by Zach Waksman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
AMMAN, Jordan – In a speech marking his twelfth year as the leader of Jordan, King Abdullah II announced today that he would be making new efforts at reforming the country’s government, which has long been plagued by corruption. The promise comes on the heels of protests calling for democracy that have been ongoing for the months since last November’s Parliamentary election, which was boycotted by several opposition groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood.
This latest initiative began after Jordan’s National Dialogue Committee released its recommendations for political reform last Saturday. The Committee, established in March, was asked to reach a consensus on numerous issues on that topic, some of which were raised by Abdullah himself. Among the recommendations is the establishment of an independent panel of former judges to oversee elections. The Committee also proposed a law on political parties to make them easier to form by reducing the number of people required to do so from 500 to 250. Out of those founding members, the draft law would require at least 25 of them to be women.
Senate President Taher Masri, who chaired the 52-member Committee, considered the effort a success. “Our mission is accomplished and the ball is in the court of the government to continue the reform process and translate the recommendations into action.”
In his address to the nation, Abdullah set out his vision for Jordan as a model constitutional monarchy. He foresaw a clear separation of powers so that all parts of the government would be accountable to the nation. “Elaborating on this vision, and on political reforms in particular,” he emphasized, “our guiding principles will emanate from the recommendations produced by consensus of the National Dialogue Committee…that reflect the aspirations of Jordanians…” A key part of this initiative would be conduction of new elections to replace the current Parliament.
Despite the king’s lofty rhetoric, not all Jordanians are as optimistic about the possibility of success. According to 28-year-old Ahamad Sami, a fruit salesman, this effort will be no more effective than the one that took place five years ago. “It’s all lies,” Sami told the New York Times. “The Parliament will not approve these recommendations, because it’s not in their own personal interest.”
That 2006 initiative, called the National Agenda, went nowhere due to lack of pressure from within the Parliament or from the public. It was one of many reform efforts that Abdullah has made since taking the throne in 1999. None of them have truly succeeded.
In the opinion of Marwan Muasher, the former Deputy Prime Minister of Jordan, Abdullah is part of the reason for this failure by not convincing society to follow his lead. “All efforts to open up the political system have been thwarted by a resilient class of political elites and bureaucrats who feared that such efforts would be move the country away from a decades-old rentier system to a merit based one,” Muasher explained. And whenever those people opposed Abdullah’s policies, he capitulated to them, thus undermining his own initiatives.
Whether this will happen again is unclear. Every past effort came up short due to lack of support, but Abdullah is not backing down. He seems to finally have the support he needs from inside the government. “We have democrats and we have conservatives and people who believe that proceeding with these changes may undermine the authority of the state,” said Masri. “Implementation is a process and it will be a tough road ahead.”
For more information, please see:
Petra — King Addresses Nation — 12 June 2011
Washington Post — Jordan’s king bows to popular demands for elected Cabinets, constitutional changes — 12 June 2011
New York Times — Jordan Tries to Remake Its Political Machinery — 8 June 2011
Al Arabiya — Failure of Jordanian reform offers roadmap for Arab leaders — 16 May 2011
