Tahafut (incoherence of ) il government

Tahfut(incoherence of ) il- government : A unity government.

It could be a sign of a total pessimism that I didn’t believe that a unity government could be formed. The fact that a government was formed doesn’t also change my distrusting attitude. At the same time it still doesn’t mean much. At the end what was formed is another government that includes a few more people who are residing Gaza.

The fraction of the past years, has also fractioned our geographic and urban senses as well as the physical separation. I cannot visualize how a minister in Gaza can run a ministry from Ramallah or vice versa. In the structure of ministries we have, I cannot imagine a minister who is not a pure Fateh residing Ramallah with direct connection to the President can manage any ministry.

I cannot make any sensibility of why one man is handling three ministries that don’t do anything with one another. Agriculture, Social Affairs, and Prisoner ??? It sounds almost like a joke. How could he function? There are no other people left in all the list of anxiously, ruthlessly, determined, striving numbers of wanting-to-be –ministers left that are fit? What was wrong with the previous minister of prisoners? He seemed one ‘relatively’ good man? Was it a unity government or an American agreed upon deal? As if the President is using even the call for unity to pass his hideous deals with the Americans and the Israelis.

Seriously, let’s say it was an American pressure, why wasn’t it left with the Prime minister? We the people really don’t mind that he holds an additional ministry. At least they would have given us some sense of respect to a ministry that holds the name of the Prisoners that seem to be the only thing left for us in our cause to bargain on. Us I mean here of course the PA. Why didn’t they hand it to the Minister of Justice for example? Justice and Prisoners come together.

Then again, I really don’t need to check in this Super minister CV, there is nothing super except our failures in this country, but what is the connection between agriculture and social affairs? Isn’t this slap into our faces as human beings? It only brings my older theory of our de-humanized situation into perspective. The fact that we Palestinian people should be something under – human, that apparently Mr. President is just confirming to us with this triple position for a man.

I should stop this argument; there must be a wisdom I don’t see.

The minister of foreign affairs, who has been reassigned in the last seven governments as if he has the secret for the Palestinian question. Why does the president really insist on him? Why don’t we the people see what our president sees? We really don’t have anything against him, but what is it that is so precious about him? The Goldstone Scandal? Securing the freezing of the ICC case? The Scandals and the corruptions of our ambassies around the world? His assignment to his brother as an ambassador just while everything was boiling here about his reassignment and proving to us all that according to HE family is an obligation? What is his secret?

If this government is a unity government and it has no Fateh members in it? What is the minister of Economics, What is the minister of Tourism? What is the Minister of Jerusalem? What is the Minister of the Council of Minister? What is the Minister of Education? Actually she is special , she is a former faculty member to the Prime Minister and a relative to the Unity Broker Azzam Al Ahmad . Not much to be said.

No need to go into more details, I was joking with one of the assigned ministers with the title of a minister without a ministry that this whole set up seems to be all made just for him. (He never responded to my capricious jokes of course).

For integrity reasons, I was suspicious for the quietness coming from the ministry of justice, at the end of the day, I have some special tendencies towards this ministry, I worked as a consultant there and I like to know its whereabouts. It wasn’t the attitude of a Fateh Minister at all. And to calm down on my curiosity, news had it all. A few days before the announcement of the Unity government he resigned as a minister, and as a Fateh member etc…. and he was announced as the higher Judiciary court President and another position as well. Apparently after serving as one minister, one becomes multi functional in taking many other positions (but of course, we are talking here about pragmatic people with not party affiliations. Did I mention that he was\is also the Chief of the Fateh Court? ).

What maybe noticed in this government is that some exchange between Fateh to Fateh ministers, for example the minister of Economics, and the new minister of economics, they just exchanged their offices. The current one is obviously leaving his previous position in the Palestine Investment fund to the previous Minister who was in that position first. So not much of harm has taken place here I guess.

Interestingly, a real non-Fateh minister was removed, I assume with no compensation. Another not exactly first raw Fateh minister was also removed … they are both definitely welcome back to the University. Of course, not Al Najah University, because Annajah is the university of the Prime Ministry. So chances are for Annajah Alumni and staff. I have to admit that this wasn’t an objective comment. But.

So why all this fuss about this 17^th government. It is true that this is the UNITY government, but it is supposed to also function with a time-lined mandate that is specifically assigned for the preparation of the UPCOMING elections.

Before I proceed with my cynicism. I have to stop here. One of the few, if not only proper, efficient, decent institutes is the Central Elections Commission. Maybe because we really cannot test their integrity to be honest, after all, unlike the 17 governments in 20 years, the commission had the chance of only one real elections, I wouldn’t count the city councils elections as a real one. They truly perform for real country elections. Unlike my experience with the ministry of justice, I felt privileged to work as a consultant at the same time for the CEC. And if there were a place that could bring pride for institution efficiency in Palestine, It would be the CEC.

Anyway, the CEC would be definitely prepared for the upcoming elections. After all they have been prepared for a new elections every year for the last five years at least.

So maybe I shouldn’t really bother my nasty mind in bad thoughts. Six months are not far of reach. The President was really committed to his words this time, and regardless to all the details, he really stood up for his words (almost the first or the second time since he became a president) and finally we have a UNITY government. Elections? Let’s see…

But one thing for sure is. If we ever are going to get out of this loophole, it will be through elections and it should be ASAP (as in as soon as possible).