After the fall of the republic, former officials, who are inextricably linked to the nation’s decline, portray themselves as victims and even heroes, and in this process, they also attempt to show off. These efforts, although they seem superficial, are actually an attack on the nation’s memory and a distortion of the country’s history. They want to turn a blind eye to their past failures, corruption, and betrayals and then present themselves as heroes to the people.
The fall of the republic was a direct result of these officials’ failed policies, self-centeredness, and alienation of the people. The absence of justice, widespread administrative corruption, ethnic bias, and reliance on foreigners were the factors that separated this regime from the people. When the regime’s leaders filled their own pockets instead of serving the people, the system lost the people’s hearts and incited their hatred. The legitimacy of the fallen republic was superficial (showy). Fraud during elections, buying votes, nepotism, and foreign political interference have caused the people to become disillusioned with the republican regime. For some officials, power was merely a personal privilege, not a national responsibility. But today, these very individuals are trying to build palaces of heroism for themselves from the ruins of a failed republic.
These former officials, who bore the responsibility for the people’s past failures, portray themselves as positive, productive, and heroic figures in Afghanistan’s history. This is a distortion of the country’s pure history. They want to consciously conceal their guilt and present themselves as innocent, and through this, repeatedly shift the blame for twenty years of turmoil in Afghanistan onto others.
The people must understand that the republic collapsed because its foundations were weak, and today, those fake heroes who are trying to clear their names are the real culprits. They valued personal gains over Islamic and national interests. The people must clearly distinguish between heroes and corrupt individuals and not be deceived again by those fake heroes who exploited the public for their personal gains.
The Afghan people have not yet compensated for the losses of the past twenty years, nor have they emerged from the abyss of the decline that was created by these fake heroes. Today, when they claim heroism, the Afghan people should not forget from their memory who were responsible for the tragedies. Fake heroes must be exposed, and the people’s memory must be preserved from distortion. The new and future generations should be presented with the truth instead of lies so that fake heroes, traitors, and corrupt individuals do not come to power again in the land of Afghanistan.
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