Face of Truth | Ibrahim Shglawi<\/p>\n
The Government of Hope\u2026 A Book Sudanese Have Not Read<\/p>\n
In a political scene still vivid in the memory of Sudanese citizens, Dr. Kamal Idris introduced himself, moments after being sworn in as Prime Minister, in three languages, holding in his hands a large book he described as \u201ca comprehensive plan for managing the transitional period,\u201d with another book behind it detailing implementation mechanisms. The moment seemed like the dawn of a new era built on planning, vision, rationality, governance, and institutional reference.<\/p>\n
Yet more than two months have passed since that scene, and the book remains closed. It has not been published to the public, debated, or adopted as a political or administrative reference for government plans. Simply put, it has not been read \u2014 even by the Sudanese who were promised it would serve as a roadmap toward stability. Here lies one of the clearest manifestations of confusion within the so-called \u201cGovernment of Hope\u201d: the absence of a declared strategy in the public domain, confined instead to the executive elite, even as the country moves into the 2026 plan and its new budget \u2014 which was supposed to form the basis of a new social and human contract to overcome the challenges of transition.<\/p>\n
Managing such a complex transitional phase without genuine public participation reflects a conceptual flaw that is unlikely to escape the Prime Minister\u2019s attention; no government that came with an implicit popular mandate can rely on undisclosed documents and operate with tools unseen and unevaluated by its people. A plan that is not open to discussion cannot be the basis of consensus, and a discourse that is not rooted in transparency quickly turns into a political burden \u2014 one that may hinder progress rather than advance it.<\/p>\n
This institutional opacity has extended beyond the missing plan to include controversial executive decisions, most notably the merger of the Ministry of Irrigation with the Ministry of Agriculture, while neglecting the water resources portfolio. The move was met with sharp criticism from experts, who saw it as a direct threat to national water security in a country whose economic, environmental, and political fate is tied to a complex regional water system \u2014 foremost among them the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and the Nile Basin Commission.<\/p>\n
On the foreign relations front, the picture is no less unsettled; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs remains without a minister, despite being the very institution tasked with leading Sudan\u2019s efforts to regain its regional and international standing \u2014 including restoring its suspended African Union membership. The Prime Minister recently denied taking on the role himself, stressing that \u201cforeign affairs require full-time dedication,\u201d yet offered no explanation for the vacancy, even though the Minister of State appointed to the post was announced before Idris was tasked with forming the government.<\/p>\n
A similar pattern appeared in the appointment of Dr. Ahmed Al-Tijani as Minister of Animal Resources, which sparked controversy due to his possession of Emirati citizenship. In Cairo, Idris announced the withdrawal of the appointment without explaining why he was nominated in the first place, or how such information escaped the vetting process. More troubling still was the justification offered: the existence of a \u201cfifth column\u201d within state institutions \u2014 a description that invites conspiracy theories more than it provides objective answers.<\/p>\n
In this context, the Government of Hope seems unable to complete its cabinet formation or even hold a full meeting of the Council of Ministers. Nearly three months have passed since the government was formed, and major files remain suspended: no published plan, no foreign minister, no declared vision for reconstruction \u2014 despite promises to allocate hundreds of billions for the purpose \u2014 and no tangible steps to activate what Idris described as a \u201cSudanese Marshall Plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even announced initiatives, such as a \u201cspecial youth unit\u201d and a \u201cpeace council,\u201d remain in the realm of intentions without transforming into functioning structures or clear public policies. Notably, the Prime Minister stated that any minister who fails to deliver within three months will be dismissed \u2014 prompting the straightforward question: will this rule apply to all?<\/p>\n
To its credit, the government has registered some positive signals, such as Idris\u2019 confirmation that the government will return to Khartoum in October, progress in restoring basic services, coordination with Egypt on education, health, and water security issues, and improvements in security in some states. Yet these gains will remain limited unless they are built on institutional foundations and a clear plan.<\/p>\n
According to #Face_of_Truth, the greatest challenge facing the Government of Hope is turning plans and slogans into tangible realities and translating promises into measurable, accountable actions. Trust in the Prime Minister\u2019s abilities \u2014 no matter his academic stature or international experience \u2014 cannot substitute for transparency or a shared vision. Sudanese citizens respond not to those who merely raise theoretical projects, but to those who involve them in implementation and lead with a vigilant executive will for change. Unless Dr. Kamal Idris brings his project out of the realm of concepts into the arena of executive and political action, his government will remain pregnant with hope \u2014 yet unable to give birth.<\/p>\n
Best regards,<\/p>\n
Saturday, 9 August 2025<\/p>\n
Shglawi55@gmail.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Face of Truth | Ibrahim Shglawi The Government of Hope\u2026 A Book Sudanese Have Not Read In a political scene still vivid in the memory of Sudanese citizens, Dr. Kamal Idris introduced himself, moments after being sworn in as Prime Minister, in three languages, holding in his hands a large book he described as \u201ca …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23017,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[308],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aswatnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23190"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aswatnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aswatnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aswatnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aswatnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23190"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/aswatnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23190\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23192,"href":"https:\/\/aswatnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23190\/revisions\/23192"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aswatnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aswatnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aswatnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aswatnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}