NEWS ANALYSIS – The federal cabinet will be dissolved. The PPP CEC meeting chaired by President Asif Zardari authorized Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to “decide” when to pack up his cabinet and form a new team of “unblemished reputation, integrity, competence and efficiency”.
While it had already been decided in principle to dissolve the federal cabinet, the announcement was delayed for a couple of months because the president and the prime minister were not on the same page – the president, being under political compulsion and pressure from within his party at a time when he was faced with numerous internal and external problems, did not want to open a new front and the prime minister, equally being under pressure from political parties and his critics amid allegations of corruption and mis-governance, wanted to change the face of his government.
Though they finally agreed to dissolve the federal cabinet and form a new team after deliberating this critical issue at two meetings of the party’s core committee and now getting it endorsed by the CEC, they were still faced with two challenges – the size of the cabinet and who to be appointed. The answer to the question of the size of the cabinet has, however, been found. The constitution allows the prime minister to appoint up to 49 federal ministers. But what will still dog the PPP is to find an efficient and competent team of the people with reputation and integrity.
The purpose of dissolving the jumbo cabinet was to right-size it, understandably by reducing it to a minimum possible number. There were two options: dissolve the cabinet or seek resignations to accept some of them and reject others. In case of seeking resignations, it would have been seen as singling out and sidelining some of the ministers while favouring others. Though it still will be a pick and choose exercise with the president and the prime minister using their discretion, it is not likely to annoy anyone.
Similarly, it is expected that the size of the cabinet would almost remain same only with the ministers of state not being appointed this time. If the prime minister intends to keep a large cabinet and accommodate some new faces with the incumbents also carrying on in justifiably a large cabinet, he will invoke Article 92 of the Constitution which allows him to appoint 49 federal ministers (eleven percent of the total 442 members of parliament – National Assembly 342 members and the Senate 100 members).
Though this constitutional provision is not a binding on the government as it will be applicable from the next election, the prime minister will take a position that he is following the Constitution in letter and spirit by implementing Article 92 which was unanimously approved through the 18th amendment – a political but not to called in question response to his critics and a way out to keep a big cabinet. However, it is expected that the prime minister will complete his cabinet in phases.
But appointing “men of integrity with competence” is the real challenge. A number of incumbents are facing allegations of corruption. Though nothing has yet been proved against them, the question is: Will the prime minister again take them on board? Keeping the tainted faces in the new cabinet will simply mean no change in governance.
