The first ARG-Responsible Citizen Debate was held at the presidential palace on Wednesday with the participation of high level government officials including President Ashraf Ghani and members of the public.

The debate is aimed at further nourishing the pillars of democracy in the country.

Addressing the gathering, Ghani said a society cannot survive if there is repression and use of force.

He said that the people of Afghanistan never benefited from a strong government, adding that the current structure of government can also not meet the needs of the people.

The debate is aimed to bring change in the way of governance and certifying the status of a responsible citizen and a responsible government, said presidential advisor Farkhunda Zahra Naderi.

During the election campaign they were laughting at me, they asked where would I start with a foreign policy, I said with Turkmenistan; you saw the results which we got from Turkmenistan, we have had no shortages of food in Kabul - not even for a single day, said Ghani.

In his speech, the president also touched on the issue of merit and nepotism.

If we want capacity building, then we should select the best people going forward; if we want nepotism, then we bring those individuals who have a lot of relations, if you believe in nepotism, then you can not expect major work to be done, added Ghani.

The debate marks the first face-to-face meeting where the people are given a platform to ask their questions directly.

The debate was also attended by 50 university lecturers and students.