THREE GOVERNORS FIRED, THE QUESTION IS WHY?

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 005380

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2016
TAGS: ECON ETTC PGOV SY
SUBJECT: THREE GOVERNORS FIRED, THE QUESTION IS WHY?


Classified By: CDA Michael Corbin for reasons 1.4 b/d


1. (U) Summary. Amid allegations of incompetence and family
scandals, three regional governors in Syria have been
dismissed in the past ten days. Some argue the changes
reflect President Bashar al Asad's focus on performance as a
sign of seriouness on reform, while others believe the
dismissals simply follow an established pattern that seems to
repeat itself every two to three years. End Summary.


2. (U) The governors of Tartous, Hama and Damascus
Countryside provinces have all been dismissed in the past ten
days; alleged incompetence or other abuses have been publicly
cited. The SARG has an established pattern of changing three
to five governors, out of the total roster of 14 governors,
every 18 months or so. (Note: The Governor of a province in
Syria is an important regional official, appointed by the
President. Many have backgrounds in the security services,
military, or high-level Ba'ath Party experience. End Note.)
In two of the cases (Damascus Countryside and Hama),the
governors were fired for alleged incompetence, although media
contacts speculated that they may actually have been removed
for their efforts at reform: the two governors had fired
several municipal managers for corruption or incompetence.
In the case of Tartous, ousted governor Mohammad Salim
Kaboul,s unruly son may have contributed to his undoing.
Scandals involving bullying and poor performance at school
(an elite establishment for which he was not qualified) were
publicized.


3. (C) Resident UNDP Coordinator Ali Za,tari told CDA on
November 29 that he felt the dismissals (other than Kaboul)
were unusual more for their allegations of non-performance of
job duties rather than corruption charges. According to
Za'tari, malfeasance in office is the standard reason for the
SARG,s periodic reshuffles, so this use of nonfeasance is
somewhat unusual.


4. (C) Two of the new governors named are interesting
choices. Wahid Zein Eddin, new governor of Tartous, used to
be Assistant Minister of Communications and Technology, with
a good reputation, but was purged by the new Minister;
perhaps this appointment is an effort at rehabilitation,
Za,tari said. The new governor of Damascus Countryside is
Nabil Omran, who was transferred from his post as governor of
Dara,a. His transfer, in contrast to the other dismissals,
is widely seen as a promotion.


5. (C) Comment: Though SARG officials often talk about
"cleaning up" the public sector, rumors abound as to the real
reason two of the governors were dismissed. The question,
some say, is whether the fired governors were really that
much worse than their peers, who have thus far retained their
positions. Determining whether the moves reflect a focus on
reform, or are simply the latest manifestations of spreading
patronage to loyalists, will require time to see whether
changes occur in other aspects of local government.
CORBIN