In my previous writing I explored what political platforms
might best suit Jordan, using pre-existing polling and survey data by various
international institutes. But, how to categorize these platforms (whenever and
if they are developed and made public)? On Election Day, voters will receive
two ballots. One for their majoritarian candidate - that single person who will
represent the constituency and a second ballot with a list of political parties
(28 registered so far and more to come!). When a voter looks at that list, how
can they decide which party best represents them? It all comes down to the
platform and the communications of the party.
اضافة اعلان
And how will they describe themselves? Only so many parties
can say they are ‘center’ or ‘focused on solving problems’ before it sounds
like a brochure. But if these parties describe themselves as liberal,
conservative, center, nationalist, traditionalist, leftist…what do these terms
even mean in Jordan?
There is a well-known ‘political compass’ available online.
There are two axes 1) governance models from low government intervention
libertarianism to full authoritarian control and 2) state-controlled economy
versus a fully free market.
The political identity and political system in Jordan is not based strictly on views of governance and views of the economy, because the governance and economic system do not alter that much.
The political compass is a brilliant model and very helpful
in seeing past the very limiting ‘left-right’ spectrum. But we need different
measurements in Jordan, as I will explain below.
So, as a humble proposal - two axes are put together and
offered here as a way to judge how political platforms can be classified and
how people can identify their own political identities.
A political compass with two axes of 1) heritage and
adaptation and 2) private versus public
sector work and markets.
The first axis on Heritage and Adaptation would encompass
the interplay of religion in society, social norms, individual liberties vs.
cultural systems, and adapting to the global zeitgeist vs. maintaining a
national identity.
The second axis of Private versus Public Sector would
encompass views on the economy, the social contract, employment, and the role
of the state in the market.
Three things you should know
Why a western political compass won’t fit for Jordan
In Jordan, we can't use the US political compass which is an
axis of governance and an axis of economic philosophy, which divides all
political identity into four blocks based on views of liberty or
authoritarianism, dividing everyone between essentially socialist, fascists,
and libertarians. First, the political identity and political system in Jordan
is not based strictly on views of governance and views of the economy, because
the governance and economic system do not alter that much. Generally, there is
a centralized system of governance with a focus on security and stability due
to regional events and history. This has also been agreed on by society and
ingrained in our identity. The economic system has been a generous social
contract since the very founding of the state, with no significant political
voice leader or party advocating for a complete free market or a modified free
market like what we see in the United States, for example, or even in certain
European countries. Jordan has never had any kind of libertarian or free market
movement. We have some who push austerity, and some who wear the label
‘liberal’. But the free market ideas of Ayn Rand, Ron Paul, or even Ronald
Reagan, have never caught hold. It's not a worthwhile measurement here.
Rather, we have to look at completely new axes on how we can
judge how political identity is formed.
What might fit Jordan
Within these two that I propose, Heritage to Adaptation
would include the role of religion in the public square as well as
individualist versus collectivist or communitarian ideologies.
Some example questions; (answers would be on a point scale)
How important is it to you that the younger generations
continue to follow the customs and traditions passed down through our
ancestors?
Do you think that our society's long-standing traditions
might hinder progress and development?
Should we prioritize preserving our cultural heritage even
if it means potentially limiting our interactions with the broader world?
For the first time in my adult life, I have interest in voting. I’m not talking about joining a party, but first voting in elections, and then deciding which party to vote for.
Do you believe that preserving traditional cultural
practices and values is essential for the well-being of our society?
How open are you to adopting new ideas and practices from
other cultures?
How do you perceive the impact of globalization and exposure
to external cultures on our society?
How comfortable are you with the idea of blending elements
of our traditional heritage with modern influences?
Does the voter look abroad for solutions or rather to what
worked for us in the past? Are they in favor of adapting to modern trends or in
favor of preserving the society of our grandfathers? Do they view outside
influences - Netflix, Twitter, Hollywood, pop culture - as negative or neutral
or positive influences on Jordan? How do Jordanians view political causes from
foreign countries like decriminalization of drugs, gender politics, a secular
state, or green politics?
