The failure to announce a cabinet reveals the deep divide in the national unity government that both the president and chief executive have been careful to hide from the public.
“Coordination is one of the main levers of a political system but the national unity government lacks it,” observes Ahmad Rashed Parsa, a political analyst. “It has damaged the government,” he adds.
Nearly 13 weeks since the national unity government was sworn in, President Ashraf Ghani has not been able to introduce his cabinet. The delay seems to be the result of an impasse over who has the last say on candidate selection – Ghani or Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah – and how the posts should be divided.
Zaher, 67, has seen governments come and go in Afghanistan. “The national unity government is a good name,” he says, “but it hides the many differences inside that have put the government’s affairs on hold.”
Ghani and Abdullah have so far presented a united front, receiving praise from the international community. But the divisions inside have crippled governance, and people are mistrustful of a government that does nothing, says Isak, a Kabul resident.
Governance is on hold with ministries led by acting ministers. Parliament, which can only convey its displeasure, has voiced its opposition to the current arrangement. The Ghani government has been told to put cabinet ministers in place before Parliament closes for a winter vacation. In a general session of Parliament on Dec 8, Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, speaker, called the government’s decision to elevate deputy ministers in the Karzai government to acting ministers as illegal. “This situation should not continue anymore, because the deputy ministers do not have the required authority over their subordinates. Deputy ministers cannot be supervised or held responsible by Parliament,” says Ibrahimi.
Fawzia Koofi, Member of Parliament (MP) from Badakhshan, considers the government’s inability to reach an understanding on cabinet formation a serious failure. Until the differences remain the situation will be unpredictable, she feels. “Only as soon as introduction of cabinet takes place the government would get more trust from people, and then affairs would go forward well and effectively,” she believes.
Last week, media reports quoting the Voice of America (VOA) reported there were differences between the president and his first vice president General Rashid Dostum over strategy to deal with the increased Taleban bombings and suicide attacks. Dostum was pushing for a stronger military response but Ghani has plans to move forward through efforts to restore peace.
Lack of motivation
Civil society activists have reported a sense of drift in the government. “When there is no decisive or responsible person in charge,” says Gulalai Akbari, an activist, “subordinates would also work with laziness – a situation that we are now witnessing.”
He is not sure if governance issues will be solved with the announcement of a cabinet. “If the two teams were to continue to have differences, every minister would be aligned to one or the other side, and effective administration will be affected,” he says. Akbari believes the country needs a united and coordinated government. “The government should not be governed on the whims of individuals … It should have proper, organised policies and programmes,” he says.
Isak from Kabul rues the anarchy. “A united centre is essential for good governance, (and) for the coordination of different sectors,” he says.
Under the previous government, warlords, political heavyweights and even other countries were able to influence governors and local authorities. A Killid report proved the centre’s control of local governments in the provinces was tenuous sometimes. Ghani’s government was supposed to bring change.
Follow TKG on Twitter & Facebook
