Karzai names Cabinet choices
Source: Agencies |
December 20, 2009, Sunday
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AFGHAN President Hamid Karzai's nominees for a new Cabinet provoked dismay among many parliament members yesterday but a cautiously positive response from the United Nations mission in the country.
Officials from the United States and Britain -- top troop-supplying countries who have been vocal about the need for reform -- did not yet comment on the list that was presented to parliament.
Karzai's list keeps US favorites in several posts critical to the war and reconstruction and drops the two ministry heads embroiled in corruption probes. He has been under international pressure to cleanse his government of corruption and mismanagement.
But he also needs to mollify domestic political allies, including warlords, who have kept him in power.
Some parliament members expressed strong concern about the new names among the nominees, suspecting they would do the bidding of warlords who are widely reviled for their brutality in the 1990s civil war and who still hold significant power in their regions.
"My fear and that of many MPs is that they maybe are the puppets of those warlords so that despite that they are considered civilized people and more educated people, they cannot implement their own ideas and initiatives," said Khaled Pashtun, a parliament member from Kandahar.
"I think that if this Cabinet gets a confidence vote from the parliament of Afghanistan, it would not be able to put medicine on the injuries of the Afghan people," said Gul Pacha Mujedi, a parliament member from Paktia province. "One other issue which is very important is the participation of women; there is only one position and that is not enough for the women of Afghanistan."
A presidential spokesman said Karzai made his decision in consultation with international officials and Afghan political figures but that he was not beholden to either.
"He has listened to the international community and various political parties, but the final decision was made by the president," spokesman Waheed Omar said. He added that Karzai was confident that the proposed list of ministers would work to implement reforms to root out corruption from the administration.
Ambassador William Crosbie of Canada, whose country commands international troops in and around Kandahar City, said in a statement that "we are pleased to see that the list of candidates includes competent individuals, some of whom we have worked with in the past."
Officials from the United States and Britain -- top troop-supplying countries who have been vocal about the need for reform -- did not yet comment on the list that was presented to parliament.
Karzai's list keeps US favorites in several posts critical to the war and reconstruction and drops the two ministry heads embroiled in corruption probes. He has been under international pressure to cleanse his government of corruption and mismanagement.
But he also needs to mollify domestic political allies, including warlords, who have kept him in power.
Some parliament members expressed strong concern about the new names among the nominees, suspecting they would do the bidding of warlords who are widely reviled for their brutality in the 1990s civil war and who still hold significant power in their regions.
"My fear and that of many MPs is that they maybe are the puppets of those warlords so that despite that they are considered civilized people and more educated people, they cannot implement their own ideas and initiatives," said Khaled Pashtun, a parliament member from Kandahar.
"I think that if this Cabinet gets a confidence vote from the parliament of Afghanistan, it would not be able to put medicine on the injuries of the Afghan people," said Gul Pacha Mujedi, a parliament member from Paktia province. "One other issue which is very important is the participation of women; there is only one position and that is not enough for the women of Afghanistan."
A presidential spokesman said Karzai made his decision in consultation with international officials and Afghan political figures but that he was not beholden to either.
"He has listened to the international community and various political parties, but the final decision was made by the president," spokesman Waheed Omar said. He added that Karzai was confident that the proposed list of ministers would work to implement reforms to root out corruption from the administration.
Ambassador William Crosbie of Canada, whose country commands international troops in and around Kandahar City, said in a statement that "we are pleased to see that the list of candidates includes competent individuals, some of whom we have worked with in the past."
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