The Prime Minister did well to put an end to all the noise surrounding the Cabinet reshuffle.
It began with the first reshuffle and continued for an entire year, during which we kept talking about a second reshuffle, appointing one person and dismissing another as we pleased.
اضافة اعلان
The Prime Minister established a new precedent twice, the first came before the first reshuffle, which was expected to take place at a certain time.
He took the initiative and sent out information about its timing, which was then published before the widely anticipated date, surprising everyone.
He repeated the surprise with the second reshuffle, when his office took the initiative to reveal details of the changes before they took place.
Perhaps this is the first time in the history of Jordanian governments that the Prime Minister’s Office has publicly discussed a Cabinet reshuffle before it happened, in an apparent attempt to cool and put an end to the appetite for reshuffles.
More importantly, the information had already been leaked to some media outlets two months ago regarding the details of the reshuffle.
In other words, the plan had already been decided, and there was nothing new. I published an article here in Al Ghad on June 11, two months ago, titled “What Has Changed Regarding the Cabinet Reshuffle?” In one of its paragraphs, I wrote: “What is certain is that, in principle, the Cabinet reshuffle will involve one minister, at least for now, due to the change in the name of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
The current minister may leave, or may remain. At the time of writing, the Prime Minister has no intention of carrying out a broad reshuffle that would see a number of ministers leave, including those who have been perceived by the public as having made mistakes, on the grounds that every minister can make mistakes and that a minister should not be removed after every mistake at the expense of the government’s structural stability.”
This means that the reshuffle plan had been decided months ago in this form. What is particularly noteworthy is that the Prime Minister was able to implement his plan as it was, without being affected by pressure, campaigns, or political disputes in Amman.
The reason for pointing out that the reshuffle had been planned in advance is that some believe that a reshuffle of this limited nature indicates objections from higher authorities to a broader reshuffle.
They also believe that such a reshuffle could mean that the government will leave office after the extraordinary parliamentary session, which is why no major changes were made.
From an analytical rather than an informational perspective, I completely rule out this scenario. The reshuffle plan had been known in advance because of the change in the name of the Ministry of Education.
The only new development was the elevation of the titles of ministers Muhannad Shehadeh and Waleed Al-Masri. This change came for reasons related to the government itself, rather than because there was no deputy prime minister, as that position is already held by the foreign minister.
Meanwhile, the portfolios of Labor and Transport remain combined under Minister Nidal Qatamin.
Overall, this indicates an avoidance of appointing new ministers or opening new battles and disputes.
Some people claim that the Prime Minister wants to be the prime minister who makes the fewest Cabinet reshuffles in the history of Jordanian governments. They say he believes correcting a minister’s performance is far better than removing them, and that maintaining the government’s stability is more important.
This may support what one person reportedly said: that the Prime Minister had already decided that he would make no more than three reshuffles if the government remains in office for four years. Ultimately, however, this remains hearsay.
In any case, this reshuffle is almost merely a technical internal adjustment, resembling internal transfers within the government.
The more important question remains: Which priorities should take center stage among the major projects, such as the National Carrier Project, the Amra Project, Social Security amendments, local administration reforms, and the other issues that concern Jordanians far more than who remains in government, who leaves, and who is waiting for their turn?
Readings in Amman vary, with everyone drawing on their own sources of information or expectations.
But what matters most is that the Prime Minister has put an end to the entire Cabinet reshuffle story at a time when we are burdened with priorities that are far more important.
The Cabinet reshuffle in this form was never a secret; it had been known for quite some time.
