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AMMAN — Jordan was ranked a regional leader in an International Budget Partnership (IBP) public budget transparency survey released in Amman on Tuesday.

IBP presented the results of its 2017 Open Budget Survey (OBS), in which Jordan scored 63 points out of 100 in public budget transparency rankings, above its 2015 level, "making it a high-performing country — above 61 — and ranked first in the Arab World… and an example to be followed".

Launched for the first time in 2006, the OBS report is an independent, comparative assessment of the transparency, oversight and public participation in the national budget of a total of 115 countries, according to an OBS statement.

According to this year's edition of the survey, Jordan is found to offer its citizens access to substantial budget information, having improved its performance compared to the 2015 edition after increasing the availability of data by publishing the Mid-Year Review online. 

“The Jordanian government has actively produced eight key budget documents and made them available to the public online and in a timely manner,” IBP consultant Mohammad Masadeh said, adding “We are pleased with the overall results for our country, and in particular, the government is doing well on providing key budget documents.”

“However, there are still things that the government can improve,” Masadeh continued, recommending “holding legislative hearings on the Audit [Bureau] reports during which officials and citizens can testify, and establishing formal mechanisms for the public to participate in relevant audit investigations”.

Regarding the strength of Jordan’s formal oversight institutions, the Kingdom scored 41 points out of 100 on the performance of legislative and supreme audit institutions. 

Yet, the country can still improve its score by ensuring that the legislative bodies hold a pre-budget debate approving recommendations for the upcoming budget, according to the report. 

The Kingdom received its lowest score in public participation with 11 points out of 100 due to the lack of active participation opportunities for marginalised or unprivileged groups, the report said. 

Compared to the global analysis, Jordan's performance appears to be positive. The OBS 2017 witnessed a decline in the average global budget transparency scores from 45 in 2015 to 43 in 2017.

 “The declines in budget transparency [worldwide] are worrisome against a global backdrop of rising inequality, restrictions on media and civic freedom, and a weakening of trust between citizens and their governments,” said IBP Executive Director Warren Krafchik. 

The decrease was mostly significant in the Sub-Saharan Africa with the average transparency scores falling by 11 points between 2015 and 2017. The rest of the regions experienced small declines with the exception of Asia, where the average results rose substantially. 

 However, the report also showed several global advances towards more open budgets, with the available documents containing slightly more information as compared to the previous years.

“Transparency scores in this round of the survey show that any government, irrespective of region or culture, can become more transparent,” said Krafchik, adding that “the vast majority of countries in the world could quickly improve transparency by making documents they already produce publicly available”.

AMMAN — Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC) has announced the detection of 22,789 electricity theft cases during the past year, through 300,487 inspections, according to an commission statement on Tuesday.

EMRC Chairman Farouq Hiyari said that inspections carried out in cooperation with electricity distribution companies, Public Security Department and Gendarmerie uncovered 11,108 cases.

According to Hiyari the number of violations uncovered by the law enforcement unit at the commission was 7,614 in the areas supplied by the Jordan Electric Power Co (JEPCO); 1,078 in the areas supplied by the Electricity Distribution Co (EDCO) and the remaining 2,416 under Irbid District Electricity Company (IDECO).

The number of cases registered at the courts in 2017 was 4435, of which 2350 cases were filed by JEPCO, 1784 cases filed by IDECO and 301 cases filed by EDCO, Hiyari said.

According to Hiyari, the number of cases in which court verdicts were issued last year stood at 2772. 

A total of 1,956 cases were registered in January of this year, Hiyari said. 

In the statement, Hiyari stressed that the commission continues to exercise its supervisory role in matters related to electricity and activate the law enforcing powers on the performance of electricity distribution companies in the country.

AMMAN — The Lower House on Tuesday passed the 2018 public universities law under which security personnel at universities are granted conditioned law enforcement status. 

As referred by the government and endorsed by a majority of MPs, public universities’ guards with written authorisation from the university’s president to safeguard campus security and protect buildings and affiliated institutions “within their jurisdiction” are granted law enforcement status under 2018 amendments to the public universities law.

