Afghanistan war: The civics in a Kandahar governor's slap

"I'm not scared of the insurgents. As long as I'm alive I will continue working," says Baran in a level tone. After surviving three decades of war, he's not easily impressed by threats. "I want to help my people. They are tired of the fighting."

Aside from these dangers, Baran faces other daunting challenges. For one, a blizzard of government paperwork. Having never attended school, he is among the 57 percent of illiterate adult males in Afghanistan and must rely on part-time subordinates to deal with required reading or writing.

Still, literacy isn't viewed as a qualification for many Afghan officials. A number of national parliament members are illiterate. And local governors are most commonly called on to settle disputes and act as a liaison between their community and higher levels of government.

Attracting highly educated Afghans to government service remains a difficult task given the relatively low salaries and the danger. Professional translators or other qualified individuals can make more than $1,000 a month in the private sector. Baran makes less than $500 a month.

"It is irrational for well-trained individuals to work for the government if they can get far more working [elsewhere]," says Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh who is writing a book on local governance and public administration here.

In addition to Baran, there are two people who work in the district government office one day a week to help with administrative matters. A government office serving an area the size of Panjwayi – roughly the equivalent of an American county – should have a full-time staff of nine to 11 people, says to Ron Melvin, a senior adviser for the US State Department in Panjwayi.

Baran's government is limited by a budget of $600 per month, enough to pay everyone's salaries. District governments can't collect taxes, so there's no revenue. ISAF or other international donors must fund any project the district government undertakes. Without foreign assistance, Baran can do little more than settle disputes and help citizens get basic government documents.

Though Mr. Karzai has discussed increasing the budget of district governments, it won't be possible anytime soon. At the national level, Afghanistan raises $1 billion a year in tax revenue, but just maintaining its military costs $6 billion a year.

"We have to realize that the commitment from the international community is a long-term commitment," says Mr. Melvin. Addressing all the issues facing Baran and the local government here, he adds, "The provincial and national government recognize the problem and are working to fix it."

• • •

Meanwhile, in just a few quick weeks, Baran's slap has become something of a legend among ISAF soldiers working locally who know him and embellish the tale. Some exaggerated retellings even have the governor arrest his questioners after smacking them. Debate over whether it was right or wrong has taken its place in myriad questions that fill the cultural divide as the war goes on.

And just a week after the slap, the Canadian Army supplied the office of the district governor of Panjwayi with a new SUV and a personal driver – the official photo of the presentation shows Baran with a subdued smile on his face.

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