We need to be honest here. Jordan, in an unusual way, since
the beginning of 2021, has been experiencing very sensitive times at all
levels. We need to figure out what is happening with the way our daily affairs
are managed, because based on what we are witnessing, the administration is
feeble, relying only on reactions, wherever one is needed.
اضافة اعلان
This really is a strange year. From its onset, we have been
witnessing a new story every two days. No sane person can consider that the
daily management of developments is adequate. It adopts an approach based on
placing crises on the back burner, a practice that generates more trouble
later. This is especially true when a group within the establishment argues
that crises are normal events that happen everywhere in the world, in a bid to
downplay the seriousness of the issue. They argue that, at the end of the day,
these problems cannot be prevented but must be solved. They forget that our
local experience is shared by few other countries in the world. They also
forget that other countries do not only seek to address symptoms, but rather
tackle the root causes of the challenges they face.
Take political reform, for example. It is characterized with
slow progress and engagement in dialogues at different levels, involving
numerous issues at once We cannot afford this sluggishness, especially since we
have hundreds of documents addressing reform, including the National Charter,
the National Agenda, and the National Dialogue Committee, as well as hundreds
of hours spent debating the issue by lawmakers and inside the government, which
selects the figures to take part from political circles and others. This means
that we are just buying time. If there was any political will to carry out
reform, we could have benefited from this rich heritage, rather than throw a
brainstorming session in which we are invited to work out laws related to
elections, political parties, and other political reform-related files.
Apart from political reform, the issue of public services is
worrying. The power outage, for example, albeit a possible occurrence in any
country, opens the door for questions about the chance of similar emergencies
in the future. What if the Israeli gas supply (stolen from the Palestinians)
stops and we face disruptions in the supply of water and electricity or telecom
services? We will see gas stations and ATMs totally dysfunctional and hospitals
at risk, especially if the outage exceeds the usual few hours. This raises a
question to the government — any incumbent government — regarding contingency
plans for all utilities. Just few months ago, we experienced a major crisis in
the form of an oxygen outage at Salt Hospital. Furthermore, we have a water
shortage at hand, which will deepen in the summer. This will adversely affect
the quality in
Jordan.
Is it possible that infrastructure and vital utilities will
be reviewed in a way that ensures Jordan will not be susceptible to great
dangers under certain emerging circumstances?
In addition, there is the economic file, including the
growing public debt. It is apparent that the figures listed in the 2021 state
budget are different from reality, which is expected, given the difficult
economy. This will naturally lead to an increasing deficit and we will close
this year financial statements with alarming figures. Unemployment, price
hikes, and poverty are seeing major changes. No one has intervened to solve
these problems by addressing their root causes. We all know that this has led
to the social crisis we are witnessing now; and it is snowballing, giving us
the impression that the future does not look good.
Another example is foreign policy. Jordan’s role has been
trimmed down, as our stands on regional and international affairs have been on
the decline. It is as if we are required to be there, but remain invisible.
However, the government has been adopting a neutral stance, showing
self-restraint and attempting to bring about balance to the situation. Such
policies are understandable, but the inevitable result is that
Jordan is pushed
out as a regional influence and the country is not taken into the calculations
made by regional and world powers. If the official position is justifiable for
its own reasons, it remains unquestionable that compromising on our regional
influence will weaken the county at more than one level.
It is about time Jordan was run differently. Domestic crises
and regional turbulence literally require us to adopt a different kind of
management. The message is that if we want to survive, it is now or never.
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