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On His Majesty's birthday: Let his Discussion Papers go global

Jan 29,2018 - Last updated at Jan 29,2018

Since the dawn of humanity, the ultimate hope of great intellectuals, political thinkers and leaders has been that their ideas be embraced and applied by successive generations, especially when their contributions are dedicated to the betterment of the nation's welfare and public good.

His Majesty King Abdullah's Discussion Papers are exactly the contributions that need to become concrete plans of action. And what better time to act on that than on the occasion of His Majesty's birthday?

The King's papers are the outcome of deep insight, sincere efforts and much precious time given by His Majesty amid the turmoil wrought by the Arab Spring a few years ago.

The works of great writers in every conceivable field of human endeavour could only span ages and benefit their contemporaries and generations to come because of the efforts and dedication of those who preserved and disseminated them, who adopted them as sources of intellectual studies, and who translated them into many other languages, rendering them, eventually, jewels and precious mankind legacies.

This is the approach that we should take vis-à-vis His Majesty’s Discussion Papers, which are Hashemite Jordanian, Arab and international in scope.

Towards that end, we, in Jordan, should come up with a plan with a fixed timetable and a clear mandate, to benefit from these working papers at various levels.

Locally, some effort should be taken to compile the Discussion Papers into a textbook that should be taught as a mandatory course during the first year at public and private universities.

At the regional level, it would be useful also to benefit from such a compiled work and to distribute it to various Arab educational establishments, diplomatic missions, as well as political, economic and intellectual leaders in the Arab world.

While at the international level, such a booklet should be translated and distributed to leading global universities and educational institutions to serve students and professors, thus facilitating research.

The pioneering thought of a leader, which stems from his true love for his people and the people's true love for him, can best be cherished by preserving, applying and promoting it at various levels.

And just as His Majesty enjoined us, with the Jordanian Armed Forces-Arab Army and the security apparatus staunchly behind him, to protect the philosophy and legacy of the Great Arab Revolt, whose first centennial was celebrated last year, it is hoped that 2112 will be the year when Jordan (and beyond) celebrates the centennial of the launch of His Majesty's Discussion Papers.

After all, His Majesty is the leader of a country that has embraced the Arab nation's thought and of a people that has shown profound and genuine dedication to Arab causes, confronting all challenges stemming from that "without having changed [their resolve] in the least".

Khalid Dalal is former media and communication director at His Majesty King Abdullah’s Office, a former adviser at the Royal Hashemite Court and currently senior media adviser and special representative for international strategic communication at Talal Abu Ghazaleh Group.

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