Jordan’s reform process goes on

Another milestone was added on Sunday to the country’s ongoing reform process with the formation of a Royal commission to assess and follow up on the implementation of the National Integrity Charter and Executive Plan.

The commission, headed by renowned economist and politician Rajai Muasher, comprises independent figures, observers, human rights activists and politicians, including leading Islamist Abdul Majid Thneibat and leftist activist Abla Abu Olbeh, renowned for their work in public spheres and efforts to fight corruption as opposition figures as well as MPs.

This commission, according to Sunday’s Letter of Designation by the King, will work to ensure that the charter, launched by His Majesty in December, is implemented rightfully to ensure a better life for the Jordanian people by enhancing the principles of democracy, justice, respect for human rights and public freedoms, and most importantly by sustaining the national integrity system and combating corruption.

All these goals are part and parcel of the reform process which started in Jordan way before the so-called Arab Spring, and which expresses the convictions of the Jordanian leadership and its people, and their desire to modernise and democratise despite economic and political challenges and upheavals that the country considered as an opportunity rather than a challenge. As emphasised by the King, this reform process will continue to evolve in order to empower citizens and enable them to actively participate in the decision-making process.

For the King, the integrity charter is a turning point in the political reform process, “which aims to offer our proud people a better life by enhancing democratic practices, entrenching the principles of justice, respect for human rights and upholding the values of integrity which we seek as pillars of good governance in our dear homeland”.

Overseeing the implementation of the charter would not solely be the responsibility of the nascent commission, as society as a whole shares with it the responsibility of adopting it as a referential document for all, including public and private sector establishments as well as individual citizens and civil society organisations. They all share with the government the burden of consolidating the principles of integrity as a system and a way of life.

We are all partners in building our society, protecting its gains and resources regardless where we stand in the political spectrum, in beliefs, professions or roles.

All share the goal of developing institutional work, safeguarding public funds and entrenching the principles of good governance, particularly in relation to combating corruption.

And our reform drive with its multi-faceted components will certainly continue with the will of our people and leadership.