And the Private versus Public scale would include questions
on the social contracts, limits on the market, individual liberties when it
comes to finances and property business and so on. Within these two, there are
a number of questions which we could ask.
Do you believe that essential services like healthcare,
education, and public safety are best managed by the government to ensure equal
access for all?
Should publicly-funded programs play a significant role in
providing a safety net for individuals during times of economic hardship?
How comfortable are you with private companies having a
substantial influence over public services, such as water supply, transportation,
or energy?
In your view, is
government involvement in the economy necessary to prevent excessive wealth
accumulation among a few individuals or corporations?
How effective do you think the private sector is at
addressing societal challenges compared to the public sector?
When considering economic policies, do you lean more towards
those that prioritize private enterprise or financing state programs?
Should the government play a role in reducing economic
inequality by implementing wealth redistribution measures?
Why these fit Jordan
There is already significant data on the political
identities of Jordanians. I would recommend four sources: The IRI State of
Jordanian Democracy polls; the World Values survey answers for Jordan; the Arab
Barometer; and the Center for Strategic Studies political perceptions polling.
Essentially, from these we can see that Jordanians have very high expectations
of government intervention in the market; desire a generous social safety net
(but also harbor a strong distaste for taxes); a preference for religious
values in governance; a preference for public sector and not private sector
work; and expectation of the state to provide employment opportunities, not
just the market; and a high appreciation of safety and security in the country.
The Inglehart-Welzel cultural map uses two axes 1) Survival
values versus self-expression values and 2) Traditional values versus
secular–rational values. The map lists Jordan at the extremes of both
traditional and survival (or more communitarian) points of the chart (along
with Yemen, Ghana, Nigeria, and Libya). Those four research sets, as well as
the cultural mapping, would indicate that the two points I identify above are
an accurate fit for identifying Jordanian voter identities.
If parties which registered in May, still can’t describe their vision for Jordan by this September, then they will have already lost me and voters like me. But if they have one, and can communicate it - then we can have a conversation of visions.
This data is useful, but is not a tool for voters to use to
find their individual identities that will help them in voting for a party to
represent them. Also, the parties will not be helpful if they do not have a
clear, cohesive program. A user-friendly test and compass can be an intriguing
and conversation-driving tool to get voters (and parties) ready.
My Take
First, my apologies. For over a decade many of you have
talked about political identities in Jordan and the need for a political compass.
But the compass was never actually created , despite all those conversations.
Now we need it, and it can’t stay in conversations in conference rooms or over
tea and shisha. However, I would love to hear your opinions, how we could
create the axis points, and what questions a voter should answer to learn their
‘score’ and help find the party platform that best fits their views.
I must confess, I’m 34 and I have never voted in Jordanian
elections, neither municipal nor parliamentary, I’ve never felt the need to.
It’s usually a nice holiday, and I often preferred to be with friends rather
than bustling in a polling station and face down a list of names of candidates
who likely won't contact or represent me. But with the re-launching of
political parties, and the changes in Parliament and elections, for the first
time in my adult life, I have interest in voting. I’m not talking about joining
a party, but first voting in elections, and then deciding which party to vote
for.
We have an opportunity. But this opportunity requires a
platform. We can still vote for a person to represent us, but it is that second
ballot I’m interested in. The second ballot means choosing a vision for the
nation. The parties need to develop platforms. These platforms need to describe
their vision for the country. Then I see if their vision aligns with mine.
These next few months before the election are a conversation
between their vision and mine, between the parties and voters like me. But my
work is to find out my political identity - and then doing the homework to find
out the platforms of the parties.
By the end of the month I will finalize the test for the
Jordan compass I describe above. I will test it out on myself and a few select
friends and colleagues. Then, I will send out the test to parties. If parties
which registered in May, still can’t describe their vision for Jordan by this
September, then they will have already lost me and voters like me. But if they
have one, and can communicate it - then we can have a conversation of visions.
Katrina Sammour was first published on Full Spectrum Jordan, a weekly newsletter on SubStack.
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