17th Parliament challenged with long-held stereotypes among public — analysts

AMMAN — Acknowledging that the current Parliament is still below expectations, lawmakers and analysts argued that the 17th Parliament has done a lot, at least legislatively.

However, Jordanians are seemingly unwilling to change their long-held stereotypical image about the legislature.

In remarks to The Jordan Times, lawmakers and analysts called for “sound and unbiased” evaluation of the current Parliament based on facts and achievements, and not on “marginal incidents” or preconceptions, in an apparent reference to brawls and heated arguments under the Dome, many of which went viral on social media sites.

MP Mahmoud Kharabsheh said that the 17th Parliament and “maybe future ones” would continue suffering from the negative image the public had about previous legislatures. “We are really plagued with a long-lasting image about the House.”

He also explained that the current House has achieved a lot, at least from a legislative perspective, but very few people pay attention to achievements.

“Like any other national institution, Parliament has points of weakness but at the same time it has recorded remarkable achievements,” the veteran MP and jurist said.

Expressing dismay over what he described as “biased polls” on the House performance, the lawmaker also accused some NGOs of “purposely” working on damaging MPs’ reputation. 

“It is totally not acceptable from any party receiving foreign funding to evaluate the House. We hope that the House’s achievements and performance be measured one day by a neutral national institution.”

“If there is any fault on the House’s way of doing its job, and there is, it is the long-lasting one-vote, one-person electoral system that should receive all the blame.”

Oraib Rentawi of Al Quds Centre for Political Studies said that the current House has long suffered from orchestrated campaigns aiming at shaking its position and destroying its image. 

“In such campaigns, only shortcomings and individual mistakes here and there are highlighted. Nobody cares to acknowledge achievements,” he said.

Citing findings of a research conducted by his centre, Rentawi said that the current Lower House has made “convincing” legislative and oversight achievements over the past two years “undoubtedly a lot better than those of previous Chambers”.

“The current House has endorsed hundreds of laws and has achieved considerable progress in improving its work mechanisms after amending its bylaws,” Rentawi said. “Yet performance is still below ambition.”

He added that the one-person, one-vote formula has transformed MPs into “municipal officials”, whose evaluation hinges on the services they secure for their constituencies. 

“This House has worked really well and achieved a lot. But some parties only criticise for the sake of criticism.”

Speaking Monday at a press meeting on the Chamber’s achievements over the past two years, Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh said that lawmakers have worked “relentlessly” on facilitating the government’s mission by enacting 137 laws.

Tarawneh also said that MPs endorsed 53 laws during the previous six-month ordinary session that saw 61 legislative and oversight meetings.

He also said that the government answered 445 of the total 546 questions raised by lawmakers.

On the lack of quorum issue, the veteran lawmaker admitted that it caused disruption to House sessions, adding, however, that 95 per cent of the 61 sessions were uninterrupted and held in full compliance with the Chamber’s by-laws.

In a related development, the Civil Coalition for Monitoring Parliamentary Elections (Rased) on Saturday said that the Lower House has accomplished “great legislative achievements” in its second ordinary session compared to previous sessions.

A Royal Decree was issued on April 19 proroguing Parliament’s second ordinary session as of May 2.