Palestinian Premier Ahmed Qurei is forced to scrap his new cabinet 24 hours after it is announced, reports Khaled Amayreh On Monday Ahmed Qurei revealed his long- awaited cabinet, 21 ministers the majority of whom had already held ministerial posts. The cabinet included only three first-timers, including Nasr Youssef, who was appointed interior minister, replacing former Arafat acolyte Hakam Balaawi. Nasser Al-Qidwa, Palestinian envoy to the United Nations, was appointed foreign minister, replacing Nabil Shaath who became deputy prime minister. A third new face, Dalal Salameh, was appointed as social affairs minister, replacing Intisar Al-Wazir (Um Jihad), the widow of late PLO leader Khalil Al-Wazir, assassinated by Mossad in Tunis in 1988. Apart from these three the cabinet retains most Oslo-era veterans, making it look more like a reshuffle and less the new beginning capable of meeting the aspirations of the Palestinian people for reform. Many of the ministers remaining in post or assuming new portfolios have been accused of corruption, including embezzlement, nepotism, cronyism and the accumulation of large personal fortunes. According to insiders Qurei had coordinated the make-up of the cabinet with PA President Mahmoud Abbas, who begrudgingly consented to it. The bulk of Fatah MPs in the PLC were rather more vociferous in their disapproval. During an acrimonious debate that lasted several hours several lambasted the proposed cabinet, calling it "old oil in new bottles" and "a great disappointment". Some MPs were so disenchanted they called on Abbas to ask someone other than Qurei to form the new cabinet. "The step that should be taken now is for the president to appoint somebody else as prime minister," said Salah Taamari, a Fatah MP and outgoing sports minister. "People had high hopes of Abu Mazen but what is happening today doesn't meet our people's aspirations. We need a real, substantive change." Other MPs were obviously outraged by Qurei's emphasis that the cabinet would make "security" as its top priority, prompting some law-makers to voice concern that the government would seek to satisfy Israeli and American demands instead of meeting the expectations of the Palestinian people. On Monday Qurei said his proposed interior minister, Nasr Youssef, an unpopular figure especially in the Gaza Strip, would deal with the security issue forcefully, comments that have been interpreted as announcing a crackdown on the opposition. Opposition in the Legislative Council eventually forced Qurei to scrap the entire cabinet. He vowed to form "a government of technocrats" within 24 hours. According to PLC sources, the new cabinet will be made up of experts rather than legislators. "There will be only two members from the Legislative Council on the new list," said minister without portfolio Faris Qaddura. The new cabinet is expected to be presented for approval by the Legislative Council either on Wednesday or Thursday. It is difficult, though, to work out how Qurei will be able to form a cabinet within 48 hours given that he worked for weeks on forming the rejected team. Some observers suggest that Qurei might already have prepared an alternative list of would-be candidates from outside the Legislative Council. A government of technocrats may be the only means of overcoming intra-Fatah divisions and growing disunity, but it could well be a bad prescription when it comes to political stability and the management of the conflict with Israel. Experienced Palestinian politicians will leave the government, creating a political vacuum, at least for the foreseeable future. And for a people struggling under military occupation the first priority will remain freeing themselves of that occupation, a task best served, believe many, by seasoned politicians rather than technocrats. Some PA ministers downplay the possible negative consequences and pitfalls of the new cabinet. "I think we will see to it that the ministers be experts in their respective fields as well as capable politicians," said PA Minister of Labour Ghassan Al-Khatib.
