One Ministry Too Many?

Given all its other pressing needs, does Afghanistan really need a ministry for youth affairs? That’s the question that’s been asked in political and academic circles since President Hamed Karzai announced the creation of a new cabinet post in December.

Supporters of the ministry argue that the younger generation are the lifeblood of the nation, and everything possible should be done to engage them in helping rebuild their country.

Those against the scheme say there are other ministries that already provide for the health, education and welfare of young people.

Amina Afzali, the newly appointed youth affairs minister, defends her office, saying, "Afghanistan is a country of young people."

According to the most recent data from the CIA’s World Fact Book, nearly 45 per cent of the population are aged 14 or under.

"Young people are the ones who suffered most due to the troubles of the past two decades, so they fall into a specific category,” she said. “Special attention has to be paid to their needs to ensure they can play an active and productive part in the country's rebuilding."

Afzali said her ministry plans to make special provision for young people who do not have access to higher education, and encourage training schemes, sports and cultural activities.

The ministry will also focus on adolescents aged 12 to 18, who are seen as the most at risk of running foul of the law. "Our aim will be to try and stop them getting into trouble with crime or drugs," said Afzali.

None of this satisfies the ministry’s critics, who argue that other government bodies are already performing many of these functions.

Mohammad Qasim Akhgar, a political and social commentator, said he believes that if the other ministries were doing their jobs properly, there would be no need for a youth agency.

"I think the creation of this ministry interferes with the workings of other departments," he said. "Not to mention a waste of an inordinate sum of money."

Political analyst Shukria Barakzai says the new ministry is likely to interfere with the work done by other parts of the government.

"I don't know why the ministry was formed and neither do those who sanctioned it. No one knows whether it was necessary or not," she said.

Afzali dismisses such arguments, saying, "I do not believe we interfere with the work of other ministries. I consider it a form of cooperation. There is no problem at all: we have held meetings and they’ve welcomed our involvement."

At present, it is not clear what the youth ministry’s budget will be.

Rather than filling a vital need, Akhgar argues that the office was created as a reward for Afzali personally.

“Amina Afzali played an extensive role in the expansion of the human-rights movement, and the government felt she had to be rewarded and presented her with this post," he said.

Afzali, 46, disputes this view, saying, "The president has said his government would be a working cabinet in which people would be selected on the basis of merit, and that those who had abilities would be selected.”

One person who supports the idea of a youth ministry is Dr Mohammad Hashim Asmat Elahi, a professor of journalism at Kabul university and an educational consultant to the ministry of higher education.

"In the past two decades of war, the needs of young people have been badly neglected," he said. "This ministry can be active in practical ways by helping to find them employment, for example, as well as giving a boost to their morale and self-esteem."

Mohammad Jawad Sharifzadah is an IWPR staff reporter in Kabul.