Attending the session, Higher Education Minister Adel Tweisi said granting law enforcement status to guards was part of efforts to address campus violence.  

Following clashes between students at the University of Jordan (UJ) in November 2016, the government said it would submit the proposal as a means to address the ballooning violence across several higher education institutions.

UJ suspended classes on November 24, 2016, after a group of people, estimated to be around 200, stormed into campus in an act connected to a previous incident on campus in the same week. 

At the time, political parties’ leaders and activists opposed granted law enforcement status to universities’ guards, citing the move’s impact on limiting students’ freedoms. 

Under MPs’ amendments to the law, public universities are to be exempted from fines granted, as they enjoy the privileges granted to ministries and other government agencies. 

As worded by the House, public universities’ assets are to be considered as “public money” to be collected by their presidents who are to be performing the jurisdiction of administrative governors.

AMMAN — The Crown Prince Foundation (CPF) on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with telecom provider, Zain Jordan, under which the latter will provide financial support to the CPF’s Masar initiative to launch the first Jordanian mini satellite in the first half of this year.

CPF acting CEO Nour Abul Ragheb and CEO of Zain Jordan Ahmad Hanandeh signed the memo, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

In January this year, CPF signed a MoU with renewable energy solutions provider Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV), which will support a project by the foundation to launch the space device. 

Designed and installed by Jordanian youth, the CubeSat (JY1-SAT) seeks to promote the Kingdom by broadcasting images of touristic and heritage sites, and communicate wirelessly with earth stations worldwide.

The JY1- SAT was designed and built by 17 young engineering students from Jordanian universities and a committee of academics and advisers, under the supervision of the CPF.

The Masar initiative aims to inspire and address the Jordanian youth’s passion for innovation in space technology, according to www.cpf.jo. 

The first NASA interns’ research and interest in nano-satellite technology inspired them to establish the CubeSat programme and its design of “JY1-SAT” — Jordan’s first satellite — in memory of His Majesty the late King Hussein (who held the call sign of JY1).

Abul Ragheb commended Zain Jordan’s support, which, she said, reflects a genuine partnership between development institutions and private sector companies, in a way that supports the Jordanian youth and addresses obstacles that may face them, Petra added.

For his part, Hanandeh expressed pride for cooperation with CPF through the Masar initiative, which helps in adopting and assisting the ideas of young people who aspire to explore space sciences.

AMMAN — A farmers’ syndicate leader on Tuesday said that nothing tangible has been done yet by the government towards addressing the sector’s demands, except for “nice words and promises”.

Jordan Farmers Union (JFU) President Oudeh Rawashdeh Tuesday described as “irreversible” a set of demands by the sector stakeholders, including the cancellation of recent increases to taxes on agricultural products.

He told The Jordan Times that “the JFU was not consulted in the deal reached on Monday with acting prime minister, Mamdouh Abbadi,” to end the several-day sit-in staged by farmers’ leaders in front of Parliament. 

“Abbadi made contacts with other farmers’ leaders. Anyway, the deal was not to end the sit-in but to suspend it,” Rawashdeh said.

For five days, farmers have staged a sit-in in front of Parliament, protesting against the government’s recent decision to increase taxes on agricultural products.

Abbadi was quoted by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, as saying on Monday that protesting agricultural leaders agreed to end their sit-in after he contacted them through the Lower House’s Agriculture and Water Committee’s President Khaled Hiyari, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, said.

Abbadi voiced the government’s keenness on removing all obstacles facing the agriculture sector, adding that a meeting between the sector’s representatives and Prime Minister Hani Mulki will be arranged once the premier is back to the country.

Rawashdeh said sector’s leaders will meet Abbadi on Wednesday to discuss their demands.

He stated that, among their demands is also one related to a government’s pledge to bear all the debts farmers owe to the Agricultural Credit Corporation (ACC).

Earlier this month, the government said it offered farmers zero-interest-free up to JD20 million in 2017 through ACC, contributing to raising loan values by 24 per cent compared to 2016.

Agriculture Ministry said that the government in 2017 exempted cooperative organisations from loans of JD43 million and exempted cooperative associations from JD100 million in loan interests.

