AMMAN — Political party leaders and other stakeholders have
described the ongoing national political dialogue as “aimless and halfhearted”,
as they stressed the necessity for political change.
اضافة اعلان
Earlier this month, the Lower House, government, and Senate
launched a national dialogue to revisit laws governing political life in Jordan
as per
His Majesty’s instructions. However, the entire endeavor is lacking
direction and objectives, according to critics.
“This is not the way to conduct a national dialogue; in fact,
this should come as part of a clear roadmap with a clear timeframe, and thus,
we cannot expect this to have any real value in reality without it being a
project for the state itself,” said Amer Al-Sabaileh, an independent political
analyst.
The latest parliamentary elections, held in August last
year, provided an indication of the urgency and public dissatisfaction with the
political process in
the Kingdom, the interviewees agreed, as only 29 percent
of eligible voters took to the polls.
Secretary General of Stronger Jordan party Rula Hroub, also
a former MP, believes that the last polls caused Jordan a great deal of
“embarrassment”.
“The electoral law proved to be lacking in the 2016
elections, and yet decision makers decided to carry on with the same formula
and the results were catastrophic,” she said.
Hroub believes that the electoral process has deteriorated
since 2012. Successful practices were snubbed for “failing ones”, pointing to a
paradigm of shrinking political participation among Jordanians.
“I personally submitted and participated in three previous
rounds of discussions of the elections law, sent suggested amendments, and
engaged in dialogues but we see that none was taken into account. In 2012, 57
percent of Jordanians engaged in the elections, then we changed the law and saw
36 percent engaging in 2016 and in the last elections in 2020, it was 29
percent,” Hroub added.
While Hroub remains “frustrated,” others saw that the
political dynamic in Jordan remains “unstable” dubbing the ongoing political
process as “a pebble stew”, or “blinding ash”.
“This is not a political dialogue, this is procrastination
without a clear frame or background. It is clear that there is no central
decision to reach a goal and the state apparatus didn’t discuss this among
itself,” said Jamil Nemri, secretary general of Social Democratic Party and
former lawmaker.
According to Nemri, many similar dialogues have taken place
over the years; recommendations and suggestions have already been proposed but
there were not applied.
“This dialogue is the most frigid, and inadequate, in
comparison to previous rounds of dialogue. What is needed today is not to
launch a dialogue but to launch a program for political reform and discussions
can take place over the details.” Nemri added.
Senior members of political parties agreed that political
reform is not only urgent but crucial to the stability of the Kingdom, as the
public is growing wary of “shenanigans” and outraged by the current political
and economic scene.
“These reasons push towards ditching the same methods and
entering a real reform, and if that does not happen we would be taking a gamble
with unknown consequences because of the same methods that got us to
rock-bottom”, added Nemri.
Abdulmawla Akayleh from the Islamist-leaning National
Congress Party (
Zamzam) told
Jordan News that “we should first discuss
constitutional amendments that would remove the distortions in political life.
This is not a dialogue but an act to send messages to the international community
that has been reading in media that Jordan is becoming more autocratic.”
Akayleh criticized the actors standing behind this
“dialogue”, stating that these are “not the ones entrusted to support a
democratic process.”
“The fluctuations of the political process cannot be
trusted. It seems that the only purpose behind this is a narrative intended as
a message to external actors. There is no will for reform,” Akyaleh added.
Secretary General of the Islamic Action Front Murad Adayleh,
believes that the state has adopted measures that deprioritized democracy and
political inclusion in favor of security.
“For the past years, the state has been living off the
security option and this resulted in many confrontations with syndicates,
parties, or the general freedoms sphere in the Kingdom. It is unprecedented
that professional syndicates’ elections are crippled,” said Adayleh.
The veteran politician sees that the circumstances today are
different and reflect an imminent threat to stability.
“In the past, such dialogues were meant as a distraction,
but today, the state is in a tougher situation and in a state of identity loss.
The last elections was scandalous, recent crises in March and April, and other
issues which started surfacing reflect deep issues that cannot be dealt with
using the same tools and mentality,” Adayleh added.
All the politicians interviewed stressed the need for swift
action to achieve real and solid political reform. Interested parties see that
political reform is the entry point for reform across the board.
“The current circumstances do not tolerate delays,
procrastination, or appeasement of external powers. A clear direction must be
adopted. After the recent crises, and the current economic situation, pressure
is felt and reform is now a must,” added Nemri.
State actors must find solutions to the “deep issues and
find a formula inclusive of citizens,” according to Adayleh.
Defining the factors of successful reform, Hroub listed “a
strong Parliament, effective oversight tools, and the elimination of
randomness” in the decision-making process.
As he opened a new discussion session on Sunday, Senate
President Faisal Al-Fayez, urged “positive engagement from all ... so that the
dialogue would be systematic and fruitful,” according to the Jordan News
Agency, Petra.
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