Gov’t committed to reform drive — premier

AMMAN — The government is proceeding with its comprehensive reform drive as directed by His Majesty King Abdullah for the advancement of the country, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said Monday.

At a meeting with presidents of professional associations and labour unions to discuss the latest regional and local developments, Ensour stressed that the government will not go back on reform measures, provided they are examined and take into account the "storm surrounding us".

The sought reforms are not linked to timing or a specific government, but are part of an ongoing process that never ends, he said.

The premier cited King Abdullah's recent interview with Al Ghad daily, in which he underlined the importance of the decentralisation, municipalities and parties laws as part of reform-oriented legislation package that will soon be crowned with the elections law that the government is about to complete and refer to the Lower House.

The decentralisation plan entails holding local council elections in governorates to give them the responsibility of addressing residents' service needs, rather than busying Lower House deputies with service demands, the premier said.

With decentralisation firmly in place, MPs will be given the chance to assume their legislative and monitoring responsibilities.

At the gathering, which is part of meetings the government is holding with civil society organisations, Interior Minister Hussein Majali said the draft decentralisation law is a “huge” stride in the area of public participation in decision making.

He noted that 75 per cent of governorate council members will be elected, while the remaining 25 per cent will be appointed.

The council’s duties will also include drafting the governorate’s budget, under the new bill, Majali said.

Turning to the local economy, Ensour said the financial, monetary and economic indicators have progressed, citing the Central Bank of Jordan’s foreign currency reserves, which reached around $14 billion.

This amount covers the Kingdom’s imports for more than nine months, according to the premier, who attributed this to the bank’s “successful” fiscal policies.

Ensour noted that indebtedness went down in all areas, except for those related to the disruption in the supply of Egyptian gas used to generate electricity, “which is costing the Kingdom between JD600 to JD700 million”.

“We hope that our Egyptian brothers will protect the gas pipeline,” he said.

Commenting on the protests and strikes organised by unionists and association members, the premier called for “logical” demands that take into consideration the country’s economic situation.

The situation of the Treasury “does not allow for meeting any demands now”, he stressed.

Regarding the Jordan Teachers Association’s demands to review the civil service by-law, the premier said they are “very reasonable”, expressing his willingness to meet with the syndicate one more time to discuss ways to meet their demands.

Ensour also said the Islamist movement in the Kingdom is a national movement and plays a role he respects on the local scene.

Meanwhile, the prime minister reiterated Jordan’s stance against the Israeli aggression on Gaza, highlighting the King’s meetings and contacts with world leaders as part of Jordan’s diplomatic efforts to end the attack.

“I say to those who call for stances that are beyond Jordan’s capabilities to stop… Jordan has never wavered in its support for its brothers and all its stances against the enemy are clear and strong,” he said.

He noted that the Kingdom continues to facilitate the supply of relief aid to Palestinians in Gaza through its borders.

For their part, the association presidents voiced their positions over regional developments, noting that the “harmony” between the leadership and citizens is the guarantee to face any external danger.

They called for distributing development gains evenly and urged the government not to increase taxes.

Later on Monday, Professional Associations Council President Hashem Abu Hassan commended the content and timing of the meeting with Ensour, also attended by several ministers.