Herat’s acting governor has dismissed district governors (DGs) on charges of corruption, extortion, electoral fraud and irresponsibility. The DGs, who say they were not allowed to defend themselves, accuse the governor of appointing his own people.
Herat’s acting governor has dismissed district governors (DGs) on charges of corruption, extortion, electoral fraud and irresponsibility. The DGs, who say they were not allowed to defend themselves, accuse the governor of appointing his own people.
Under the law a DG must be a high school graduate with an understanding of the environment and free of a criminal record. Candidates have to clear a selection test conducted by the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG), created in 2007 by then president Hamid Karzai to expand the legitimacy, competence, and reach of the government. They can expect to be paid between 600 and 1,000 USD per month.
Sayed Fazlullah Wahidi, the acting governor of Herat, believes the selection process has been corrupted. He thinks corruption afflicts all government institutions, including the IDLG, and should be fought. He has dismissed governors in five districts – Ghorian, Shindand, Obae, Kohsan and Gulran.
But Member of Parliament from Herat, Ghulam Farooq Majrooh, thinks the acting governor is authoritarian. He believes he has used the authority of his office to appoint his own candidates as acting DGs – none of whom have the requisite educational qualifications. Also since they were not IDLG appointees they are not paid a salary, which, according to Majrooh, has worsened corruption in the five districts. DGs are in charge of local and international projects in districts, and work with non-governmental organisations.
A district governor who did not want to be named told Killid the governor of Farsi district was also dismissed. He believes an acting governor has no right to sack governors appointed by the IDLG.
Killid interviewed Rabab Zarif who was appointed governor of Kohsan by the IDLG. He was sacked by Wahidi for his alleged involvement in the extortion of money from moneychangers in the district. His case has been referred to the Attorney General Office (AGO).
Zarif says the charges are baseless, and there were never any complaints against him for stealing money. Wahidi did not give him a chance to defend himself, he claims.
Charges of high-handedness
Mohammad Dawood Noorzayee was DG of Ghorian district when he was dismissed without any reason on an order from the acting governor’s office. He says that at the beginning of the year he along with 70 residents of Ghorian district went to the governor’s office to share problems of the people with the governor. But Wahidi did let him speak, and even told him he was not performing his duties properly.
Noorzayee thinks the governor was being revengeful because he had praised the former governor of Heart, Dawood Shah Saba. He says Wahidi has not responded to two letters from IDLG for his reappointment as DG of Ghorian.
Wahidi insists the DGs were dismissed on charges of robbery, fraud in election and abuse of government responsibilities. One DG had been absent from office for 20 days. Files on the dismissed DGs have been forwarded to the AGO.
Azizullah Hejran, prosecutor for administrative corruption in the AGO says they have received only two dossiers. Both have been referred back to court for further action, he adds. He did not identify the DGs by name. Interviews by Killid reveal the sacked DGs are jobless, and staying at home.
Meanwhile, Wahidi claims some DGs appointed by IDLG declined postings to “insecure” districts, and he had to post others in their place. Of the five DGs he dismissed, he claims only the DG of Farsi was appointed by the IDLG. He says new DGs would be appointed by the IDLG in “two to three months”.
Ahmad Tawab Ghorzang, spokesperson of IDLG, defends the Herat acting governor, and acted in coordination with his directorate.
Stop the rot
Nazeer Ahmad Hanafi, MP from Herat, believes there is urgent need for reforms in IDLG. The directorate should either become a full-fledged ministry or brought under the Ministry of Interior Affairs in order to prevent appointments of DGs and acting DGs being viewed through the corruption lens, he says. He cited the case of a Herat DG who was appointed to the post by the provincial governor after his predecessor was sacked. The DG was not appointed by the IDLG but a month later his appointment was given the official stamp of approval. Not only was he shown as having passed the IDLG test, his appointment got presidential assent. Hanafi did not reveal the DG’s name.
A random survey by Killid reveals 20 percent of DGs in Herat have been selected because of their tribal affiliations or religious radicalism rather than merit and experience.
Abdul Majeed Qayem, the former DG of Pashtoon Zarghoon, says some MPs play an important role in selection of DGs. According to Qayem, the MPs from Herat have both tribal support and influence in IDLG.
However, IDLG spokesperson Ghorzang says, “We don’t let anyone interfere in our selection process whether they are tribal or religious concerns.”
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