AMMAN — Police on Tuesday announced the arrest of six suspects over the past two days in connection with several armed robberies that targeted pharmacies and shops in Amman and Irbid.

The latest arrests were made on Tuesday morning, according to Police Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi, who said they involved three suspects “who allegedly robbed three shops in Irbid Monday night”.

“The three suspects who covered their faces robbed three shops of JD500 at gun point,” Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

The police official said that a special team had been tasked with investigating the three incidents and “we managed to arrest the suspects in less than 24 hours”. 

 In another incident on Monday, Sartawi maintained, three suspects were arrested in connection with the robbery of a pharmacy and two shops in Amman on Sunday.

The suspects, who were hooded, entered a pharmacy and two shops at night and robbed the businesses after threatening the employees with sharp objects, according to Sartawi.

“The two suspects fled the scenes driven by a third suspect in a vehicle that had stolen licence plates.  However, our intense investigations led us to the vehicle and the suspects,” Sartawi added.

In their initial testimony to investigators, the three suspects confessed to robbing the three businesses and confessed to two more robberies, according to Sartawi.

A senior judicial source told The Jordan Times that the State Security Court prosecutor is questioning the suspects and will most probably charge them with armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed crimes.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF), on Monday inaugurated new buildings and facilities of the Gendarmerie Forces’ northern command in Irbid, according to a Royal Court statement.

His Majesty was received by Gendarmerie Department Director Maj. Gen. Hussein Hawatmeh and other high-ranking officers. 

The Supreme Commander toured the new buildings which include training fields, operation rooms, a mosque, a gymnasium and a support service facility.

His Majesty discussed security and organisational issues related to the Gendarmerie Forces with Maj. Gen. Hussein Hawatmeh.

The King was briefed on the modernisation and development plans of the Gendarmerie Forces.

The Supreme Commander observed a personnel training, and checked on the physical and operational preparedness of the Gendarmerie Forces, which have the ability to respond to common and urgent security incidents at record speed and high efficiency, the statement said.

His Majesty praised the advanced level of the Gendarmerie Forces in terms of preparation, training and arming, and he expressed his confidence and pride in the gendarmerie personnel’s  skills and morale.

The opening of these buildings is part of the 2015-2020 Gendarmerie Forces’ strategy to keep up with urban development, improve the performance of gendarmes in the field and enable them to carry out their duties in a framework of decentralisation as well as ensuring effective security coverage to all residential areas and economic and tourist facilities across Jordan. 

AMMAN — There are around 39,700 foreign students enrolled at Jordanian universities, constituting about 14 per cent of the total number of students, according to a senior higher education official. 

The percentage of foreign students is expected to reach 25 per cent over the next three years, according to president of Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission for Higher Education Institutions, Bashir Al Zu’bi.

Zu’bi, who was speaking at a ceremony to announce the launch of an academic programme between Middle East University (MEU) and the British University of Bedfordshire on Monday, said these students pursue their education in the Kingdom due to the good reputation Jordanian universities enjoy in the region and elsewhere in the world.

He said Monday’s agreement between a Jordanian university and a British one testifies to the fact that Jordanian universities are qualified to build “strategic cooperation with world-renowned universities”.

The agreement is “a new academic path considered the first of its kind among Jordanian higher education institutions”, a statement by MEU said, adding that the programme will enable the university “to host experiences from the British University of Bedfordshire to teach students at MEU’s campus, based on the Royal vision of reforming education and enhancing its outcomes”.

The ceremony, held under the patronage of Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Adel Tweisi, was attended by British Ambassador to Jordan Edward Oakden,  ministers, ambassadors, Yacoub Nasereddin from the MEU, University President Mohamed Al Haila, vice chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire, Bill Rammel, and the representative of the London School of Science, John Phillips.

MEU will start offering programmes and specialisations, under which the student is granted a UK degree at the beginning of the second semester of the current academic year 2017/2018.

The Higher Education Council and the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission for Higher Education Institutions have approved MEU hosting programmes and specialisations under the agreement conducted with the British University of Bedfordshire, according to the statement.

