karzai, who declared himself a 鈥渇an鈥� of the show and agreed to appear in March.

The audience was not told until they were all within the palace gates that Karzai would be the one debating 鈥済overnance.鈥� That realization was greeted with surprise and nervousness.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important that ordinary people get a chance to visit high officials, and also a good opportunity for high officials who can鈥檛 normally see ordinary people,鈥� said Laila Samani, director of a nongovernmental organization in the northwestern city of Herat, who was part of the Karzai audience in Kabul.

The first question came from a farmer from Wardak Province, who asked about Karzai鈥檚 performance over 11 years. Another man from Badghis Province said his elders had told the Afghan cabinet of their complaints for so long and with so little result 鈥渢hat hair has grown on their tongues.鈥�

From ties to America to unfinished roads and lack of village drinking water, the questions came faster than Karzai could answer them.

Ms. Samani began with a proverb that 鈥渇eeling sorry for a tiger with sharp teeth means being cruel to the sheep.鈥� She then asked: 鈥淲e see that individuals involved in 鈥� attacks are released several times.... Don鈥檛 you think it is a disloyalty to the Afghan people? Why is there no decisive treatment toward those arrested who have killed the Afghan people?鈥�

The question was greeted with applause.

Another woman from the Panjshir Valley asked about the continuing insurgency: 鈥淵ou have called the Taliban brothers during 12 years 鈥� have you achieved a positive result?鈥�

Karzai replied that seeking revenge in Afghanistan would not solve its problems, though it was 鈥渘ot forgivable鈥� that Taliban continued to 鈥渒ill our boys in Khost鈥� and elsewhere.

鈥淗ow much blood was shed in our country?鈥� Karzai asked. 鈥淚s the solution in killing or is the solution in forgiveness, friendship, and forgetting? I have selected the path of forgiveness. The Talib who attacked me in Kandahar, I wish he was not killed. I would have forgiven him if he had survived.鈥�

鈥淚 can鈥檛 begin to describe the emotions of people鈥�. To see the power of questions asked to the president by genuine people,鈥� says producer Siddiqi.

Ministers, MPs, and military leaders

Besides the president, Open Jirga has so far questioned 8 ministers, 7 parliamentarians, and top military and security officials. Prior to the debates, detailed research was done in seven provinces to determine issues that mattered most to Afghans by BBC Media Action, the BBC鈥檚 international development charity, with primary funding from the UK鈥檚 Department for International Development, along with EU and UN donors.

In a security debate that aired earlier this month, one audience member warned that Afghanistan could return to civil war after foreign troops largely depart in 2014 鈥撀燼 common lament of uncertainty about the future.

But Abdul Razaq Atif from Badghis suggested there was little reason for concern: 鈥淚n the last 5,000 years of history our own people have ensured security, not foreigners.鈥�

The commander of the Afghan National Army, Gen. Shir Mohammad Karimi, also sought to reassure fellow Afghans. He said Afghanistan鈥檚 鈥渆nemies鈥� expected the army and police to 鈥渂e defeated in one day,鈥� after control has gradually passed from the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

鈥淏ut our operations in the last two months which dealt with direct enemy attacks proved our capability to our people,鈥� said General Karimi.

鈥淭his is a very critical time in Afghanistan, and we are contributing to a critical debate. It has to have the ability to mobilize,鈥� says Siddiqi, noting the uncommon 鈥渆quality鈥� that is evident 鈥� and praised by Afghans 鈥撀爋n Open Jirga between citizens and their leaders. 鈥淭he disillusionment is itself a challenge after 2014. This program is showing the potential of what a public broadcaster can do.鈥�

* Follow Scott Peterson on Twitter at @peterson__scott