President Volodymyr Zelensky conducted yet another government reshuffle. This time, the Zelensky-controlled parliament fired five ministers on Nov. 3 and hired four new ministers, a day later, to serve until the next reshuffle.
The non-transparent appointment of ministers and their eventual sackings leave everyone wondering why they were hired in the first place.
As more dubious characters pass through Ukrainian ministries, it becomes obvious that the president doesn’t have a strategy on how to run the country.
Ukraine had 51 ministers in 26 months since the Zelensky-led parliament held its first session. While fighting a defensive war against Russia in the country’s east and combating the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Ukraine had three ministers of defense and four healthcare chiefs in just two years.
Zelensky’s Servant of the People party controls 242 seats out of 450, making the president unchecked in his desires.
Few ministers survived more than a year on the job, with record-holders ex-Finance Minister Ihor Umansky and ex-Health Minister Illia Yemets fired less than a month into their terms.
Even political observers have a hard time remembering the names of all those people who now have “ex-minister” written in their resumes.
The only minister who was able to remain in power for over two years is Mykhailo Fedorov, who leads the digital transformation ministry.
Inefficiency and corruption have been the main reason for ministers to fall out of favor with the president and his party. Even Servant of the People lawmakers are vocal on how bad Zelensky’s ministers are.
David Arakhamia, head of the Servant of the People faction, said that it’s now hard to find new members for the Cabinet because no one wants these jobs. He also added that the ministries tend to become chaotic amidst government changes.
And yet they continue to shuffle the stripper deck.
Some of Zelensky’s appointees wouldn’t pass even the basic background check. Yet they were still appointed by the obedient parliament.
Ex-Defense Minister Andrii Taran didn’t even bother to address parliament during his appointment, breaching the longstanding tradition. He also abstained from doing so when he was voted out of office on Nov. 3.
Parliament has become a printing press for the president’s nominees, who don’t see the need to present their views to their formal employers. The ministers serve at the pleasure of a single person.
Yet, as experts and lawmakers alike point out, the more changes occur, the dimmer the chances of finding qualified personnel.
An employed professional won’t bother to join a government, where his career can abruptly end and his reputation be tarnished.
Two years in, Zelensky’s chaotic, unchecked appointments made the government weak, inefficient and a bad career option for certified professionals.
If this administration truly wants to make a difference, it should stick to a single program, instead of neurotically chasing approval ratings by constantly sacrificing ministers.
