Malalai Joya's Speech on the International Women's Day

As Brecht said, I don't want to be criminal for not saying the truth!

In the name of Democracy and Peace,

Dear friends,

Let me convey you all the warmest greetings and congratulations from my sisters in Afghanistan. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to my supporters for this invitation and giving me the opportunity to tour the USA and convey my message to freedom-loving people of America.

Honorable friends,

I come from a land where the reality is not what you might be aware of through media and you might expect me to talk about the so-called recent developments related to women. Painfully and unfortunately what happened to Afghanistan or what is happening after the 9/11 and the subsequent US military intervention in Afghanistan in the name of "war on terror" and "liberating Afghan women", is not something that I can explain in words.

I come from a land still burning in two-fold fire. On one hand, there are the brutal and horrific Jahadi fundamentalists of the "Northern Alliance" who are supported by the USA. On the other hand, there are the Taliban and Al-Qaida terrorists who have the support of all the fundamentalist and anti-democracy regimes, parties and organizations in different parts of world.

I come from a land where the Taliban may have gone but even according to UN rights expert, cycle of violence and abuses are not over, where depleted uranium and clustered bombs were used against our innocent people, where according to Human Rights Watch, warlords emerged from Loya Jirga more powerful than ever and where the same warlords dominate the new parliament which according to some international observers is a miracle, a country where widespread abuse and restriction on freedom continues, where women are attacked with acids if seen not fully covered, where the laws still repress especially women, a country as UN put it, is going to become a Norco-State under the "Northern Alliance" drug mafia.

"New York Times" has exposed a number of these drug dealers and the former interior minister has another list of them. And according to daily Telegraph, 6th Feb this year, Habibullah Qaderi Afghanistan's anti-narcotics minister and a European diplomat in Kabul don't and can't deny the involvement of cabinet ministers and high ranking politicians close to Mr. Karzai in drug trades and trafficking and misuse of funds given to fight this menace.

I come from a country where divested opium farmers are forced to sell their daughters to cover debts to traffickers. In its January 31 publication, "Financial Times" says Afghanistan's issue is not an easy issue. It is a country where the government has stopped poor and hungry farmers from growing poppy but lets the governor of the same province keep dealing in drugs. It is a land that is facing health disaster worse than Tsunami. 700 children and 50-70 women die on daily basis owing to the lack of health services.

I hail from a country where gap between rich and poor widens day by day and hundreds of people die because of lack of food and bitter winter just few kilometers away from the presidential palace, where access to clean water, electricity, sufficient food, proper shelters, education and other basic facilities of life have become a fantasy.

Ironically, this is happening in a country that has received 12 billion dollars in aid while another 10 billion more were pledged at the recent London conference.

Even a fraction of this aid has not been used for the benefit and welfare of our people. The warlords in the government as well as those not siding with the government, the government officials and the NGOs have pocketed big amounts nonetheless.

If it is not so, then how there is no change in the life of the people.

Dr. Ramazan Bashar Dost a popular MP and former minister of planning is justified in declaring the London conference as meaningless, untimely and useless. He is justified when he says that even if one billion of the aid reaching Afghanistan spent honestly to benefit people, Afghanistan's features would have changed.

I come from a land where "Northern Alliance" gunmen rapped fourteen-year old Fatima and her mother and 11 year old Rahima and 60 year old grand mother, a land where 30 year old Amina was stoned to death, where Nadia Anjuman easily becomes victim of her husband's violence because he is sure that he has the support of warlords of the "Northern Alliance" misogynists and he knows that there is no law or at least implementation of law which might bring him to justice, where young UN worker Muska, kidnapped by gunmen, has to immolate herself to save her honor, where despite the presence of more than six thousands UN peace keeping troops in Kabul city Clementina Cantoni and other NGO and UN foreign workers are kidnapped in broad day light. But the secret behind it was never disclosed to media and people.

I come from a land where our people simply see US bringing a mock democracy because democracy in Afghanistan has meant imposition of the "Northern Alliance" Jahadis. These Jahadis murdered 65,000 civilians only in Kabul. Democracy there means white washing the criminal faces of Taliban. This democracy has merely brought Afghan people out of pan but into fire.

