Jordan Times
Thursday, November 11, 1999
Parliament pledges cooperation with government to achieve economic reforms, fight corruption
AMMAN (J.T.) — Jordan's 13th Parliament on Wednesday expressed full allegiance to His Majesty King Abdullah and vowed to cooperate with the government to achieve economic reforms and to fight corruption and nepotism.
In a reply to the King's Speech from the Throne, which inaugurated the Parliament's ordinary session last week, both Houses echoed the King's pledges to address the Kingdom's main handicaps, including the debt burden, the water shortage and the bloated bureaucracy.
Lower House Speaker Abdul Hadi Majali read out the House reply which applauded the King's economic policies, especially in encouraging the private sector to contribute to the development of trade and industry, and prompting the government to provide a better environment for investment.
After ascending the Throne on Feb. 7, the King made a tour of Western capitals to discuss debt forgiveness and rescheduling. He also urged the House to endorse a package of economic legislation that would satisfy prerequisites to joining the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and facilitate the implementation of the International Monetary Fund's three-year economic reform programme for the Kingdom.
Jordan's foreign debt currently stands at $7 billion. Unemployment, according to official statistics, has dropped from 16 per cent last year to 10.2 per cent this year. However, independent studies have put the rate at as high as 27 per cent.
Senate President Zeid Rifai also acknowledged the presence of corruption and the exploitation of public posts for the unlawful accumulation of wealth.
“... As noted by Your Majesty, [the Jordanian administration] has started to suffer from some negative aspects, such as bloatedness, laxity, cliquisim, and the exploitation of [official] posts for personal gains,” Rifai said in his address to the chamber.
“Therefore, the Senate applauds the efforts by Your Majesty's government in pursuing the reforms that you had started, and questioning officials over unlawful accumulation of wealth and corruption.”
Both Houses reiterated the King's call for the complete independence of the judicial authority, and providing better incentives to judges to ensure their efficiency and integrity.
During the current session, Parliament is expected to debate a draft law on the independence of the judiciary.
The draft proposes replacing the Ministry of Justice with a Higher Judiciary Council that would monitor the judicial process and appoint judges.
Parliament also stressed the importance of finding a long-term solution to the chronic water shortage problem, as a crucial factor in improving the country's economy, and also praised the government for handling the problem efficiently this summer.
“Your Majesty's government has efficiently abridged the [water] problem ... [but] it is necessary to find fundamental solutions to this problem through efficient management and finding new sources,” Rifai stressed.
On the regional level, Parliament supported the King in his pledge to cement ties with Arab states, and said such relations supersede all others.
The legislature also focused on maintaining support for the Palestinians in the peace process, and the importance of ending the sanctions imposed on Iraq.
“During our recent trip to Palestine, the Lower House delegation sensed that the Palestinians need to hold on to their land and need support from the Arab Nation to stand against the Israeli occupation which is based on [increasing] the settlements and oppression,” Majali said, referring to a visit by Jordanian legislators last month to the Palestinian self-rule areas.
Although Jordan is not a partner in the final-status talks between the Palestinian National Authority and Israel, it maintains that Palestinians are entitled to an independent state within the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital.
Parliamentarians also called on the international community to lift the sanctions imposed on Iraq and Sudan, and to put an end to the people's suffering.
Rifa'i also stressed that Parliament stands firm on maintaining Iraq's sovereignty and unity over its land.