Jordan Times
Thursday, June 23, 2005
National Agenda to
embrace down-to-earth feasible solutions for Kingdom's problems
By Mahmoud Al Abed
AMMAN — When the Steering Committee for the National Agenda issues its report in
September, it will not only clearly state the challenges facing the Kingdom, but
also steer the country out of the current bottleneck, a senior official said on
Wednesday.
The committee, whose membership is a combination
of public and private sector figures, experts and politicians, is now designing
remedial programmes to be implemented in accordance to a fixed timetable and
using budget allocations.
Speaking to reporters at the weekly press briefing held by Government
Spokesperson Asma Khader yesterday, Royal Court Minister Marwan Muasher said the
National Agenda, unlike previous nationwide reform schemes, will avoid loose
slogans and rhetoric to embrace down-to-earth feasible solutions for problems
impeding the Kingdom's progress.
Highlighting some of the issues the Kingdom has to deal with over the coming
decade, Muasher said the country has to accept the fact that “the age of oil
grants and foreign assistance is almost over.” Yet Jordan is challenged to
achieve an economic growth of 9-10 per cent until 2015 and create more jobs.
Citing estimations, Muasher said unemployment is expected to jump from the
current 14 per cent to 20 per cent or even double by that time. Another issue is
easing tax burden on citizens, the minister added.
Although Muasher, who heads the committee, said the recommendations of the
26-member committee were not final, it would share its initial findings until
they take their final shape, with the public.
The panel members and the 200 experts and officials on the Steering Committee
and its subcommittees have already come up with some recommendations. According
to Muasher, more focus should be put on small and medium projects, which employ
only a third of the work-force, while the ratio reaches two-thirds in advanced
countries.
The panel is also expected to recommend less reliance on conventional fuels and
explore prospects of shale oil in the Kingdom, which, studies say, is feasible
in light of the rocketing price of crude oil. Muasher said the country might
also be guided to rely on natural gas as an alternative fuel in several key
industries.
The National Agenda will lead the country into a new age where there is more
press freedom, health insurance for all, an independent judiciary, a more
politically active public, political pluralism, active and powerful parties with
clear-cut platforms and empowered women and youth.
The committee, which was established in February along with another that will
redesign the administrative division map as part of the decentralisation plan,
has devised work plans for its subcommittees that address the eight aspects of
its mission. These committees are working to come up not only with ideas, but
are also tasked with pointing out the government agency expected to implement
the suggested plans, a time frame for implementation and an estimate of the
cost.
When the Steering Committee recommends health insurance for all citizens in six
years, for example, it means they are expected to draw up a timetable under
which more beneficiaries are added to the system every year until the plan is
completed, Muasher explained.
When the final agenda is endorsed, concerned ministries will have clear
objectives to achieve and will have to report on their progress to the Ministry
of Public Sector Reform, he said. However, the National Agenda will be flexible
enough to be updated according to changes that occur during its implementation
period, but such modifications will be made according to set rules and “never
according to the personal judgement of a minister or any other official,”
Muasher said,
Responding to questions by reporters, Muasher reiterated that the reforms under
way are not intended to “dismantle the Kingdom, or part of a plan for
settlement” of Palestinian refugees. Neither are they imposed by external
powers, he said, despite the fact that Jordan has received grants from Western
countries to help it implement its reform plans.
“There is only one goal for the reform; that is, improving the quality of lives
for Jordanians,” Muasher said.