Jordan Times
Tuesday, November 6, 2001
Achieving so much with so little
ROUTINE GRUMBLING aside, any fair assessment of this country's sustained socio-economic progress would undoubtedly establish a record that every Jordanian should be proud of.Jordan is by no means problem free, and has never been, but name a country which is. In fact by comparison, few other countries, especially in the Middle East, had to face as many challenges, crises, and burdens, with as scant resources as did Jordan.
But the Kingdom managed with a remarkable level of efficiency and skill to navigate safely, even through the perilous waters of war, conflict, upheaval, conspiracy, malice and open aggression.
The net result is a stable, safe, modern, progressive and relatively democratic Jordan, well placed on the map of the pre-eminent states in the region.
It is evident that this country does not possess the abundant natural resources which most countries in the region do. This has, over the years, been stretching our national potential to the extreme, and sometimes, dangerous limits.
Yet this enormous disadvantage has been successfully matched by the commitment of its enlightened, determined, and vigorous leadership.
The first two years of His Majesty King Abdullah's reign have indeed been most challenging. But the young leader's clear vision, sense of mission, confidence and leadership qualities have been steadily and swiftly energising every administrative, governmental and humanitarian aspect and making of each Jordanian a considerable asset and a valuable resource for the country. His most repeated call has been for a modern exemplary Jordan.
But his patience appears to be wearing thin. In his letter to the government on Oct. 25, the King clearly stated that he wanted a systematic change of the way the public sector operates to bring growth and prosperity to Jordanians and not just a routine change of ministers.
At a reception hosted by the Diplomatic Club on Thursday, King Abdullah again stressed the need for continued economic and social reforms to achieve sustained economic growth and improve citizens' standard of living.
But this time, he added that there would be no room for any excuse to slow down reforms because of “difficult times,” across the globe. Instead, these tough global circumstances, he said, should prod “us to be courageous” and to embark on a new way of doing business to serve the citizenry and development.
Indeed a combination of a resolute leadership and a united people behind a defined goal of building and protecting this country against all odds, has been Jordan's real natural resource and its surest guarantee for sustained stability.
In a nutshell, Jordan has succeeded in building so much with so little.
Any “constructive” criticism that would help Jordan achieve more and better its situation is welcome. But grumbling meant to undermine and underestimate the ground Jordan has covered, can only be destructive.