Jury Still Out on New Cabinet
Jury Still Out on New Cabinet
Tajikistan has a new government, which looks remarkably like the old one bar a bit of streamlining. While some observers are hopeful that the new structure will improve efficiency, others argue that things will only change when the cabinet is made more accountable to parliament.
President Imomali Rahmonov announced the new cabinet line-up on November 30, after the government stood down as it was required to do after his re-election earlier in the month. In the new cabinet, the number of ministries, state committees and subdepartmental committees has been cut from 40 to 30.
However, all the occupants of the remaining ministerial posts have been left in place, with some reshuffling. The one exception is Foreign Minister Talbak Nazarov, who has been replaced by Hamrokhon Zaripov, a former ambassador to the United States. Contrary to expectations, Prime Minister Akil Akilov kept his job.
Zuhro Madaminjanova, head of the department for ethnic and political processes at the presidential Centre for Strategic Studies, believes the changes will have a positive effect. The duplication of management of the past will be replaced by joined-up coordination of investments and projects, and this, she said, will produces “results of quite a different order”.
According to political scientist Saifullo Safarov, the funds saved through cutting government staff can now be used for other purposes, and the streamlining is also likely to reduce corruption and bureaucracy.
But there are some commentators calling for parliament to be given more teeth to call the government to account and make it more effective.
“We need [something like] a House of Commons to allow people to identify the problems facing society and put them to the government,” said Pulat Shoazimov of the social philosophy department at the Academy of Sciences.
Shokirjon Hakimov, the deputy head of the opposition Social Democratic Party, is also in favour of a stronger parliament and more public control over the government. If the right parliamentary systems and laws were put in place, he said, the cabinet and prime minister would become more effective and could even be granted greater powers.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
President Imomali Rahmonov announced the new cabinet line-up on November 30, after the government stood down as it was required to do after his re-election earlier in the month. In the new cabinet, the number of ministries, state committees and subdepartmental committees has been cut from 40 to 30.
However, all the occupants of the remaining ministerial posts have been left in place, with some reshuffling. The one exception is Foreign Minister Talbak Nazarov, who has been replaced by Hamrokhon Zaripov, a former ambassador to the United States. Contrary to expectations, Prime Minister Akil Akilov kept his job.
Zuhro Madaminjanova, head of the department for ethnic and political processes at the presidential Centre for Strategic Studies, believes the changes will have a positive effect. The duplication of management of the past will be replaced by joined-up coordination of investments and projects, and this, she said, will produces “results of quite a different order”.
According to political scientist Saifullo Safarov, the funds saved through cutting government staff can now be used for other purposes, and the streamlining is also likely to reduce corruption and bureaucracy.
But there are some commentators calling for parliament to be given more teeth to call the government to account and make it more effective.
“We need [something like] a House of Commons to allow people to identify the problems facing society and put them to the government,” said Pulat Shoazimov of the social philosophy department at the Academy of Sciences.
Shokirjon Hakimov, the deputy head of the opposition Social Democratic Party, is also in favour of a stronger parliament and more public control over the government. If the right parliamentary systems and laws were put in place, he said, the cabinet and prime minister would become more effective and could even be granted greater powers.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
