Jordan Times
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Gov't role in political development restricted to supervision — PM
AMMAN (JT) — Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit on
Saturday reiterated that political development can only be achieved at the hands
of civil society institutions, particularly political parties, the Jordan News
Agency, Petra, reported.
During a meeting with secretaries general of political parties yesterday, the
premier said the government's "role in political development is restricted to
supervision and ensuring a proper environment."
Bakhit stressed that the government "has a clear vision and a perspective for
the steps to take and a timetable to achieve the envisioned progress in all
aspects of life in the country."
The Kingdom's political parties, he said, must be truly Jordanian in terms of
"ideologies, sense of belonging and platforms," away from links to external
parties or foreign finance.
Although the government believes that a difference in points of view is healthy
"as long as it serves the interests of the country," "it is unacceptable to
discuss internal differences in gatherings outside Jordan," the premier said.
Bakhit was referring to a conference held in Syria earlier this month, attended
by Jordanian delegates representing political parties, in which Arab politicians
made remarks perceived as critical of Jordan. Officials and newspapers
criticised the politicians for not defending Jordan.
Also Saturday, during a meeting with representatives of the private sector,
Bakhit announced that the government would soon come up with a document spelling
out procedures and steps to address poverty and unemployment.
He cited a programme to build housing units for the poor and a database of poor
families that would streamline government assistance to the needy, in addition
to a support system to offset the consequences of a hike in prices of fuel
derivatives, expected early April.
In an interview with the Dubai satellite channel published yesterday, Bakhit
discussed the reasons behind the government's decision to lift oil subsidies and
the financial compensation to low-income segments.
At the political level, he told the station that Jordan will continue its
support for the Palestinian Authority regardless of the makeup of the
Palestinian government, "whether Hamas or any other party."
He said the Kingdom's support for Iraq would also continue, voicing hope that
the ongoing political process in the country would result in a
widely-representative government that sets Iraq back on the track as an
effective member of the Arab nation.
Bakhit described this week's Arab summit as "extremely important this time
because it is held under difficult conditions the Arab nation is going through,"
adding that Arab leaders should come up with solutions and firm stands to
address these challenges.