Jordan is, and has been, pursuing greater democratic accountability, transparency, and a stronger civil society.
In 2011, and again in 2021-2022, His Majesty King Abdullah
II launched a political reform process that emphasizes the need for greater
citizen participation in decision making and increased transparency and
accountability at all levels of government.
اضافة اعلان
Will this be enough?
The previous attempt, although passed by Parliament, failed
to reflect positively on the daily lives of Jordanians, who are politically
motivated, but frustrated about the economy.
The level of trust in government has eroded over the years
due to the dire economic situation, the deteriorating standard of living of the
majority of Jordanians, and, more recently, to the COVID-19 pandemic, which made
things worse through lockdowns and government’s trial and error approach to
deal with this unprecedented situation.
Citizens’ participation in decision making is limited,
particularly among marginalized segments of the population, such as women, the
youth, and persons with disabilities. Many Jordanians believe that the
government does not sufficiently address their needs, or even knows how to talk
to them.
The Jordanian society is composed mostly of Jordanian tribes
and Jordanians of Palestinian origin, and these components are further segmented,
mainly along religious and political regional lines. And now we witness the
emergence of online societies.
Other than the King, Jordan lacks political leaders.
Traditional tribal leaders who in the past had influence both with the Royal
Palace and the people, no longer exist, political parties are a closed circle
and religious leaders are under massive scrutiny both by authorities and the
people.
The challenges these leaders face are traditional: a
religious leader with political aspirations will not last long, a tribal leader
with political aspirations will drown in the tsunami of services he needs to
deliver to his constituents and may not have the time to lead or deliver any
political message.
The solution is political parties with both religious and
tribal members, who will be powerful enough to strengthen the civil society and
convince their voters to become law-abiding citizens.
Our society cannot be influenced through individualism. We
are a society that craves leaders that are respected and empowered by the
Monarch, leaders of trusted backgrounds who can impact and lead social reform.
Civil society needs to strengthen political and civic
engagement so that government institutions can effectively respond to the needs
of all Jordanians. Civil society can represent and advocate for people’s needs,
inspire young Jordanians to be more engaged in the governance of their country
through civic engagement programs nationwide in schools and universities and
other institutions, and not to be afraid to engage in political gatherings in
the place of their choice, be it in mosques, youth clubs, their tribal
headquarters (madafat) or any other venue they choose to use.
Without creating leaders that are knowledgeable about the
Jordanian history and society, leaders who can speak the language of the people
and not the language of foreign funders, it is difficult to have citizens
engaged and having a sincere sense of ownership of public services and
property.
We need our leaders to speak to us through familiar platforms,
truthfully and showing concern. Men and women who speak the people’s language,
understand their needs and are not afraid to tell the truth and still feel that
they belong and are protected.
Omar Eltaweel is a Jordanian lawyer, managing partner at Taweel
& Co. Law firm, and enthusiastic about spreading awareness for a civil
society.
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