Sunday October 25, 2015
Kabul (BNA) Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, spoke with a number of provincial governors on the 100-day plans.
In this video teleconference that took place the other day in ARG, the President talked about the second 100-day-action plan that is focused on the provinces, and thanked the governors for their leadership, direction and consistent efforts to strengthen governance, stability and pave the way for provision of services. The President said that he has studied that 100-day action plan of the provinces sent to him, and accepts the commitments of the governors to strengthen leadership of the governorates and relations with the people as well as coordination of affairs, facilitation and supervision of service provision and presentation of issues and proposals. The President underscored the importance of understanding the characteristics of every district in Afghanistan in the framework of this plan, recognized a serious issue in relations between the provinces and ministries and said that in order to address the issue a specific goal is to be set for the relevant acting authorities. President Ghani noted that henceforth five governors would come to Kabul on rotational basis and meet with the National Security Council as well as the relevant ministries so that practical solutions are sought for their problems in the cabinet.
The President said that the raison d’être of every department as well as its functions should be defined and that all the districts should approached in a balanced way. The President underscored the importance of independence of the judiciary and attorney general’s office and said that he will not allow anyone to stay in Kabul, even for one day, while his job is based in the provinces. Mohammad Ashraf Ghani added that without paying taxes a country cannot have economic independence and henceforth the international assistance to Afghanistan will depend on how we can increase our revenue and make our expenditures in the center and provinces more reasonable and effective. President Ghani said that in every province and its districts, a clear list of the government properties and equipment should be prepared. Concerning land grabbing, President Ghani said that the high council for land and water has fundamentally studied the phenomenon, and most of the land-grabbing cases have taken place in Kabul, Balkh, and Nangarhar provinces. He underscored that serious attention must be paid to prevent land grabbing and make effective the taxing system. The President highlighted that the government has programs under hand to strengthen the municipalities and said that a network of municipalities should be created to share each other’s experience and connect with other cities. President Ghani also asked the governors to put in more efforts for implementation, effectiveness and transparency of university entrance examinations. He underscored that an environment of trust will not come about in entrance examinations without the management of the governors. The President reiterated that if any government employee meddles in entrance examination outside his area of responsibility, he or she will be immediately dismissed and introduced to the courts. The series of President’s talks with the governors via video teleconference on the 100-day-action plans are going on.
