Unnecessary cabinet expansion
The PPP which started its tenure with a lean and mean cabinet is ending it up with an extra large government. The addition of fifteen more ministers cannot be justified on administrative grounds. Presumably what has made the PPP leadership to take the unwise decision are sheer political exigencies. In a period when the country is facing an unprecedented economic crunch, it is disastrous to put the burden of so many unnecessary ministers on the national kitty. As there were no unmanned departments, new ministries with fancy names that never existed before and have no raison d’etre now have been created to accommodate the incumbents. The cabinet downsizing undertaken after the transfer of many subjects to the provinces has proved to be temporary with its size burgeoning once again to 53 federal and state ministers in addition to four advisers and five special assistants.
All except one among the fresh entrants belong to the Punjab chapter of PPP. This indicates that the exercise has been undertaken to win the electoral race in Punjab where the party is required is to compete with two formidable rivals, PML(N) and PTI. The PPP has recently seen two former ministers and one MPA resigning to join the PTI. Several legislators belonging to the PML(Q) and the Like-minded Group have joined the PML(N). Hopes that an alliance with the PML(Q) would improve the PPP’s electoral fortunes in the biggest province of the country are turning to dust with the unending desertions. The expansion of the cabinet with party loyalists therefore seems to be meant to help turn the tide in PPP’s favour.
The 15 parliamentarians appointed ministers would be sufficiently motivated to campaign for the party. Unfortunately not all of them can claim to have a reputation for being upright even within the party ranks, as remarks to the media e by unnamed party leaders suggest. Some of the appointments might in fact alienate potential PPP voters. Irrespective of whatever impact the appointments might have on the elections, wasting national exchequer in pursuit of narrow party interests is bound to elicit censure.