The US government keeps promising not to repeat its past mistake. But agonizing truth is that USA is committing the same mistake. She is unsparingly supporting the fundamentalists more than ever. USA relies on "Northern Alliance" who turned Afghanistan into a hell for its people from 1992-1996. Therefore, USA owes serious and official apology to our people for fueling and supporting the most brutal and ignorant fundamentalists.

I come from a land where almost all the rebuilding plans of USA and other countries are full of cracks and with dishonesty, where to guarantee security, political and economic stability and human rights while relying on a handful gangsters, drug traffickers and warlords is nothing but an illusion.

I belong to a land where people, international human rights organizations, in particular Human Rights Watch, and sections of media keep demanding the trial of warlords, drug traffickers, criminal Khalqis and Parchami But not only they are not brought to justice but shamelessly were offered higher government positions. They were given opportunity to find their way to parliament with the support of US and US allies. It is a country where chief justice is an ignorant, medieval minded man having affiliation with the most horrific and terrorist Islamic Party of Gulbaddin, once a blue eyed son of the CIA. His main judicial activity is attacking women rights, stopping TV channels, cable networks and banning music.

I hail from a land where unfortunately some international observers falsely and deceivingly call the parliamentary elections in Afghanistan a miracle even when parliament is packed with more than 70 percent criminal elements including members of puppet regime of Soviet Russia, drug dealers and "Northern Alliance" killers. The present parliament indeed is a good tool to legalize the criminal domination of the fundamentalists in Afghanistan.

Afghan people were disgusted indeed at unparalleled rigging in the parliamentary elections and were calling it a mockery. But Mr. Karzai ridiculously tried to defend the vote rigging by saying: "This is an exercise in democracy, let them exercise it twice." He was replying to a question that many voters registered multiple and may try to vote more than twice.

Will any other country's president justify corruption and treason to democracy in such absurd way?

Dear friends,

What the reality of my country is what I just talked about, surely you will agree with me and my people that such a country cannot be free and liberated! Therefore, I once more would like to draw your attention to the following points:

The USA and its allies are not concerned with the main cause behind terrorism. The main cause is their dependence on the terrorist of "Northern Alliance". This dependence owes to US vested interest. That is why our people don't consider the US and its allies "liberators" of our country.

Dear friends, my wounded country is not free! US bombs and the presence of thousands of US troops is not to establish democracy in our country. But, as I said earlier, is only for its own strategic interests not only in Afghanistan but also in any other oppressed and fundamentalist blighted country. It is not what I am saying. US policy makers confess this too:

George Kennan says that America was never concerned about the establishment of democracy and democracy never had any value, any importance in the foreign policy. According to Howard Wierda, democracy is a good mask for our fundamental strategic objectives.

Dear sisters and brothers,

To overcome the menace of fundamentalism and establish true and secular democracy in Afghanistan only can be done by the people of Afghanistan and this will be possible only when USA and its allies honestly and uncompromisingly stop any kind of support to fundamentalists and anti-democracy parties, or organizations and individuals. In my opinion, the best and an honest way is to help Afghan people to remove all fundamentalists from government positions and parliament. They only deserve to be tried for stashing away billions of dollars in the name of Afghan people and this is what our people want.

Respected friends,

I have not much time to talk about my ill-fated Afghanistan in more detail but hope you have realized from what I just shared with you that my country is still in chains of bloody and terrorist fundamentalists. The only different thing about them is that this time they are more assured of USA's support and are more free to do whatever they like.

I also hope you will seriously consider our warning about the grievous situation Afghanistan is facing under the fundamentalists of "Northern Alliance". This situation certainly would prolong our struggle.

Dear friends,

I won the elections with nothing in my hands except my people's trust and love. Today I am Member of Parliament but let me honestly tell you that if it was not to use this opportunity to expose the true and real nature of all criminal warlords and their puppets as MPs, I even for moment would not have tolerated this painful experience. I only want to be a voice for my suffering people who were always silenced.

I am well aware of the hardships, challenge, threats and sacrifices I have to confront but I trust my people. I know they are with me no matter what and who comes my way.

I also would like to assure you as sincere friends of Afghan people that I will always defend truth and will not be degraded to the level of those intellectuals and politicians who because of fear for their lives or their own interests have made compromise with the enemies of our people and their international and regional supporters.

As Brecht said that I don't want to be criminal for not saying the truth!

Thank you very much