Jordan Times
Thursday, October 21, 2004
'Reshuffle expected Monday'
By Alia Shukri Hamzeh
AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday said government policies and
programmes should reflect on citizens' lives especially on issues of poverty,
unemployment as well as political, social and economic development.
Chairing yesterday's Cabinet session, King
Abdullah told Premier Faisal Fayez and ministers that “providing citizens with a
good life and ensure them with a bright future tops this stage's priorities.”
The King called on the government to work hard and in unity to realise such
priorities in order for the aspired development to reflect positively on all
Jordanians.
An annual public opinion poll, released Monday by the Centre for Strategic
Studies of the University of Jordan, showed that when respondents were asked to
select among five issues which was the most important for the government to
tackle first, 52 per cent of them chose poverty and unemployment. Twenty-seven
per cent chose corruption as a second priority and 17 per cent chose the
Palestinian cause as a third priority for the government, while 3.2 per cent of
the respondents chose the option of enhancing democracy and freedom of
expression as a fourth priority. Last was the Iraqi issue with 0.9 per cent.
The King listened to Fayez's assessment of his government performance over the
past year as well as future plans.
The session was one of several carried out this week to finalise the details of
a cabinet reshuffle.
A retreat, planned on Thursday, in which Fayez was to meet with incumbent and
candidate ministers to assemble a new team and work out future plans, appeared
to have been postponed for a few days, sources told the Jordan Times, adding
that the reshuffle is expected on Monday.
Although little was revealed over the names of incoming ministers and their
portfolios, Fayez said in recent remarks to Lower House deputies that 10 new
ministers would join his cabinet.
Some sources believe that names being floated for some cabinet posts “posed some
controversy as to these persons' qualifications and that is why the retreat was
delayed”.
The new cabinet is expected to witness the creation of two new ministries
focusing on reform and the performance of the government.
Sources have noted that in order for the government to accelerate its planned
political and economic development, called upon in the Oct. 23, 2003 Letter of
Designation, the public sector has to be revamped.
During Wednesday's session, Fayez said the government would exert greater
efforts to follow through on the King's directives for social, political and
economic enhancement. Fayez explained that the issues of human resources
development, healthcare upgrade and poverty alleviation as well as advancing the
judiciary and the political arena were focal points of the government's action
plan.
But, he noted, that certain policies related to higher education, vocational
training and poverty should be re-examined in order to reflect more positively
on Jordanians.
He also said the government would reconsider a set of legislation related to
investments.
According to sources, the goal behind the administrative reform programme is to
improve services offered to citizens. A second retreat is expected to follow the
reshuffle to chart the new Cabinet's action plan.