Editorial: Need for a responsible cabinet

Some members of the Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of the parliament, consider the current cabinet a temporary body and have insisted on the need to form a responsible and responsive government. According to the Afghan constitution, the president must submit his cabinet to the Wolesi Jirga for a vote of confidence within one month of the first session, but in the last two months the assembly has not confirmed any ministers. They have instead been busy forming commissions and the like. There are heated discussions in political circles, both inside and outside government, about the formation of the future cabinet. But people do not know what criteria will be used for forming the new cabinet. Ministers in the current government were appointed on the basis of higher education, knowledge of English and experience of living in a foreign country, preferably the United States. The skills and knowledge of people living in the country were not taken into account. And that is the reason why the government has failed. We Afghans want a responsive and responsible cabinet that is familiar with the hardships and problems facing our people.