Civil society activists pick holes in cabinet formation

KABUL to use the trust vote in the supreme national interest.

After more than 105 days of its inauguration, the unity government on Monday announced the long-awaited list of 27 ministers-designate, the National Directorate of Security (NDS Bank heads.

Nasrullah Mesbah, who heads the youth political movement “Etelafi Milli Nahj-i-Naween Afghanistan,” told reporters in Kabul the nominees were inappropriate choices and the president and chief executive officer (CEO) had failed to honour their pledges.

He claimed bargaining had undermined professionalism, talent and experiance in cabinet formation. Five ethinic groups had been given represention in the cabinet, but the rest ignored, he added, regreting inadequate representation of women.

Mesbah called on lawmakers to refrain from reaching secret deals with the ministers-designate and hoped that lower house members would prove their patritoism by voting for only competent and qualified ministers.

Ahmad Zaki, the head of Civil Society Movement for Social Justice, said the Wolesi Jirga should not consider ethinicity or family backgrounds while granting trust vote to the nominees.

He said qualification and experiance should be given priority. The activists warned of bad consequances if the MPs cut deals with the cabinet nominees for personal benifit in return for the trust vote.

Earlier, some Wolesi Jirga members had suggested the majority of the cabinet nominees would be unable to obtain the trust vote because they lacked professional experience.

nh/ma

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