BASRA GOVERNMENT FLEXES MUSCLES TO SACK MINISTERIAL DG

UNCLAS BASRAH 000048 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV EAID SOCI IZ SUBJECT: BASRA GOVERNMENT FLEXES MUSCLES TO SACK MINISTERIAL DG ¶1. (SBU) In a first for the Basra government, the Provincial Council and Governor Shiltagh joined forces to use new Provincial Powers Law to remove a federal official from his job. Six times before, the Basra provincial government had tried to fire the managerially challenged Director General (DG) for Sewers, Khadim Ahmed Muhsin. Backed by the Minister of Municipalities and Public Works in Baghdad, however, the ineffective Muhsin had remained in place, doing little to improve the provinces sewage management, and arguably making matters worse. In the last round, however, the Basra government leveraged both the Provincial Powers Law and our threat to withhold assistance to finally force the DG from office. ¶2. (SBU) PRT Basra experienced first-hand the difficulties working with DG Muhsin. The Provincial Council and the governor were anxious to implement the PRT's two major sewer projects, valued at over $21 million. The DG, however, refused to take the necessary steps to move the much-needed projects forward, and in fact seemed almost hostile in dealing with our staff. During Provincial Council deliberations on how to deal with the DG, the PRT underscored for a competent DG by stating that we would put our two projects on hold until better leadership was put in place in the sewer directorate. ¶3. (SBU) On July 22, the Provincial Council voted to fire the DG, and days later Governor Shiltagh signed the executing order to remove him. Under the provisions of the Provincial Powers Law, the governor informed the Minister of Municipalities and Public Works in Baghdad of the action, and submitted three names of engineers working in the Basra's directorate of sewers as nominees for the DG position. The Basra government named a young, energetic female technocrat as the acting DG, even as Muhsin refused to vacate his ministry office. The Minister of Municipalities and Public Works did not act quickly on the nominations, eventually rejecting them all. The governor then put forward the acting DG's name, and the minister rejected her as being too inexperienced. It was only after a PRT member contacted the deputy minister in Baghdad directly to underscore our intention to suspend our projects that the minister acted. He proposed as the new DG a female engineer running one of the larger sewage-treatment plants in Basra province. The governor and the Provincial Council agreed to accept her. They also acceded to the minister's demand that Muhsin be allowed to resign at the end of August instead of being fired. When the DG showed no signs of leaving at the end of August, the governor sent police to arrest him, according to Governor Shiltagh's son and political advisor. A shocked Muhsin collapsed as he was being handcuffed. In a quickly arranged phone call to the governor, he agreed to leave his office in return for calling off the police. Muhsin showed up at work once more to turn over his files to the new DG, who has confirmed that she has now taken full charge of the directorate. ¶4. (SBU) Comment: The Basra government's use of the Provincial Powers Law to remove an entrenched and ineffective DG did not unfold in textbook style, but it did happen. Despite the minister's transparent stalling tactics and eventual demand that Muhsin be allowed to resign rather than being fired, in the end the minister bowed to the wishes of the Basra government. The Provincial Powers Law gave the current provincial government the proper tool to succeed where previous governments had failed. Governor Shiltagh has informed us that he is now casting a critical eye on the performance of other DGs. For those DGs, Muhsin's removal will send a powerful signal that they will be held accountable by the Basra government for their actions -- or inaction. It lets the DGs know that days of being responsive only to their ministers -- and protected by them -- are over. SHEARER NALAND