Controversial policy: A schoolgirl walking home from school in the Fayzabad district of Badakhshan Province. Afghanistan is the only country in the world that does not allow girls and women to attend secondary school and university, and forbids women from working. — AFP
EDUCATION Minister Fadhlina Sidek found herself in a tight spot over the move to host officials from the Taliban-led Afghanistan government here last week.
Some MPs queried her over the visit and their reservations are understandable given the oppressive and extremist nature of that government.
It is the only country in the world that does not allow girls and women to attend secondary school and university and forbids women from working in many jobs.
Kabul has very few friends, but the reality is that the Taliban are in power and while many countries are dragging their feet to recognise them, they are running the government.
DAP MP Lim Guan Eng raised concerns that Malaysia might be seen as condoning Afghanistan’s policies, particularly the ban on women’s education, but several defensive PAS MPs criticised the Bagan MP.
Kuala Kerian MP Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, the PAS deputy president, said the current Afghanistan administration is “not a Taliban government.’’ He is wrong. Of course it is a Taliban government, but meeting Taliban leaders and officials is not tantamount to agreeing with their policies, just like meeting Communist Party of China leaders does not mean we support communism; or engaging with openly gay foreign leaders does not make us advocates of their lifestyles.
If only some of our lawmakers could think with their heads instead of just wanting to score points. There is no doubt that there is global concern over how the Taliban run their country. Unless they change, the world will continue to shun Afghanistan.
Since 2023, funds to develop the country from international aid organisations have been put on hold because of its policies, which has put its 15.8 million people in continued misery. It has been reported that over 25 government-run hospitals lost their international funding and the World Food Programme has also cut its assistance to 10 million Afghans.
That aside, the people in rural areas have had to deal with the drastic implications of flooding, droughts and earthquakes, which have decimated their produce.
The United States, which fought against the Taliban, had been the largest international donor to Afghanistan having provided over US$2.6bil (RM11.6bil) via the United Nations and other non-governmental organisations.
However, after the fall of Kabul in 2021, the Biden administration froze the funds as it said it was unclear who had the legal authority to access the account.
The Taliban government, which is said to be divided among various factions, has been insistent on continuing its policy of banning women from formal education, but its willingness to meet a female Malaysian education minister should be seen as an opportunity.
The MOE’s statement on the matter has certain key words – “we showcased an inclusive education system focused on increasing access and equity across socioeconomic status, gender, ethnicity, and geography.
“This includes eliminating gender disparities and ensuring equal and inclusive access at all education levels.
“The MOE’s commitment aligns with the statement last year by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who expressed readiness to enhance cooperation with Afghanistan. At the same time, education rights cannot be denied.
“Malaysia is committed to and fully supports the right to education and access to education for girls.’’
During the week-long visit from Nov 4, the Afghans visited SMKA Putrajaya, Institut Pendidikan Guru Perempuan Melayu in Melaka, Bukit Jalil Sports School and Sekolah Seri Puteri, Cyberjaya. It was an eye-opener as the visits included co-ed institutions.
”They saw how Islamic Studies and English, together with sciences, can be taught in proper Islamic schools,” one official said.
He said the Afghans were open to all “except for music classes.” The Taliban have banned music and all forms of entertainment since taking over in 2021.
The Malaysian stand, however, is clear. Meeting these Afghans enables us to convince them that providing education to females is important – surely, these Taliban, too, have daughters, sisters and mothers.
Do they want to deprive a whole generation of females of proper schooling because of their extreme interpretation of religion, or a fear that their authority will be challenged?
According to news reports, the delegation was led by Shahabuddin Saqib, the director-general of the Afghan education ministry. Fadhlina said the delegation also took part in several discussions with MOE, where her ministry “shared insights on education.’’
Rather than frown upon their visit, I feel it is good that they chose Malaysia as a place where they could learn.
Perhaps, the delegation can convince the hardliners back home to have a rethink. It could perhaps start off by allowing females in the urban areas to attend classes online.
If that can happen, although it sounds like a long shot, it will enable Kabul to negotiate for the resumption of funds.
A harsh winter is coming, and the Taliban will have plenty of time to think although unfortunately, the people will be facing tough times. But these are resilient people. They have defeated the British, Russians and Americans in wars.
It doesn’t help that the people in power are mostly war veterans not trained in the subtleties of diplomacy, finance and economics, skills needed to turn the country around.
Malaysia no longer has an embassy in Kabul while the Afghan embassy here was established before the Taliban government was formed. Its representatives are invited to functions and no one can miss them in their traditional clothes.
However, Putrajaya continues to take a “cautious approach” on its relations with Afghanistan and waits for signals from international bodies like the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) before deciding on whether to resume official diplomatic ties.
The US has a “interest section’’ in Kabul which it operates under the Qatar government. Normally, if a country does not have diplomatic relations with another, it will have an “interest section” run by another friendly country. In some cases, it could be just a one-man show “liaison office.”
In Baghdad, during the United Nations sanctions against Iraq under the late Saddam Hussein, the US had its interest section under the Polish embassy.
In short, no matter what happens, the engagement remains. At least a listening post stays open. Intelligence gathering is sometimes carried out via an existing “humanitarian NGO” operating in Afghanistan or through a third-party, particularly Muslim countries which still have embassies there.
Most countries have continued their engagement with the Afghans in unofficial capacities and these, even on a personal level, are beneficial.
China, for one, is among the strongest supporters of Afghanistan. It has an embassy in Kabul and has extended economic aid and multi-dollar loans to develop the country, with which it shares a 92km border.
Chinese tourists to Afghanistan have grown since 2021 after the Taliban took control with over 7,000 Chinese tourists in 2023, a remarkable increase of 913% from 2012, according to the Tourism Directorate in Kabul.
Indonesia has shut down its embassy in Kabul but its ambassador in Islamabad, Pakistan, is also accredited to Kabul. That means Indonesia still has full diplomatic ties with Kabul.
As much as my writings have been critical of the Taliban, it has not prevented me from making friends with journalists who work at Bakhtar News Agency, the official news agency of Afghanistan.
If the Afghans want to come to Malaysia to learn and open their eyes and ears – we lose nothing by using this window of opportunity to convince them to let their girls and women have a proper education.
