MPP returns from Kabul conference

Afghanistan forges ahead

TORONTO — “‘Press reports
here indicate that Afghanistan is
operating in some violent condi-
tion, that there’s guerrilla warfare
there, that the country is in the
midst of being taken over by-re-
bels. The reality of the case is just
the opposite,’” Mac Makarchuk,
NDP member of the Ontario
Legislature told the Tribune in an
interview, Sept. 18.

Makarchuk spent one week in
Afghanistan attending an inter-
national peace conference re-
cently and had the opportunity to
‘speak to leaders and people on the
streets, tour the countryside, and
as he says, ‘‘just wander around
by myself as well ...””

“The shops are open, the
streets are full of people, traffic is
moving. You go out into the
countryside and the highways are
full of transports bringing in goods
from places like Pakistan. There’s
a sense of normalcy.

‘‘Sure, you see people carrying
guns — they seem to carry guns

MPP Mac Mekarchuk in an in-
terview with the Tribune.

the way we carry combs or hand-
kerchiefs — in their belts or under
their arms, but’ the general
appearance is very normal.
“| Found Things Different...”
“*T spoke with Canadians work-
ing there,’ Makarchuk said, **and
asked them if they had exper-
ienced any of this violence. As I
left Montreal, I had read in the
Gazette about violence and
fighting in the capital city, Kabul.
I had some apprehension, but
when I arrived I found things
were absolutely different.
“I went shopping one day by
myself and spoke to street ven-
.dors and shopkeepers. If there is
uncertainty — and I noticed this

when I was in Hanoi in 1955 — '

vendors will be anxious to sell,
they won't haggle, if you,have
U.S. dollars they'll sell at any

“This wasn’t the case at all in
Afghanistan. This is one of those
good indicators of economic sta-
bility — you bloody well pay the
price. They weren’t prepared to
haggle. There is no way you can
cut them down in price.

‘* Another indicator came when
we drove into the countryside by
bus to Kandahar which is on the
way to the Kyber Pass to Pakis-

tan. This is reported here to be:

one of the main areas controlled
by the rebels. We went through
there, the countryside looked
normal, people were working the
fields, power plants operating.
There were guards at the plants
and on bridges, no question about
that .

Makarchuk described a big

“ 8 fanatics are doing,”
= a ? said, “is to tear apart little girls

meeting and parade in Kandahar.
‘‘There must have been about
5,000 people in a park where we
spoke. And this is an area which,
according to Western press re-
ports, was supposed to be in rebel
hands.

“I believe the government is
popular. The response of the
people, I found, was spon-
taneous. Being a politician you
get a sense when people are for
you, against you or indifferent.
There’s no question they’re for
the government. Masses of
people turned out for the parade.
Rose petals were showered on
= ..

Rebel Atrocities

‘‘People admitted there have
been attacks. We saw pictures of
a bridge which had been blown
up. They showed us photos of
schools, particularly — girls’
schools, that had been blown up.
The rebels are a combination of
Muslim fanatics, who use Ayatol-
lah Khomeini as their inspiration,
and dispossessed landowners and
former moneylenders.

‘‘The government divided the
land among the peasants who
worked it.. The other thing that
was done — and this beats Joe
Clark’s mortgage plan all to hell
— is that loans taken before 1970
are non-repayable, loans taken
between 1970 and 1973 were re-

» payable at 10% of the total loan
& and so en ona sliding scale. Also
$ the interest rate on loans is only
S 3%.

‘“‘An example of what the
Makarchuk

z who appear on village streets

: © without their veils. It is this sort of
3 atrocity they carry on. One of the

things the rebels attack the
government for is its policy of
opening co-educational schools.

‘In general, I found Afghanis-
tan to be a country trying to move
from feudalism into the 20th cen-
tury. I spoke to many Afghan
leaders, including the new presi-
dent, Amin. They struck me as
tough, modern people, aware of
what’s going on, tuned into the
20th century.”

Returning to Western press re-
ports of rebel controlled areas,
Makarchuk repeated that he and
other foreign delegates travelled
to these areas. ‘‘We were there.
We travelled by night and during
the day. The conference dele-
gates were split into four groups
and toured throughout the coun-
try. Our hosts said ‘look for your-
selves’, and that’s what we did.

‘**We should recognize that the
nature of rebel attacks are such
that they take place at night.
Schools are burned and so on —
rather a cowardly thing.

Destabilization Efforts

**There’s been a lot of mis-
information about the situation
there,’’ Makarchuk said. I have a
feeling there is probably some ef-
fort on the part of the CIA and
others who would like to de-
stabilize the area. Being on the
border of the USSR they would
like a country with an unfriendly
government or an unsettled reg-
ion which would be to the advan-
tage of the United States.

‘*But the Afghan people have
other needs. They need water and
sewer services. They want to de-
velop their country and increase
their living standards.

‘“‘A fair amount has already
been done. I mentioned land re-

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—OCTOBER 5, 1979—Page 8 .

form, they’ve also nationalized
the importing companies, for
example, which once. had a

monopoly and were ripping off.

the people. Shops are still pri-
vately owned and farming co-ops
are encouraged. They’re building
schools ...””

Makarchuk quoted some
figures of progress: 11 million
landless peasants have received
land; bank revenue now goes to.
the state; trade is both with east
and west; medical services are
being upgraded. “‘I spoke to a
Canadian doctor,”’ he said, ‘‘and
found there are Afghan doctors
studying here in the latest tech-
nology.”

More figures: since last year’s
revolution health clinics have in-
creased from 55 to 57; polyclinics
from 121 to 146; Dams are being
built; so are cement plants ...

