By and large, there is a universal concurrence that post-conflict countries need complete overhauling of the ailing system that had bred during the warring period. The conflict, inter alia, gives birth to certain organizational behavior and pattern, which then become a big headache to deal with. Unfortunately, owing to its quarter-century of warfare, Afghanistan has gone a long way with an ailing system. One generation of Afghans became prey to the imposed war,

The arrival of Mujahideen government in 1992, predominated by Jamiate and Shurae Nezar of Ahmad Shah Masoud, with a few other fragmented and weak parties holding less important portfolios, opened another era of chaos and business ethics were completely overshadowed by the one-party rule, where elements with little education found their ways into senior positions inside and outside the country. Civil unrest that was raging in Kabul and elsewhere in the country further damaged administrative structures. A complete dysfunctional setup came into existence. President, ministers and senior figures were all busy in their personal interests and diverted a major portion of public resources to infighting in order to prolong their hold on power.

The government machinery crippled with each passing day. There were hardly high-level meetings with the visiting delegations. Most of the dealings were done through wireless communications and with no proper filing records at all. High-level officials tried to avoid and evade meetings with delegations coming from abroad on political issues. After hectic efforts by the delegations, the Afghan dignitaries would appear late while their poor visitors had to endure the stigma of waiting (there is a saying: waiting is worst than being killed!). Even at some instances, delegations had to return empty-handed, as the secretaries would announce at the last minute of their dignitaries being busy in other pressing engagements.

Reasons for the non-appearance of the dignitaries were manifolds: they lacked capacity in terms of having little education to encounter visitors and to discuss with them mattes of strategic importance. Even they did not know how to chair a meeting, what to talk about formulation of strategies or policy papers that were well beyond their capacities. Those who had knowledge did not deem those meetings as their top priorities as they were engaged in filling their own pockets of ‘Grand Canyon Size’. These cultures both horizontally and vertically affected the government machinery. Thus the business ethics were seriously damaged.

These ethics were further aggravated when Taliban took over. They turn government system into a traditional and Taliban-style structure. So-called mullahs, totally new to the government machinery, started their own vision of governance. All ministries and important positions were filled with “Mullahs” who lacked respect for international business ethics. Their dealings on issues relating to international arena were completely against the international code of conduct. Their indifferent attitudes and respects to the international treaties and dealing with visiting delegations from abroad, made them farther isolated. Most visiting delegations, after having met with Taliban, hinted that doing business with Taliban required ‘special traits’.

The setup came into existence under the leadership of Hamid Karzai, brought along with a mixed culture of doing official business in Afghanistan. Mujahideen, who did not care in the past to observe business ethics, got the second chance to slide into their old inherent culture of late arrival at the meetings or no respect at all to meet with the visiting delegations. However, the increasingly growing interactions with their international friends bullied them to set in the meetings. Most of the time they came with no agenda at all, which would cause a

great deal of confusion onto the visiting delegations. They would put out several reasons for the non-availability of agenda: due being late informed, or that they were engaged in another pressing meeting that overpowered and eaten away all other agendas. As a part of the capacity building initiatives, international community, among other things, designed basic management courses to prepare the new leadership and their secretaries in how to keep office, prepare agenda and distribute timing, etc.

Chaotic management on the part of the new leaders took almost two years until they were able to bring at least an agenda of a few words on the piece of paper. Another important missing part was the five-minute opening remarks to be made by the new leaders. Having memorized Taliban and Al Qaida by heart, they would switch automatically to the rhetoric of defeating both of them [Taliban and Al Qaida] without due consideration into the time constraints the visiting delegation had, and also, fairly ignorant to the fact that those they were giving lectures were the main actors in toppling the so-called terrorists. Afghan nation and international community were anxiously eying for a paradigm in the government setup. However, the presidential election in late 2005 paved the way to bring in some changes in the cabinet. Decision to make changes in the cabinet took a considerable time. Everyone was talking of a professional and expert cabinet. The president had to make a difficult choice in the formation of cabinet.

