Editorial: Will the new cabinet ministers declare their assets?

At the first meeting of his new cabinet on May 8, President Hamed Karzai asked his ministers to register and declare their assets and wealth so as to ensure transparency in the government. Many political analysts doubt the president’s order will be implemented, because Karzai asked his previous cabinet ministers to do the same, but most did not. Some of the previous ministers were interested in abusing public property, and did not want the president’s order to be implemented. This could be one of the main reasons that the former cabinet ministers did not want to declare their assets and wealth. Many publications asked the president’s office to give them information about the assets of the former cabinet ministers so that they could publish them, but no media organisation was able to get this information. Neither did the president take any action or ask his ministers why they did not obey his order. In the end, the declaration of assets was forgotten. We believe that the declaration of the new cabinet ministers’ property will be a very good and effective step in enlightening people about their ministers’ assets and wealth - assuming it really is implemented. Let’s see whether the honourable ministers, who spoke of honesty and transparency in the parliament, will declare and register their assets.