AMMAN – Lawmakers
said they are unruffled by the latest reshuffle in the Cabinet of Prime
Minister
Bisher Al-Khasawneh, saying the change was pointless, given that the
problem lies in the government’s approach and policies.
اضافة اعلان
The shuffle,
however, was praised by some for bringing in three more women to the Cabinet,
raising their number to five, and making good on promises for women
empowerment.
The latest change
also saw five new ministers taking office, while six left.
Lawmaker Mohammad
Al-Alaqmeh said that the cabinet’s reshuffle “disappointed us, and was beyond
our hopes and expectations”.
He told
Jordan
News that the hope was to “replace the whole economic team with one capable
to attract investments, and improve the national economy by increasing economic
growth and reducing poverty and unemployment, in line with the Economic
Modernization Vision”.
He said that any
Cabinet reshuffle that excludes the whole economic team, or ignores appointing
competent Cabinet ministers to develop plans and programs that would improve
the citizen’s standard of living, “will be just a change of faces, nothing
more”.
MP Feras Al-Ajarmeh
told
Jordan News that the “Cabinet’s reshuffle is not technocrat-based”.
He said that there
is no “convincing reason” for ministers to leave and others to take office.
“The problem is the approach, not the ministries themselves”.
“We are in a
vicious circle, and there is no way out of it unless we come up with solutions
outside the box, especially in light of the prevailing political and economic
woes,” he noted.
He said that the
absence of consultation with the Lower House on the new shape of the Cabinet
“points to a political supremacy, one of the traits of the prime minister”.
Lawmaker
Bilal Al-Momani told
Jordan News that the reason behind the reshuffle was
“ambiguous”. He added that he is not optimistic about the outcome, “especially
with regard to giving some ministers two portfolios, and the failure to include
the economic team in the reshuffle.”
He pointed out that
the premier “did not consult with the legislative authority, nor did he inform
anyone about his planned changes.”
MP Adnan Moshooqa
told
Jordan News that the reshuffle “was not at the required level”, or
as people and their parliamentary representatives had hoped.
He said the changes
suggest that the government wants to impose the merger of public office and the
restructuring of the public sector, adding that it was “unreasonable for one
minister to run two ministries simultaneously”.
“We were expecting
the reshuffle to include competent decision makers, but the change was weak and
beyond expectation,” he added.
MP
Zainab Al-Bdoul
was more optimistic, pointing to a possible change under the command of more
women in the Cabinet. “I expect the women Cabinet ministers to accomplish a lot
while in office, as they have experience that qualifies them to implement
reforms in the government sector,” she said.
She said she hoped
the Cabinet, as a whole, will be able to execute the needed economic and
administrative reforms.
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