It’s been five months now since elections were over and we’re still without a government. Numbers-wise, this is the second longest period we’ve been without a government in the past ten years and none of the ruling parties seem to be in a rush to form that government.
Some are saying it will be formed today, but my question is: Does it really matter if it gets formed or not? What difference will this new government make? Are we going to see reforms? cost-cutting strategies? a war against corruption? Obviously not.
In fact, if we look at the reasons behind this 5-months delay, you will realize we’re getting yet another useless government formed under the pretext of national salvation. They’ve been arguing for months over who gets what without taking into consideration the competence of proposed candidates and looking into the performances of previous ministers. If X wants the Ministry of Health or Telecom or Public Works or Finance, it’s because they feel entitled to it, not because they feel they can make a difference by running such ministries. It’s like someone asking you to form a basketball team and the shortest guy on the team forcing the coach to play him as center because he feels entitled to it and his dad owns the team.
This being said, the only way to make a change in this country is by having a government formed of technocrats and only technocrats. If certain parties are serious about reforms and fighting corruption, they should start by naming businessmen and technocrats to take over ministries, not their most loyal people. As long as loyalty and short-sightedness trump competence, we will never advance as a nation.