Although with unfair distribution of ministerial positions on ethnic lines, somewhat a professional and expert cabinet was announced. Most of Karzai’s ministers are now familiar with English language, which has helped them not to rely on unprofessional interpreters at most important meetings. After five years, some senior figures in the Afghan setup still pursue the late-arrival-culture and are unprepared when asked to deliver opening remarks. Some of expert ministers read from the paper, just like giving a lecture of history to the 8-9 classes pupils in schools. Last year, when a senior figure was invited to deliver his speech on the “launching ceremony of human development report of UNDP”, he first continued from a piece of paper for almost half-an-hour that everyone considered being his speech. However, to the surprise of all, he indicated that now it was the time to deliver his real tailor-made speech for this occasion. Already exhausted by the several boring and lengthy speeches, everyone at the hall was almost near to cry.

Another disappointing culture that exist within some key figures is that once they are finished with their incomprehensible lengthy lectures, which sometimes continue for a long time, they then leave the floor and offer their apology for not having enough time to continue to sit with the participants of the meetings - citing reasons for other pressing commitments they have to attend to. The meetings in questions, where key figures are expected to listen to the problems and give strategic advice and guidance, are left to the mercy of those who have no decision-making powers at all.

One more culture that needs an urgent attention and a halt is the serving of expensive dried fruit and nuts in most government high-level offices. On visiting these offices, one finds himself/herself in a classic teahouse. As per unconfirmed report, last year one of the high-level offices (very close to President) had spent more than US$20,000 only on procuring dried fruit and nuts for their so-called visitors – a huge amount through which one can build a school of having several classrooms for the students. At the preliminary budget debate, a parliamentarian revealed that high officials at the parliament consumed tons of nuts. According to the government reports, destitute Afghan students are studying under open sky. Why not these monies go to the reconstruction of schools and other life-saving areas. Even President Karzai’s decree could not stop them from turning their offices into teahouses. Suppose, we take the above figure for the rest of several hundred high-level offices, the amount could jump into hundreds of thousands of US Dollars – the monies that come from the pockets of taxpayers (donor community and poor Afghans).

This has already caused a serious blow to the over-stretched budget. At some points, same dried fruits and nuts have been seen in the residences of those procuring them for the offices. The irony is that the nuts such as almond, pistachios and chocolates are coming from abroad.  A considerable residents of 9 provinces living close to the homegrown pistachio and almond ranch (jungles) have been collecting yields illegally.  There is a very loose control by the government to stop them.  The reason for the loose control is the pervasive corruption that exists in the government institutions, which has given free hand to the residents to rampantly loot the jungles. As per government report, around half-a-million hectare of nuts have been destroyed. If these jungles are properly managed, government will make millions of dollars each year.  Among the curbing measures that the government has put in place is the establishment of 42 control posts throughout large and rugged areas. It doesn’t help at all. There must a strong curbing mechanism in place.

With regards to the tea serving, there have been improvements in some ministries (such as ministries of education and mines) wherein simple tea with some ordinary sweet is being offered to the guests, which is a good model for other to follow.  Being already exposed and familiar to the different cultures, and over the course of five years, our key figures have well understood the choice of their foreign visiting delegations in terms of tea and food. Green/black tea or coffee with ordinary sweets would be enough for their visitors.

• To break the cycle of late-arrival-cultural and to respect the timing of themselves and those of their visitors.
• Must show respect to the visiting delegations by arriving on time, with specific agenda and with some background information prepared for each event.
• Must understand that international community do expect from them to do something for their country, and to avail their expertise in the state-building process.
• Must show professionalism in dealing with issues of national interests and their contribution must be visible.
• Must leave professional impressions on each visiting delegations.
• Through a fresh Presidential decree, procurement of expensive dried fruit and nuts must be stopped.  
• Should not simply attribute the failure of the government and that of their relevant ministries merely to the security phenomenon.
• Put in place a proper measure to halt the illegal harvesting of homegrown nuts in the country, and at the same time, protect the jungles from destruction.
• One of the curbing measuring for the illegal harvesting of homegrown nuts could be to engage the residents in the different stages of nuts such as harvesting, packaging, trading, transportation, etc.