Jordan Times
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
King turns 45 today
AMMAN (JT) — Jordan today marks His Majesty King Abdullah’s 45th birthday.
Born in Amman on January 30, 1962, King Abdullah is the eldest son of His
Majesty the late King Hussein and HRH Princess Muna. He began his primary
education at the Islamic Educational College in Amman, and later attended St.
Edmund’s School in Surrey, England. For his secondary education, he attended
Eaglebrook School and Deerfield Academy in the US.
King Abdullah joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom
in 1980, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1981. He joined the
Jordan Armed Forces in 1982, moving up the ranks in the military to become
commander of the Royal Jordanian Special Forces and Special Operations. He also
served with the Royal Jordanian Airforce Anti-Tank Wing where he received his
wings as well as his qualification as a Cobra attack pilot.
King Abdullah got married to Her Majesty Queen Rania on June 10, 1993 and they
have four children: Their Royal Highnesses Prince Hussein, Princess Iman,
Princess Salma and Prince Hashem.
Since his accession to the throne, King Abdullah has focused on enhancing the
capabilities of citizens, enriching the concept of respect and dignity of
citizens, ensuring the sovereignty of the law, realising equality and justice
and equal opportunities for citizens, in addition to focusing on pushing the
development process forward and highlighting the effective role of Jordan at the
international level.
Upgrading the national economy in cooperation with concerned parties in the
private and the public sectors, enhancing citizens’ abilities to face the
burdens of life and enriching democracy were among the King’s top priorities
when he came to the Throne.
The Monarch has focused on enhancing the living conditions of citizens and
improving the economy. Upon his directives, several projects have been
implemented across the Kingdom to provide housing units for the underprivileged.
The homes — which are provided with electricity, water and sewage services — are
donated at no charge to the beneficiaries, who are picked according to a
standard mechanism.
In his Speech from the Throne at the inauguration of the 4th ordinary session of
the Parliament in November last year, King Abdullah said the government would
distribute 5,000 plots of land with infrastructure to poor families during 2007
and complete the construction of 1,400 housing units for the underprivileged.
The Monarch also ordered the allocation of plots of land to needy families to
build houses. In addition, he issued directives for the implementation of
development and service projects in various parts of the country to enhance the
living standards of citizens.
In his Letter of Designation to Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit, King Abdullah
instructed the government “to prepare practical and quick plans to deal promptly
with poverty and unemployment, and… design a transparent, computerised database
that can identify poor families and to guarantee that support is channelled to
those who deserve it.”
In the letter, King Abdullah also ordered the government to work on “including
larger segments of society in health insurance plans and social care within
available means.”
Last September, the Monarch also launched a housing project for teachers,
seeking to make it easier for the country’s teachers to own their own homes. The
King also donated JD2 million to the Education Ministry’s housing and social
security funds. In addition, private and corporate donations to the two funds
totalled JD8 million. The project envisions the construction of 35,000 housing
units around the country to be built on land donated by King Abdullah under a
Royal Makruma. The target is to complete 5,000 units a year.
To activate the participation of citizens in the decision-making process, King
Abdullah inaugurated the “We are All Jordan” Forum at the Dead Sea last year,
where he called for a consensus on national priorities in order to build a
better future for Jordan.
He announced a decision to establish the “We are All Jordan Commission,” to
follow up on recommendations set by the forum,
King Abdullah also pays a great attention to the youth sector in the country,
meeting with representatives in schools, universities and youth institutions.
In the We are All Jordan Youth Forum in September, the King underlined the need
for youth participation in the decision-making process and in building the
future of the country.
Stressing his support for young people, the King said: “With your determination
and insistence, we will build Jordan and preserve its accomplishments...
entrenching democracy and pluralism that will lead to the creation of a
civilised community capable of dealing with current developments and
challenges.”
To stand up to the different internal and external challenges, the first step is
to preserve national unity... and to place the interests of Jordan on the top of
all interests and consideration,” King Abdullah told the forum.
The King also supports the cultural sector in the country. Earlier this month,
he ordered the allocation of JD10 million to enhance cultural activities in the
country and support Jordanian intellectuals.
Under the plan, an independent fund will provide financial support for
publishing, creative work, preservation of antiquities, establishing museums and
creating jobs.
The King also ordered the establishment of a cultural centre that would include
an opera house, to be designed to accommodate more than 1,500 attendees, as well
as a library, a museum and other facilities.
The national economy and the welfare of Jordanian citizens are at the top of the
King’s priorities. During his visits to other countries, the Monarch always
highlights the country’s conducive investment climate and encourages investors
to launch projects in the Kingdom.
This has boosted investor confidence in Jordan and increased the export volume
and cooperation agreements signed with other countries.
Meanwhile, King Abdullah received cables of congratulations from the leaders of
several countries expressing their best wishes on the occasion. The Monarch also
received cables from Jordanian officials, who expressed their allegiance and
appreciation of his efforts for the country’s continued progress and prosperity.