According to the agreement, UK degrees are awarded in bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degrees for Jordanian and Arab students in business administration, cyber security, graphic design and media.

In this regard, Zu’bi, said that the commission is keen to facilitate the process of partnership between Jordanian universities and all foreign universities, especially British universities.

Zu’bi added that MEU has a good reputation inside and outside Jordan. 

For his part, British Ambassador to Jordan, Edward Okden, said that the partnership between the two universities is an important step in the path of higher education in the two countries, calling for turning this partnership into a model in the academic cooperation that is associated with improving the outputs at a regional level.

For his part, Nasereddin said that cooperation with British universities was not new, adding that contacts over the launch of the programme started some time ago. “We have worked for more than two years with British universities that will start teaching the disciplines that we saw as a priority at this stage at the bachelor, master and doctorate levels. We welcome the students from Jordan and the Arab countries,” he said. 

“We aim at bridging distances, saving efforts and money for students and their families, in addition to providing science at the highest levels of teaching, qualification and training,” Nasereddin  added.

Addressing the ceremony, the vice chancellor of Bedfordshire University, Professor Bill Rammel, indicated that “despite the distance separating the two countries as well as the cultural differences, our common mission is to guarantee quality education that contributes towards improving Jordanian community”.

AMMAN — The Cabinet on Monday approved the framework agreement for the Basra-Aqaba oil pipeline that will be signed between the Ministry of Energy and the Iraqi Oil Ministry. 

The project aims to export Iraqi oil with the pipe line passing through Jordan while supplying the Kingdom with some of its oil needs, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Also on Monday, the government approved accrediting the list of Jordanian contractors within the consortium of bidders of Amman-Zarqa Bus rapid transit project. 

The list included 13 companies and institutions to implement all parts of the project including buildings, bridges and supervision.

The Cabinet has decided to implement the project through financial leasing from the Social Security Corporation and by the Ministry of Public Works and Housing.    

AMMAN — The boundaries — both physical and social — that divide the global wealthy from the economically disadvantaged were at the centre of a lecture by Brazilian senator Cristovam Buarque on Sunday at the Al Hussein Cultural Centre.

The lecture was held under the patronage of HRH Prince Hassan, according to a statement from the Prince’s office. 

Buarquespoke about his recent book “The Invisible Mediterranean” in an event hosted by the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies (RIIFS) and the Embassy of Brazil in Amman, in collaboration with the Arab Thought Forum (ATF) and the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation. 

This cooperation was made possible by the sponsorship of the Arab-Iberian-American Divan for Thought and Cultural Change, a platform dedicated to promoting dialogue between the Arab and the Ibero-American world and enhancing collaboration at the academic, social, and cultural level. Senator Buarque’s lecture was moderated by Shaden Khallaf, senior policy adviser for the MENA Bureau,UNHCR, the statement said. 

In his remarks, Prince Hasssan commended Senator Buarque for his role as a staunch defender of education in the global arena. Recognising the importance of the senator’s remarks, the Prince noted that displacement worldwide has two contexts: forced displacement and economic displacement. 

Looking forward to Brazil and Jordan’s further cooperation at the 8th World Water Forum, the Prince proposed the formation of a working group to study what was heard at the lecture and present a projection at the forum, according to the statement. 

The Prince said that “crises do not read maps; our region cannot solve any problems on the basis of binary agreement” and emphasised that water and education are supranational issues. Prince Hassan called for an “anthro-policy”: a policy where people matter. “In our ‘WhatsApps’, Facebook, and other social media, we need to build social conscience, he added. 

Baurque explained the “Golden Curtain”, the invisible boundary or “Mediterranean” which exists inside every country separating the rich and the poor. 

He proposed that this curtain divides the world into two groups: “Those who are within the golden curtain and form the international first world of the wealthy and those who are outside the curtain, forming the social gulag of the excluded poor.”

The senator’s proposals to mitigate these “thousand Mediterraneans” make his “Social Global ‘Marshall’ Plan”, which includes conditional money transfers, microcredit programmes, medical assistance and sanitation programmes, the goals of which are to create a world in which “no one needs to move from his country in order to survive, only to contribute by choice”.