January 7, 2005

Daily Star

Jordan Initiates Massive Reform of Public Sector

Op-Ed
by Rami G. Khouri

AMMAN: One of the most ambitious public sector reform projects in the Arab world moves into high gear this month when the Jordanian government launches a series of committees representing all sectors of society, with the specific aim of drawing up a "national agenda" of reform priorities for the next ten years. In an interview with The Daily Star the deputy prime minister and minister of government performance, Marwan Muasher, who has the task of managing the overall reform process, said: "The public sector reform plan does not have a chance of success unless the Jordanian people see this as an inclusive process. Society as a whole must set priorities in a transparent and participatory manner, in order for the long-term reform process to withstand changes in governments in the future." Public skepticism is high, because most governments in Jordan in the past several decades have not followed through on their declared aim of improving the efficiency of state institutions and public services. The government responds that the reform agenda will require many years to bear fruit, and that it must show results quickly. "We realize that most Jordanians don't think we'll succeed, which is why we must show results quickly, within a year or two, in order to gain the trust of citizens who have to buy into the process. "We want to start a process of change that will allow the ordinary citizen to feel that he or she is treated fairly by the state. This requires introducing concepts and systems of accountability, transparency and measurable performance indicators, all of which need time to take effect" Muasher said. The public sector reform process includes four main components, some of which are already underway. The first will "refocus how the government works at the strategic and operational levels," Muasher explained. At the strategic level , the national committees, comprising parliamentarians, civil society activists, professional societies and unions, the private sector and others in society, will redefine government priorities for the coming 10 years in all sectors. This will include establishing measurable "performance indicators" at the macro level that would provide a means of regular accountability. At the operational level, "service delivery standards" for every ministry and department will be established and explained. A booklet to be given to every citizen will allow citizens and government employees alike to know what to expect and to do in their routine bureaucratic encounters. Regular "citizen voice" polls will track the public's feelings about the services it gets from government offices, and the poll results will be published. The second leg of the reform plan will overhaul how the government manages its human and financial resources, Muasher explained. The state budget will be reformed to reflect the priorities established by the national committees, and public sector hiring and promotion will gradually change to achieve merit-based criteria, rather than personal connections and wasta (influence).

The third component will restructure how business is done at the prime ministry, the center of power of the public sector. Muasher noted that of some 3,000 decrees issued by the prime ministry last year, only 1.3 percent related to public policy issues and the other 98.7 percent were routine matters that should be handled at ministry or department level. Decentralization measures to be launched soon aim to achieve this. A professional secretariat will also manage existing ministerial subcommittees that will assess issues and offer recommendations for the Cabinet's final decision. Two public sector reform ministries were established in this government last year: Muasher's Ministry of Government Performance for strategic level and national agenda matters, and the Ministry for Public Sector Reform (headed by Dr. Ahmad Massadeh) that works at the operational level, including building capacity within ministries. The fourth reform component is to streamline government structures into a simpler, more efficient system, reducing the existing 25 ministries and 36 independent public institutions. The government has no illusions about achieving these goals easily or quickly. "We spent a year formulating this reform strategy. We're not reinventing the wheel here," Muasher explained. He pointed to a pilot project that he oversaw when he was foreign minister in recent years. The ministry's personnel law was changed to make hiring and promoting staff subject less to seniority and personal connections, and more to merit, exams, training and objective performance assessments. After 18 months, he said, the ministry stopped getting the traditional personal telephone calls from influential people who wanted to get a friend or cousin hired. He and the government now want to take this experience to the national level, recognizing that Jordan and the Arab world as a whole simply have no option if they want to avoid facing a bleak future. Some 1.3 million young people aged 10-19 will enter the workforce in the coming years. If things do not change and Jordan's public sector continues to generate some 25,000 new jobs a year, the national unemployment rate would increase from 15 to 24 percent in ten years, Muasher said. If the state creates 50,000 jobs a year, unemployment would remain stable at its current high level. The country must create 75,000 new jobs per year to see unemployment drop to 10 percent. The only way that can happen is to radically restructure the economy, improve efficiency and productivity, and reduce public sector dominance of society and economy. Muasher rejects the common accusation that Jordan is making administrative and economic reforms without parallel political changes. "Reform can only succeed if it is integrated across all sectors, including political and economic life, education, and the media. We cannot reform in compartments and be credible or successful."