KABUL, 21 April 2004 — Afghan President Hamid Karzai said yesterday he wanted to reduce the size of his Cabinet, a move that will be watched closely by factional leaders and commanders who have resisted previous bids to reform government.
Only a handful of the 29 Cabinet posts in Karzai’s government, installed after the overthrow of the Taleban in late 2001, are run by experienced and educated officials, while the rest are occupied by members of powerful factions. “We have learned lessons about the strengths and weaknesses of our current administration,” Karzai told delegates from foreign donors, who gathered in Kabul for a conference called Afghanistan Development Forum.
“I have come to the conclusion that the size of the cabinet is too large for effective delivery of services.” He said he had instructed three Cabinet members to draw up a plan for the reforms and clarify the functions of the ministries.
Karzai, from the largest Pushtun ethnic group, has sought to reduce the influence of ethnic minority leaders, who, after helping the US military topple the Taleban in 2001 rose to positions of power in local and central government. The president has already sought to reform the powerful Defense Ministry to better reflect the country’s ethnic makeup, although Defense Minister Mohammad Qasim Fahim, from the minority Tajik group, remains at the helm.
Karzai also outlined how $4.5 billion in aid pledged for this year by the international community at a recent conference in Berlin would be spent. Karzai’s priorities include the fight against rampant opium production and bolstering an ambitious disarmament plan that he hopes will cover 40,000 of the country’s estimated 100,000 fighters by June.
Private armies are seen as a major threat to security in Afghanistan, already wracked by a militant insurgency that has claimed hundreds of lives in the last few months. Karzai highlighted the National Solidarity Program enabling villagers to decide on their own reconstruction priorities and health and education services.
