Jordan Times
Friday, November 23, 2007
Dahabi tasked with forming new government
By Khalid Neimat
AMMAN - His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday named Nader Dahabi as the new prime minister and minister of defence, succeeding outgoing premier Marouf Bakhit.
The King accepted Bakhit’s resignation, presented two days after the Kingdom witnessed parliamentary elections.
Also Thursday, a Royal Decree was issued appointing Bassem Awadallah as new Royal Court chief, succeeding Salem Turk, who resigned earlier in the day. Prior to his new post, Awadallah was director of the King’s Office. He has held planning and finance portfolios in previous governments.
In the Letter of Designation, the King said the coming stage should focus on socio-economic development.
“Our vision for the coming era, which is full of challenges,” the King told Dahabi, “is crucial in the history of Jordan. We seek to have socio-economic development as its top priority. We underline our determination to proceed with political reform, partisan life advancement, guided by the principle agreed upon in the National Agenda and We are All Jordan documents.”
Both documents were drafted by hundreds of political, economic, academic and intellectual leaders, tackling all aspects of reform to make the new Jordan.
The King tasked the new government with putting in place a social safety network that covers education, health, housing and improvement of income for civil servants and military and security personnel.
In the letter, His Majesty also instructed the new government to implement new programmes to develop the educational system.
He also directed the prime minister-designate to accelerate the implementation of housing projects targeting limited- and low-income segments of society.
Within the coming few years, tens of thousands of housing units will be built, many on lands offered by the government.
The executive authority is also expected to build more medical facilities and improve the quality of health services and to expand the national health insurance umbrella.
The King reiterated directives to link salaries to inflation rates to help people face the coming challenges brought about by rising prices of oil and other essential commodities.
A Royal Consultative Committee will be entrusted with coming up with ideas, plans and suggestions to guide efforts aiming at developing higher education policies, the King said.
He said it is essential to assure the quality of food and medicine.
The outgoing government struggled to address several food and water contamination crises in different parts of the Kingdom.
The letter addressed issues like youth, energy, water security, justice, solidification of the internal front and social equality.
At the Arab level, the King expects the new government to work on further improving Jordan’s ties with Arab countries.
The new government is also expected to help safeguard the holy sites in Jerusalem.
Dahabi, 61, has headed the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority. Before that, he served as transport minister from 2001 to 2003. Prior to that he was chairman of Royal Jordanian Airlines from 1994 to 2001. He also served as a senior Royal Jordanian Air Force officer.
Upon accepting the resignation of the outgoing government, the King sent a letter to Bakhit, in which he praised the Cabinet’s performance, especially with regard to Tuesday’s legislative elections.
In his letter of resignation, Bakhit said his government has tried to address the various challenges it faced with “utmost seriousness and flexibility”.
Bakhit, who served as head of government since November 2005, told reporters before heading to the Royal Court to tender his resignation, that he was “comfortable with what I have achieved during the past two years”.
Meanwhile, Dahabi began deliberations with various personalities to form his team.
Following is the unofficial translation of major excerpts from His Majesty King Abdullah’s Letter of Designation addressed to prime minister-designate Nader Dahabi:
“Economic and social priorities are integral factors. Therefore, achieving sustainable growth rates, enhancing the competitiveness of our national economy and opening way for the private sector to work and invest in an environment of genuine partnership with the government so as to increase productivity and create jobs for Jordanian men and women are prerequisites for security and social stability in its broader sense.”
“Scarce natural resources, especially energy and water, are the main challenge facing sustainable development. Therefore, we deem it essential to address energy security, through optimal use of energy resources, searching for alternative and renewable sources and exerting all efforts to accelerate the nuclear energy programme for peaceful purposes.”
“The judiciary will remain the safety valve against any lapse or violation. Therefore, we stress the need to implement the national strategy for judicial reform… in a way that ensures the independence of the judiciary.”
“Our internal front should be strengthened in a manner that would enhance national unity by focusing on points of agreement and increasing them, and overlooking differences. This homeland that was built in the principles of love, brotherhood and equality, is for all of its people, who equally contribute to the entrenchment of co-existence.”