Jordan Times
Friday, September 16, 2005
Jordanian branch of GOPAC
established
By Mahmoud Al Abed
AMMAN — A group of serving and former parliamentarians have set up the Jordanian
branch of an international parliamentary organisation seeking to fight
corruption worldwide.
During the launch ceremony on Wednesday, the
founders declared the mission and makeup of the new entity, which is headed by
Deputy Lower House Speaker Mamdouh Abbadi.
The Jordanian branch is part of the Arab Region's chapter of the Global
Organisation of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC), Abbadi told The
Jordan Times yesterday.
The idea to set the Arab section of GOPAC, he said, was adopted at Beirut
meeting last year in which Abbadi headed the Jordanian delegation.
At the meeting, 100 participants from 11 countries from the Middle East, North
Africa and the Gulf region established the Arab chapter of the GOPAC, which is
headed by Kuwaiti MP Nasser Al Sane, who is also vice chairman of GOPAC.
Parliamentarians from Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco,
Algeria, Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Sudan agreed in Beirut that such an
organisation was necessary to fight corruption which, they said, plagued the
Arab region.
Abbadi was subsequently nominated along with two other Arab MPs to represent the
region in the Ottawa-based GOPAC.
He said the Jordanian branch comprises nine incumbent and former members of the
Lower House and two senators.
The deputy speaker said one of the advantages of membership in GOPAC and its
Arab affiliate is that Jordanian parliamentarians would benefit from the
expertise of other countries in combating corruption.
He noted that the development came amid serious attempts on the part of Jordan
to bring an end to the phenomenon and ensure more transparency in state and
private sector governance.
In particular, he referred to a bill to establish an umbrella anti-corruption
commission to lead the fight against corruption.
The bill was drafted in response to directives by His Majesty King Abdullah, who
told Prime Minister Adnan Badran in June to form an independent commission to
combat corruption and stamp out “wasta” amid accelerated measures to speed up
reform.
The King directed the government to prepare a draft law on the commission and
refer it to Parliament “with urgency status.”
Abbadi said the Kuwaiti branch of GOPAC has shown interest in the draft law, as
part of exchange of experiences.
He added that local GOPAC members would join forces with all parties involved in
anti-corruption efforts at the national level.
GOPAC, which includes 250 parliamentarians from 72 countries, was formed in 2002
to promote accountability, integrity and transparency, and to combat corruption.