// 02.23.2009 at 11:52 am //

How the new improved the old

For the first time in the history of Afghanistan, political figures have turned to the new media as a way to step up in their political campaigns. The late entry is primarily because the Internet is just starting to penetrate the region. But it doesn’t mean that the influence of the Internet is limited, especially to Afghan voters. The few Afghan citizens who regularly access to the Internet inside Afghanistan have been hearing a lot from various political leaders around the country. For instance, Kaneshka, a university student from Kabul, is a fan of Ali Ahmad Jalali, a candidate for next year’s presidential election. Jalali is a popular Afghan politician who has more than 1,000 fans in Facebook, a social networking website. Kaneshka initially knew little about Jalali, but when he read his profile and gained more knowledge about the politician through the Internet, his mind and opinion as a young Afghan was suddenly ensnared by Jalali online campaign. Plus, he is not just a mere Jalali fan-he started an online campaign for his best candidate for next year’s election.

Support from friends

“I have asked all my 300 friends in Facebook to support Jalali, and I asked them to ask their mates to contribute in Jalali’s campaign as well,” Kaneshka said. 20-year-old Elyas, another Jalali fan, has never seen Jalali except through the media. After reading his profile on Facebook, the young man was compelled to spend several hours a day just to publicize his candidate for the election. “After I became a fan of him in Facebook and read his profile, I am ideologically changed to a strong supporter of him,” Elyas said.

This use of the new media for election campaign is something new in Afghanistan, but it is an effective one. Of course, there are some things that will never change-like the endless rivalry between politicians-but the way to address the Afghan people is slowly changing. Attending rituals at mosques, public gatherings and local assemblies are usually the traditional way to run a political campaign, but thanks to the Internet and the new media, the system has been modernized.

Jalali currently resides in the United States, but he effectively runs his campaign for next year’s election from there. He posts articles and interviews with the media and is a savvy Facebook user.

Politicians on Facebook

Harun Najafizada, an Afghan journalist who uses Face book said, “A lot of Afghan media are already affiliated to specific political organization or the government. One of the main TV channels in the country is Tolo TV. The channel is widely watched, but this TV has established a to-do type of relationship with the government.” He added, “For example, they stopped their investigative critical program called Guzaresh 6:30. The presenter had to leave the office and the country not as the result of the threats he received, but as the result of the hidden contract his channel signed with President Karzai. This is an example of how media operate in Afghanistan especially during the upcoming elections. I fear they play rather a negative role. A role for money and for their own profit.” Najafizada concluded, “Internet in Afghanistan is growing rapidly. A lot of offices and the youth now have access to it. They also are familiar with social networks like Facebook and watch YouTube. Afghan Politicians established their own groups to target the voters. For example, you can find Ali Ahmad Jalali, Hamed Karzai, Ashraf Ghani and Abul Latif Padram on Facebook.”

Carrying the votes from farest places of Afghanistan (CC by-nc-nd;photograph by US Army Korea)

Previous mistakes

The Afghan media landscape has significantly improved over the past seven years, as hundreds of national newspapers, as well as dozens of radio stations and nearly 20 TV channels have been established in the Afghan media family. This success can only benefit Afghan voters and the entire community. Mohammad Nabi Eshan, an Afghan political analyst, said that lack of media’s reach in the 2005 election resulted in citizens electing improper representatives to the Afghan parliament. “The people voted dumbly without having enough information about the candidates in the 2005 election. Media didn’t play a good role to provide people with required information,” said Nabi Eshan. Afghan civil society organizations and international communities urged the Afghan independent media to avoid repeating the 2005 fiasco, and have fair and free coverage of the political change in 2009. While the Internet helps spread information, media experts believe that fair media coverage is necessary to implement democracy in the country, as majority of Afghans still rely on traditional media for information regarding the political situation.

A video of the government of Afghanistan preparing for the upcoming election in May 2009.

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// Tagged Case Studies, Afghanistan, Elections, Hamid Karzai