Muslim Support

‘*Others on our delegation gen-
erally had the same impression of
the country as I did,’ said
Makarchuk. ‘‘I spoke with people
from Zimbabwe who said Af-
ghanistan was a hell of a lot more
peaceful than Zimbabwe. The de-
legates represented all sorts of
political groups — socialists,
communists, guerrilla people
from Africa, church repre-

sentatives, trade unionists — a
fairly broad cross: section of
people.”

‘*When asked about his views
of recent events in the Afghan
government and the changes,
Makarchuk said he felt “‘there
would not be any shift in policy’.

Questioned about the use of
Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini by the
rebels, Makarchuk said he is
being: ‘‘used as an example that
Afghanistan should build another
Muslim brotherhood as they have
in Iran.”

He pointed out that Muslim re-

A demonstration in support of the revolutionary government of M
ghanistan indicates the peopie’s commitment to progress.

ligious leaders came up at
meeting in Kandahar and
ported the revolution. “ :
quoted from the Koran sa 4 §
there should be an equitable lat .
distribution, that people shoul,
not be abused . - &
* S *
Makarchuk was interviewed 0)
the same day by. the CBC®
countrywide radio program A
Happens on his request foll
ing the program’s taping of a °
bel’’ representative. An intervie")
the MPP described as ‘‘total))
misleading’’. q

Bulgaria — a world example

SOFIA — When the national
income of a country jumps by
45% to 50% in five years, and
translates (among other things)
into vast educational oppor-
tunities for the whole population,
a proliferation of health care, and
an explosion of books, films and
theatre, that’s one sign of national
income flowing back to its people.

Over the 35 years since war-
time 1944, Bulgaria’s industrial
production has soared, without
sacrificing its claims to fame won
by its vineyards and orchards,
and with an uplift in skills and liv-
ing standards never before wit-
nessed= =

On September 9, Bulgaria
celebrated her national day, the
day on which, in 1944, the pro-
gressive forces of the working
people triumphed in their fight
against the fascist dictatorship,
the cohorts of Hitler Germany.
The rising took place only hours
after the liberating Soviet Army
crossed the Bulgarian border in its
westward sweep against the
Nazis. On the occasion of the an-
niversary Bulgarians pause to add
up their country’s gains.

Bulgaria was almost exclu-
sively agrarian three-and-a-half
decades ago. Today machines
make up almost 50% of Bulgaria’s
exports. In the current Five Year
Plan ending in 1980, the volume of
industrial production will rise by
an estimated 55%.. (In the previ-
ous plan — 1971-75 — it went up
by 54%.)

Mechanical Equipment

But already Bulgaria is second
in the world in production of
mechanical handling equipment

_(electric trucks, engine driven

trucks and electric hoists). Per
capita, it is first in the above field
and fourth in manufacture of tele-
phone sets.

It looks fine as statistics, one
may say, but what does it mean to
the working people? What does it

mean to everyday life that Bul-
garia now turns out in three days
electric power equivalent to a
year’s production before the war?

(It was, by the way, the first coun-

try of the Balkan Peninsula to
build an atomic power station.)
The question might be asked
too about farm production. The
production ratio is: — 84, agri-
cultural 16, but the latter accounts
for 24% of the national income.
Within framework of the socialist
worlds’ Council for Mutual
Economic Assistance, Bulgaria

_accounts for production of 75% of

the total export of tobacco, 50%
of tomatoes, and 95% of the ex-
port of grapes. Every year Bul-
garia exports millions of bottles of
wine and large quantities of can-
ned fruit, juices and nectars. The
output of cereals went up 17% in
the last five plan, and livestock
breeding doubled.

One practical outcome of more
output and more exports is an in-
crease in ‘‘public consumption
funds,”’ which are an increasingly
important part of workers’ real
funds,” which are an increasingly
important part of workers’ real

incomes. The basic part of public .

consumption funds, which is an-
other way of saying the profits of
the socially-owned economy,
goes into health services, social
security, education and rts.
Analyses of workers’ wages in
socialist countries by eager-
beaver western journalists, con-
veniently ignore the substantial
fringe benefits of the public con-
sumption funds.
Health, Education-Budgets Up

During 1960-78, these funds in-
creased nearly five-fold. In 1979
they will rise by another 5.3% and
in 1980 by 4.7%.

It means the network of health
establishments are getting an
8.5% budget boost in 1979 com-
pared to 1978. In the 1975-80 plan
period, education training in-

-commitment to peace,

Bulgarian people with an eve"

creases annually by 7. 5% and
6.5% of this growth is achieved
the consumption funds. Today, ‘
1.5 million out of Bulgaria’s
million population are study:
and encouragement to, study
public expense reaches all ¢
ners of the states.

Compared with pre-war yeas :
Bulgaria puts out six times je ;
books, has 24 times more cine
and theatres, produces 160 ti me
more films and four times we
theatre performances. at

Bulgaria, which has const”.
relations with over 80 coum
and trade relations with
than 100, has many reasons
want to live in peace, To
Zhivkov, head of state and leae”
of the Bulgarian Communist Pt
ty, said recently. to

Bulgaria has many reasons i
fight for peace in the world, | el

i

has no reason to look for i?
national tension or cold oF
wars, he said.
The lesson of socialist pulg
ria’s 35th anniversary is he

traditional internationalism of veri
working class, her unwa 7
contribution to the socialist ie
munity of countries has repaid

ing standard of life.

OTTAWA — Nations 9” 19
cut their military expenditure’ iy
free money for the wor
against global hunger, the W. met a
Food Council agreed in its
ing here. ;

The resolution, presi
jointly by the Soviet Uniot:
ited States, France and Italy",
approved by the council SEP" ig

It expressed concern at

“rapid growth of military exe
ditures in world” and
mends ‘‘concrete measures
remedy the situation. :