Amid uncertain fate of one third of cabinet, NUG still nonchalant

Sunday, 08 January 2017 03:27 Written by Heart of Asia Read 310 times

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With more than a month and half already passed since the disqualification of seven ministers by the Wolesi Jirga for development budget underspending, not only has the government failed to introduce their replacements for a vote of confidence, but the fate of the unseated ministers also remains unknown. Following Wolesi Jirga’s decision to dismiss the ministers, the government remitted the case to the Supreme Court to decide whether or not the lower house is authorized to sack ministers in absentia. Although the High Court has reportedly upheld the Wolesi Jirga’s decision, it is yet to officially declare its stance. Apart from the dismissed ministers, the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) has also been managed by acting minister since one year.

While governance in the country seems to have been paralyzed to the point of crisis, any delay in replacing the deposed ministers can further exacerbate and complicate the situation. As key slots of the Afghan cabinet, the unclear future of ministries of mines and petroleum, foreign affairs, higher education and education has crippled the work of a major part of the government, and may precipitate further woes if it is not addressed.

Despite Wolesi Jirga’s repeated calls for designation of new ministers, the government even appears to be playing down the issue of uncertain fate of one third of its cabinet. Without identifying priorities, the president and the chief executive officer (CEO) are also busy with matters far more trivial than the fate of ministers.

The government’s hold-up in replacing the disqualified ministers comes as the Wolesi Jirga is fast approaching its winter recess. If new minister-designates are not introduced to the lower house for confirmation within two weeks, the process will then be postponed for at least two more months. If they are picked after two months and yet not all of them secure a trust vote, the government will still have an incomplete cabinet in the second half of its term. Whether or not and when the National Unity Government will honor its promises remains utterly unknown.

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Problems facing election; the threat to its legitimacy

Problems facing the parliamentary and district council election are beginning to surface. The developments unfolded following the launch of voter registration process by the Independent Election Commission (IEC) are upsetting. According to reports, the number of people who have visited the voter registration centers over the past few days is very low, and if it continues as now, it is impossible for IEC to register more than one million voters in two months. This comes as the process has begun from provincial centers, where people are more willing to go to polls, and security is relatively good. These reports suggest that the number of people turning out at voter registration centers in districts and rural areas may further drop.
Furthermore, there are reports that certain circles are out from now to create barriers to election. The security situation of some districts in northern Balkh province, which were relatively safe, has reportedly deteriorated in recent days. The residents of these districts claim that there are secrete hands working behind the scene to destabilize some areas so that their residents cannot participate in election.
This is a major challenge the government must address. As citizens of the country, all eligible voters reserve the right to take part in election, and depriving them of this right is a big injustice.
There were similar concerns about the previous parliamentary election. Certain areas of some provinces were destabilized in the run-up to the election, preventing the residents of those areas from participating in the polls. As a result, they were not able to pick their representatives for Wolesi Jirga. Ghazni province is an example. Although the majority of residents of the province are ethnic Pashtuns, none of the public representatives who found way to Wolesi Jirga was Pashtun.
The point of discussion here is not the ethnicity, but rather the representation of people. Election should provide the masses with the opportunity to have equitable representation. This is the existential philosophy of election, without which the results of election will not be legitimate.