Baba-cracy (Monocracy)

By: Sorab

The world is constantly evolving and changing and so are people.  People change to fit the time and the time changes to fit the people.  These are things that can not be denied or altered.  There are countries like the US that scrutinize each change before either rejecting it or accepting it—they do, however, give it a chance.  And then there are countries like Afghanistan that are not as advanced like the US but wish to work towards progress.  However, Afghanistan is a country that has been divided and will continue to be so.  The South chooses to remain ignorant to such essential changes and would rather continue to live by their own tribal system which is obviously backwards and primitive.  And by doing so, they are keeping the rest of the nation down.

  Though no country is perfect and they all have their own share of bad history, they do need to realize that they share this world with others.  The US itself had to work very hard to become such a progressive country.  They are labeled as a "melting pot" and regardless of the validity of that label; the country at least recognizes that they are made up different ethnicities and nationalities.  And the systems of the countries are meant to work for every one of those peoples.  There is the word of equality if not the spirit and the laws of the country are the same all over—it will at least defend the rights of the individual.  In Afghanistan, the South has only and will only recognize the tribal system.  There, the tribes are a significant illustration of just how uncivilized the South is.  The Pashtun tribes are the epitome of all that is against civilization.  They are all broken up into several tribes or clans and they have their own laws that they abide by.  And these so-called laws are the outlines of their savagery.  While the rest of the world works towards betterment of their country and the development of such systems like democracy, the Afghanistan South sticks rigorously to their "baba-ocracy."       

  The tribes all have a "leader" that they call their baba.  This baba is the judge, jury, and executioner.  He is the person who enforces the customary tribal rules and decisions for the tribe—no matter how unjust or unfair it might be.  And once this baba makes a decision everyone in the tribe must follow it and abide by it—no matter what.  For example, the Taliban knew all they had to do was gain support from the baba of the tribes and once that baba joined the Taliban, the whole tribe joined as well.  In America there is the saying "One person, one vote."  This does not apply to the tribes.  There, it is more like "One person, all the votes."  The babe’s vote is the vote of everyone else.  Once the baba has ruled on something it is impossible for him or anyone else to go back on it.  For example, music was outlawed by the Taliban and the baba brought that outlawing rule into their tribes and now no one is allowed to listen to any type of music.  In order for the baba himself to undo the ruling he must admit that he was either wrong in the first place or that he has changed his mind.  This is usually unheard of because of their stubbornness. 

The baba and the tribes consider themselves above any law that isn't a part of their customary ways.  This means that they will and have refused to follow the laws and constitution of Afghanistan.  Just like the US, it is mandatory for both boys and girls to go to school up to a certain age in Afghanistan.  However, the Afghanistan South will not allow any of their females to attend school or go anywhere outside of their home.  They insist that the only education anyone needs is the way of the tribes and they will burn down any school that the government tries to build for them.  They also believe that a female has only a certain number of uses and therefore they marry them off at the age of 12, disregarding her mental and emotional state as well as disregarding the age of the man she marries and his marital status.  Polygamy and marriage deals are a common part of their tribal society. 

  These tribes base their power and supremacy on just how big their tribes are.  The Popular tribe is considered more powerful than that of a smaller tribe like the Oryakhills.  The tribes have always fought amongst themselves and were only brought together by a common belief which was terrorism.  The idea of violence is a force strong enough to unite them all with the belief that for them "Weaponry is accessory for the man."  For a tribal person of the South, the way to complete his life is having a gun in one hand and a young boy in the other.  They are against technology and advancement because it threatens their way of life.  The only advancement they accepted was the AK-47 when they realized that throwing rocks would only take them so far.   

  This is a major roadblock for Afghanistan as a nation.  The South thinks of the "baba" as a unifying figure and term.  However, that term is just as alien to Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras—the people of the North—as it is to the Americans.  That term is also now included in the Constitution of the country with Zahir Shah declared as the "baba" of the nation.  This is a symbol of bab-ocracy.  Not only is the South adamant about refusing to move forward towards civil society, they also want to impose their tribal culture unto the whole nation by including such an irrelevant person in something as crucial as the Constitution.  In the North, everyone was and still is working towards the progression and advancement of the country and the South is practically working hard to keep Afghanistan in the Stone Age.  "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link."  For Afghanistan, that weakest link is the South and its tribal system.  The South does not think as a nation but as individual tribes and they selfishly want that which would ultimately be better for them.  The tribes do not want to give up their power and do not want to follow anyone's rules but their own.  In order for Afghanistan to function as a nation and to have any hope they must find a way to break up the tribal system and force the South to comply with the rest of the country or else they must break away from them altogether.  Right now, Afghanistan is like a drowning person trying to reach the surface and the tribes of the South is an anchor dragging the country further down into the abyss. (Hell-fire)

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