Challenges lie ahead

The new government of Omar Razzaz has already started reaching out to members of the Parliament in a bid to secure their confidence. Barring an unexpected surprise, the government is expected to win a majority vote. 

Casting aside the positions of some members of the Parliament who expressed their opposition to the new government, a new poll revealed that some 81 per cent of Jordanians are optimistic that the new government will succeed. And yet, the same percentage stated that Jordanians should take to the street if the new government fails in addressing the unemployment and high prices issues. While Razzaz will be happy to pass the test of Parliament, the challenges ahead are enormous and the real power is in the hand of people rather than Parliament. Perhaps, Razzaz should not be oblivious to the fact that the composition of his team is disappointing. Hence, it takes more than securing the vote of confidence to succeed in months to come.

The Parliament is in a dilemma. On the one hand, the majority of Jordanians do not trust the Parliament, but on the other hand, it is the constitutional institution that can bring down the new government. To be sure, Jordanians trust the government more than the Parliament. So, if Parliament approved the government, many would argue that the Parliament is weak and ineffective. On the other hand, if the Parliament does not approve the government, many would say the Parliament should give the government a chance and bringing down a government at this critical time can be politically destabilising.

It is not as if this is the first time a new government seeks a vote of confidence. But this time its different. Supporters of Razzaz want us to believe that Razzaz was the choice of those who took to the street. Of course, this is misleading. The fact remains is that the mechanism of forming government is same ole same ole. His Majesty King Abdullah picks a prime minister and then the latter consults with centres of powers to pick Cabinet members. Many liberals think that Razzaz is the best representative of their weak current in Jordan. While Razzaz may represent the liberal school of thought, in this case he does not represent the vast majority of Jordanians who are far from being liberal.

Since we have been going through some economic hardships, I believe we should not focus on labels. Instead, we should focus on how to get out of economic bottleneck, regardless of the political orientation of the prime minister. The benchmark of success is not the political identity of a prime minister but the ability to deliver.

I tend to believe that the confidence session at the Parliament will be the easiest challenge Razzaz will ever face. In a hundred days, after the end of the grace period, people will ask if this government has succeeded in addressing the following: unemployment, deficit in budget, poverty and inflation. No amount of public relation campaign will mislead the public.