Time to deliver

His Majesty King Abdullah recognises that the time for talking, discussing, theorising and planning to improve the lives of people has ended, and now is the time to deliver on what the people have been waiting for and what the government has promised them from day one.

The King's timely and candid words to the government at a Cabinet meeting, which he chaired a part of on Monday, echoed what the silent majority of the people have been saying all along. The King could not have been more "forceful" and direct when he told the Cabinet that the waiting time has long ended and that it is now the time for action and implementation.

The King imposed a time frame for action by setting the end of the year as the deadline for results.

True, the country has been facing difficulties and challenges, externally and internally, but there can be no excuse for keeping the people waiting for so long for results on policies and measures to improve their dire socio-economic situation.

Prime Minister Omar Razzaz gave examples during the extraordinary Cabinet meeting of times when the government has taken steps to improve the national economy, and so have the various Cabinet ministers, who took turns to explain how they have contributed to the efforts to improve the living conditions of the public.

The King wants and insists on much more in order to make a real difference in actual living conditions of middle and lower-class people. It is no secret anymore that the greater majority of the people are not satisfied with what the government has taken or planned to take until now. They want results on the ground and rightly so. The runaway inflation is breaking the backs of so many millions of people. The high rate of unemployment is leaving many without food on their tables and roofs over their heads.

Well, the King instructed the government to deliver on its plans and programmes, as the waiting time has ended. The patience of the King has reached its limit and now is the time for the government to roll up its sleeves and do something about the unbearable living conditions of so many people.