List of New Karzai Cabinet Members

Jan Qarabaghi - December 24, 2004 :

Can Karzai’s New Cabinet Rise to the Historic Occasion?

The ‘new cabinet’ assembled by Hemaid Karzai consists of 27 old and new faces, a few of whom can claim some degree of national reputation, others unknown and mostly new and novice to the arena of Afghan internationalized politics. Now that after weeks, if not months, of theatrical suspense the curtain has been lifted and the game of political brinkmanship is soon to begin, some new members of the young cabinet may wonder what their first and foremost duty of national importance may, or should, be: Should they first tackle the albatross of poverty, illiteracy, and disease that threatens and takes the lives of millions of their country’s men, women, and children? Should they begin with the disarming of infamous warlords who reign supreme outside Kabul, tyrannizing, taxing, raping, and plundering the nation, or whatever is left of it? Should they put up their sleeves and initiate the difficult task of building a new, efficient administration to replace the corrupt, nepotistic, and bloated administration inherited form the communist and Jehadi/Taliban eras of misrule, destruction, and mismanagement? Should they pay attention to the crocodile tears of drug-addicted foreign nations and open a new front against the malaise of drug production and trafficking that together make up sixty percent of their country’s GDP, i.e., their people’s livelihood? Should they declare a new war against forces opposed to the new political order in their country, including what is known as Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, not to mention the other thousands, if not millions, of silent, disgruntled Afghans who see their faith, culture, and way of life threatened by the flood of cheap pornographic material from the West and presence of unregulated foreign troops freely scouting their land, invading their homes, and body-searching their wives and daughters?

These first-order duties, along with a long list of other equally important national obligations, will certainly occupy the minds of those new members of the cabinet who have accepted the offer of joining the Karzai/Khalilzad team, perhaps with the hope and intention that by joining Karzai’s long enervated administration they may be able to make a difference in the lives of their long-suffering, long-betrayed compatriots.

The hard fact of life, however, is that hope and good intentions often fall victim to power and greed. The good-intentioned new members of the Karzai cabinet must keep two important facts in mind: First, they should remember that with Mr. Khalilzad, the American ambassador in Kabul, couching and instructing their titular president on a daily if not hourly basis, their freedom of action in the areas of their responsibility is severely restricted, questionable, and even non-existent. Second, they must realize that success in tackling any of the serious challenges that Afghans and Afghanistan face today requires first and foremost national sovereignty and the right of self- determination. All other imminent and future tasks and duties of the new cabinet will have to be founded on the condition of regaining and reviving the national sovereignty and the self-determination right of the Afghan nation. Once this foundation of preeminent significance for a free nation is in place, other vital ingredients of assured recovery will include long-term commitment to peace by the people of Afghanistan, complete accountability and transparency in the government, rule of law, and last but not least, genuine and respect-based international aid and cooperation. Unless this order of national priorities is followed, any other solution to the current and future problems of Afghanistan will have the effect of a quick-fix that never cures the disease but temporality reduces the pain. 

Can Karzai’s new cabinet rise to the occasion and fulfill the duty history has put on its feeble shoulders? Does the new cabinet have the moral courage and the political stamina to pursue the difficult and delicate task of striking a balance between the requirements of maintaining domestic peace, on the one hand, and the need for independence and national sovereignty on the other? Can the new cabinet lay the foundation of a true, long-term recovery in Afghanistan by quickly, perhaps gradually but steadily, eliminating the need for the presence of foreign troops in the country? For the short term purpose of establishing its credibility and gaining national rapport, can the new cabinet convince U.S. Generals based in Afghanistan to abide by the rules of international law and respect the sovereignty of Afghanistan and the rights of its people and government? Can it stop the so-called “unidentified” foreign planes from indiscriminately spraying the Afghan fields with health-hazardous herbicides? Can it ask Mr. khalilzad, or perhaps his probable replacement, not to be annoyed by serving as a “pot of flower” and stay away from the Arg Palace, at least, to maintain the appearance of an independent Afghan sate and a president elected by his own people?

As far as these vital questions are concerned, I for one am not hopeful when I look at the names on the roster of the new cabinet. Those whose names appear on the roster may be honest, technically adept, god-fearing, and well-intentioned individuals; but they are not up to the grand task of saving Afghanistan from further demise and disrespect. Despite shattered hopes, however, for the sake of the Afghan nation, I pray to be wrong in my judgment.

© Afghan Observer/ Jan Qarabaghi 2004.