The Mohammad Al-Hammouri Forum for Cultural Development hosted former Prime Minister Samir Rifai in a seminar titled "The Narrative of Independence: From Independence to the Future", during which he shed light on the evolution of the Jordanian independence narrative amid regional and international transformations. He also highlighted the uniqueness of the Jordanian experience compared to other independence movements in the region.
اضافة اعلان
In his speech, Rifai emphasized that political modernization is based on three essential pillars:
A clear political will,
The Royal Committee, which included figures from across the political spectrum and held over 8,000 hours of dialogue,
Implementation and practice — a responsibility that lies with political forces and parties that must conduct serious reviews of their roles and responsibilities.
He warned that modernization has become a national imperative within the equation of stability and trust-building, without excluding anyone, undermining state institutions, or compromising the rule of law.
Rifai stressed that the political reform and modernization project in Jordan is a steady and ongoing path stemming from an unambiguous royal will. He stated:
“I have always spoken — and will continue to speak — about political reform and modernization in the same spirit with which we entered the Royal Committee, because it was a manifestation of royal will and a clear directive through its outcomes.”
He criticized the reliance on local electoral lists, noting that they do not yield national or program-based parties. He said:
“Local lists do not produce programmatic parties. The goal of national lists is to push for the establishment of parties with real platforms. The presence of 250,000 blank ballots is a positive indicator of voter awareness — not the opposite.”
On independence and identity, Rifai stressed that independence was not a gift or a grant, but the result of a long struggle that began even before the founding of the Emirate in 1921. He pointed out that over the past century, the Jordanian state has proven that stability cannot be built through force and that security can only be achieved through a justice system that respects human dignity and upholds the rule of law.
He affirmed that Jordan has never been a vindictive state and has never acted on impulse, but instead relied on wisdom, patience, and decisive action — without exclusion, vengeance, or injustice.
He further stated that national identity should not be reduced to slogans, but should reflect a deep understanding and appreciation of national achievements. He called on all Jordanians to take pride in and celebrate these achievements, and to reject those who deny them. He criticized the failure to present Jordan’s national narrative effectively, saying:
“We have fallen short and delayed in presenting our country's story, but it’s not too late. We must present our identity clearly. It is alive, shaped and stabilized through sacrifices, and derived its traits from the moderate national character.”
He explained that national identity was shaped by hundreds of factors and many challenges and struggles, with Jordan’s determination to persevere — sometimes even in the face of conspiracies — playing a key role.
On the topic of regional and international challenges, Rifai stated that external pressures are not new:
“We have experienced such pressures frequently, and we have grown accustomed to them. Despite being one of the poorest countries in terms of resources, Jordan has been among the least responsive to these pressures.”
Rifai concluded by referencing multiple attempts to undermine Jordan and its sources of strength, emphasizing that these efforts have failed:
“Various movements have tried to weaken Jordan and topple the state, but they faded away while Jordan — with its identity, institutions, and resilient people — remained.”
In response to a question about the decision to ban the Muslim Brotherhood, Rifai noted that a judicial ruling to dissolve the group was issued in 2020 and questioned why its implementation had been delayed for five years.
This seminar is part of an intellectual series launched by the Forum earlier this year under the title "The War of Awareness and Narrative", aimed at countering misleading narratives targeting national identity and strengthening collective awareness through deep critical readings of Jordan’s history and political transformations in the region.
As part of this series, the Forum has previously hosted prominent political and intellectual figures from Jordan and the Arab world, including former Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, former Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dr. Marwan Muasher, and former Prime Minister Abdul Raouf Al-Rawabdeh, who all offered in-depth insights on issues of identity, national narrative, and regional transformations.
It’s worth noting that the Mohammad Al-Hammouri Forum for Cultural Development is an independent intellectual institution that seeks to provide an open space for dialogue on political, cultural, and social issues, encouraging critical thinking and the exchange of ideas among intellectuals and public affairs enthusiasts.
