Jordan Times
Monday, October 25, 2004
King swears in new ministers
By staff reporters
AMMAN — The long-awaited reshuffle of the Cabinet was sealed Sunday evening when
His Majesty King Abdullah accepted the oath of office of 10 new ministers and
the resignation of three.
The heftier line-up, which raised the number of
Prime Minister Faisal Fayez's Cabinet members from 21 to 28, introduced a
previous minister and nine first-timers.
It also increased the number of women ministers from an unprecedented three to a
new record of four.
Among the newcomers are three secretaries general who have been promoted to
minister.
The average age of Cabinet members is approximately 49 and there are 15 PhD
holders.
This is the first reshuffle since Fayez was appointed prime minister one year
ago.
The incumbent ministers staying onboard include Marwan Muasher who assumes the
posts of deputy prime minister and minister of state for prime ministry affairs
and government performance. The post was created to ensure government
accountability with a preliminary mandate to revamp the policy making body's
administrative structure.
Setting up this new ministry corresponds with King Abdullah's directives for the
government to restructure the public sector and streamline as well as upgrade
its burdensome bureaucracy.
Muasher, 46, who has served as foreign minister in the cabinets of Fayez and
former Prime Minister Ali Abul Ragheb, is succeeded by Hani Mulki, 53, a former
minister of energy and trade and, until his appointment yesterday, ambassador to
Egypt.
Considered the second "super ministry" after that overseeing government
performance, the newly created portfolio of minister of public reforms is in the
hands of Ahmad Masaadeh, a 35-year-old lawyer and an assistant professor of
international business law at the University of Jordan.
The establishment of the two new ministries created to oversee public sector
performance puts strong emphasis on the concept of ombudsman. Their creation
also is intended to light a fire under the principals charged with economic and
social reforms. But many analysts insist that political development not be set
on a back burner but rather be pursued in parallel with the work of these two
new ministries.
Fayez has reiterated that the political development process was still a priority
and that his Cabinet would continue working to ensure greater public
participation in the country's political arena.
Eleven ministers have retained their single portfolios in yesterday's reshuffle.
They are Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Bassem Awadallah,
Minister of Interior Samir Habashneh, Minister of Education Khalid Touqan,
Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Ahmad Hilayel, Minister of Finance
Mohammad Abu Hammour, Minister of Labour Amjad Majali, Minister of Energy and
Mineral Resources Azmi Khreisat, Minister of Social Development Riyad Abu Karaki,
Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Issam Zabalawi, Minister of
Municipal Affairs Amal Farhan, and Minister of Health Saeed Darwazeh.
With the cancellation of double portfolios, Minister of Justice Salah Bashir
retains the justice portfolio, but loses that of the minister of state for prime
ministry affairs to Muasher. Hazem Nasser retains the post of minister of water
and irrigation. His deputy, when he held the additional post of minister of
agriculture, Sharari Shakhanbeh, was appointed agriculture minister.
Another former double portfolio holder, Alia Hattough-Bouran, continues as
minister of tourism and antiquities, but Ministry of Environment will be
presided over by her former deputy, Yousef Shureiqi.
Raed Abu Saud holds on to the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, while in
keeping with a long held practice, a former Air Force commander, retired Joint
Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman Soud Nsairat, was named minister of transport.
Mohammad Halaiqa, former deputy prime minister and minister of industry and
trade, who rendered his resignation earlier this month, is succeeded in the
industry and trade post by Ahmad Hindawi, who was the director general of the
Jordan Institution for Standards and Metrology since 2001, and a former
assistant secretary general of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. A Royal
Decree issued Sunday appointed Halaiqa as senator.
Minister of Information and Communications Technology and Minister of
Administrative Development Fawaz Zu'bi has bowed out of both jobs. He is
succeeded by Nadia Saeed, his secretary general at MoICT. The post of minister
of administrative development has been cancelled in light of the creation of
both ministries of government performance and public reforms.
Minister of Political Development and Parliamentary Affairs Mohammad Daoudiyeh
is the third minister to depart the Cabinet. His portfolios have been divided
into the renamed Ministry of Political Affairs and Civic Society, and the
Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
Munther Sharaa, a professor of political science, assumes the post of political
affairs minister, and Nayef Hadid takes on the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry.
Minister of State and Government Spokesperson Asma Khader was also sworn in as
the minister of culture.
Following is a list of Prime Minister Faisal Fayez's Cabinet members after
Sunday's reshuffle:
• Faisal Fayez: Prime Minister and Defence Minister
• Marwan Muasher: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Prime
Ministry Affairs and Government Performance
• Hani Mulki: Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Bassem Awadallah: Minister of Planning and International Cooperation
• Salah Bashir: Minister of Justice
• Samir Habashneh: Minister of Interior
• Khalid Touqan: Minister of Education
• Ahmad Hilayel: Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs
• Hazem Nasser: Minister of Water and Irrigation
• Mohammad Abu Hammour: Minister of Finance
• Amjad Majali: Minister of Labour
• Alia Hattough-Bouran: Minister of Tourism and Antiquities
• Azmi Khreisat: Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources
• Riyad Abu Karaki: Minister of Social Development
• Raed Abu Saud: Minister of Public Works and Housing
• Issam Zabalawi: Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
• Amal Farhan: Minister of Municipal Affairs
• Asma Khader: Minister of Culture and Government Spokesperson
• Saeed Darwazeh: Minister of Health
• Nayef Hadid: Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs
• Ahmad Hindawi: Minister of Industry & Trade
• Yousef Shureiqi: Minister of the Environment
• Nadia Saeed: Minister of Information and Communications Technology
• Fahd Abul Athem Ensour: Minister of State for Legal Affairs
• Soud Nsairat: Minister of Transport
• Munther Shara: Minister of Political Development
• Ahmad Masaadeh: Minister of State for Public Reforms
• Sharari Shakhanbeh: Minister of Agriculture