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From: <•••@••.•••>
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Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2006 17:35:54 -0400 (EST)
Subject: [mgp] Malalia Joya speaks to the NDP federal convention
---<forwarded message>
It was amazing to see Malalia in person,I must
admit,it is one of the most memorable parts of my
life.what fallows is the transcript of her
speech. Please forward widely.
Aaron Doncaster
NDP Federal Convention
September 9, 2006
Québec
Malalia Joya's speech
________________________________________
In the name of Democracy and Peace,
Dear friends,
I bring you the warmest greetings of Afghan
people and before I speak of the situation in my
country, let me express my heartfelt thanks to
friends of the New Democratic Party for
remembering their Afghan sisters and inviting me
to this gathering.
Honorable friends,
Five years after the collapse of the misogynist
and anti-democracy regime of the Taliban, and
after almost five year of the US led attack on
Afghanistan; you may like me to describe the
achievements and positive outcomes in
Afghanistan, but I'm sorry to tell you that
Afghanistan is a land still burning in two-fold
fire.
The US government did remove the medieval-minded
regime of Taliban and their Al Qaeda masters. But
instead they brought back the "Northern Alliance"
to power who are brothers-in-creed of the Taliban
and as brutal and anti-democracy as Taliban and
even worse.
In December 2003, as a representative to the
grand assembly, I talked about the criminal
"Northern Alliance" and the danger they would
pose to Afghanistan. But today, even the UN
accepts that Afghanistan is going to become a
narco-state under their rule.
I must tell you that unfortunately there has been
NO fundamental change in the plight of Afghan
people. When the entire nation is living under
the shadow of gun and warlordism, how can its
women enjoy very basic freedoms? Unlike the
propaganda raised by certain Western media,
Afghan women and man are not “liberated" at all.
Let's describe the tip of the iceberg on the
reality of life is in my crying country:
According to the United Nations 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. Child and mother
mortality rate is still very high as 1,600 to
1,900 women among each 100,000 die during
childbirth. Life expectancy is below 45 years.
Suicide among Afghan women goes high in terrible
degree, according to recent UNIFAM survey, 65% of
the 50,000 widows in Kabul see suicide the only
option to get rid of their miseries and
desolation and that majority of Afghan women are
victims of mental and sexual violence.
In a country which needs much reconstruction
efforts, 40% of its workforce is unemployed and a
gross-majority is living bellow the poverty.
Afghanistan stands 175th out of 177 countries of
the UN Human Development Index.
Ironically, this is happening in a country that
has received 12 billion dollars while another 10
billion more were pledged at the London
conference last year. But this money will mainly
fill the pockets of warlords to better suppress
our nation more severely.
The crimes and brutalities of the fundamentalist
warlords are still going on even in under the
nose of the US and ISAF troops. "Northern
Alliance" gunmen raped 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 misogynist "Northern Alliance".
Under the Taliban, the vice and virtue department
became a notorious symbol of arbitrary abuses,
particularly against Afghan women and girls but
today Afghan cabinet once again decides to
reestablish this dreadful department instead of
focusing on more acute needs of the Afghan
society.
US-based Committee to Protect Journalists, in a
statement stated last year. "Afghan journalists
are facing severe pressure from the Afghan
authorities, including threats, intimidation,
even imprisonment and murder. This is the case
while Mr. Karzai and Western media speak of
freedom of speech in Afghanistan.
Those who speak for justice are threatened to
death, on May 7, 2006, I was physically attacked
by pro-warlord and drug-lord MPs in the
parliament just for speaking the truth - crimes
of Northern Alliance. One of them even shouted
"prostitute, take and rape her!"
President Hamid Karzai instead of relying on
people to bring the criminal warlords to trial,
appoints these criminals to higher posts. For
instance, this year he appointed 13 former
commanders with links to drugs smuggling,
organized crime and illegal militias to senior
positions in the police force.
It is due to the tragic situation in Afghanistan
that returning to Afghanistan is an unattractive
option for the 4 million registered Afghan
refugees living in Iran and Pakistan.
Dear friends,
The US government keeps promising not to repeat
its past mistake in supporting the
fundamentalists. But agonizing truth is that US
is committing the same mistake. She is generously
supporting the fundamentalists more than ever.
The US is relying on "Northern Alliance" who
turned Afghanistan into a hell from 1992-1996 and
still are a great threat to the stability and
peace in my country.
Kathy Gannon, an expert in Afghanistan justly
states that "the US is not interested in peace in
Afghanistan. The people who killed thousands, who
patronized the drug business are in charge of the
country."
Afghans, all justice-loving people, and
international human rights organizations are
demanding the trial of warlords and former
pro-Moscow puppets. But they are not brought to
justice but rather shamelessly were offered
higher positions and were given opportunity to
find their way into the parliament with the
support of US and its allies.
The US government puts Gulbuddin Hekmatyar in the
list of most wanted terrorists, but his party has
34 members in the Afghan parliament. US can work
with pro-American fundamentalist, but oppose only
anti-American fundamentalists. This is the reason
that people make mockery of the "war on terror".
The parliamentary election itself was a shame to
democracy while the Western media called it a
great success. According to HRW the parliament is
packed with more than 70 percent elements accused
of war crimes, including members of Russian
puppet regime, drug dealers, Taliban and
"Northern Alliance" killers.
Dear friends,
The USA is not concerned with the main cause
behind terrorism in Afghanistan. That is why our
people don't consider the US as "liberator" of
our country.
Hope you have realized from the small parts of
problems that I just shared, that my country is
still in chains of bloody and terrorist
fundamentalists. The situation in Afghanistan and
conditions of its ill-fated women will never
change positively, as long as the warlords are
not disarmed and both the pro-US and anti-US
terrorists are removed from the political scene
of Afghanistan.
I think that no nation can donate liberation to
another nation. Liberation should be achieved in
a country by the people themselves. The ongoing
developments in Afghanistan and Iraq prove this
claim.
I think if Canada and other governments really
want to help Afghan people and bring positive
changes, they must act independently, rather than
becoming a tool to implement the wrong policies
of the US government. They must align themselves
to the wishes and needs of Afghan people and stop
any kind of support to the warlords and
reactionary and ignorant element within the
system. Only by such policy, they can gain
people's trust and will prove themselves as real
friends of Afghan people.
We are deeply sorry for the deaths of Canadian
soldiers in Afghanistan. If the Canadian
government could not act independently rather
than following Pentagon's agenda, we are afraid
the efforts of Canadian troops will first of all
serve the US government and not the Afghan people.
We want the Canadian government must stress on
the fact that criminals like Sayyaf, Rabbani,
Qanooni, Mohaqiq, Fahim, Mullah Rakiti, the
Khalqis and Parchamis should be removed from
power and put on trial. The Canadian
policy-makers must know that warlords of the
“Northern Alliance" are equally responsible for
the plight of Afghani people and the current
tragedy in Afghanistan.
I am well aware of the hardships, challenges, and
death from anti-democracy forces, but I trust my
people. One day they may kill me as they have gun
and power and support of the US government, but
they can never silence my voice and hide the
truth.
Thank you.
________________________________________
--
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