Flawed incentives system

The government has disclosed that an Iraqi national was granted the Jordanian citizenship after having complied with the fast track incentives way offered to non-Jordanians in order to qualify for citizenship.

This whole faster than usual method of obtaining citizenship depends on making the right amount of investment, such as making a deposit at the Central  Bank of Jordan in the amount of no less than $1.5 million, and investing in government treasury bonds.

To be sure many countries have similar schemes in place to attract investment in return for accelerating the receipt of citizenship. This is of course understandable, yet, there remains one flaw in this mechanism that the new legislation has not addressed. Citizenship means loyalty to the country, which requires taking an oath of this loyalty. This also means, by implications at least, that any new acquirer of the Jordanian citizenship must be aware of Jordan's history, its laws, culture and traditions.

Usually, nations which have in place such a short track for obtaining citizenship require applicants to take a written test and subject them to a vigorous oral examination that tests their sense of loyalty for their newly-adopted home country and knowledge of its cultural and political values.

One wonders if in the case of Jordan there are any such tests and probes before citizenship is granted on the basis of the fast track route. If Jordan does not, it should before it grants more citizenship to people who qualify on the basis of monetary investments

Jordan should not want citizens who know nothing about the country, especially its standards and major policy concerns, whether domestic or external.