Jordan Times
Wednesday, August 4, 2004
Gov't to raise productivity, efficiency of public administration
AMMAN (Petra) — Prime Minister Faisal Fayez said
on Tuesday that the government is going ahead with plans to raise the public
administration's efficiency and productivity and “ease the problem of
bureaucracy and red tape.”
Fayez, who was speaking during a visit to the Justice Ministry, accused what he
called “reactionary mentalities” of trying to impede the process of reform and
development.
He underlined the need for the development of the judicial system in a way that
yields speedy procedures and swift court rulings. Jordan should benefit from the
experience of advanced nations in the judicial field, he said.
Justice Minister Salah Bashir briefed the prime minister on progress made in the
ministry's plan for modernising the judicial system. He also highlighted an
ongoing training programme designed to upgrade judges' skills to meet the
modernisation requirements.
Fayez also visited the Ministry of Municipal Affairs where he instructed
officials to conduct an “objective” study to evaluate the outcome of the
experiment to merge municipalities, which reduced the number of municipalities
from 328 to 99.
Minister Amal Farhan said a committee has already been set up to define the pros
and cons of the experiment, comprising heads of the ministry's departments. She
said the University of Jordan's Strategic Studies Centre is to conduct a
“neutral evaluation” of the merger process. The minister also announced that
mayors would “soon” meet for a conference to discuss issues of concern. Farhan
reported on the training of local council officials and ongoing efforts to help
the councils become self-sufficient and able to stand alone without too much
reliance on allowances from the ministry.
Meeting with senior officials at the Health Ministry, the premier discussed the
issues of medical care and family planning. He urged the ministry's staff to
coordinate work in these fields with the Higher Population Council.
Fayez also paid a visit to the Ministry of Education where he said the
investments currently injected in the education sector are likely to bear fruit
for the Kingdom.
He cited a similar focus on education in the 1960s and 1970s, which resulted in
benefits to various sectors at the domestic level and remarkable contributions
to the development of the educational systems in Arab countries.
Today the Prime Minister will visit the ministries of interior, awqaf and
Islamic affairs, agriculture and labour, as well as the Jordan Investment Board.