Despite the solid foundations, the stability and security of the
country, and the rationality of the overwhelming majority of Jordanians, many
indicators from public opinion polls as well as hard data from official sources
suggest that we have very little time to act on turning the tide of economic
downturn. This was the gist of His Majesty King Abdullah’s message on January
30, 2022.
اضافة اعلان
These are
the background facts:
1. Confidence in successive governments’ ability to deliver on fundamental
economic issues has been declining, and it is now at the lowest level since
1996.
2. The outcome of consecutive public policies, exacerbated by the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic, led to 23 percent national unemployment, with tens of
thousands joining the labor market every year with little prospect to find a
sustainable and productive job. It is even worse for the youth (both educated
and less educated) and women, specially educated women.
3. Unemployment leads to many other social ills, such as poverty, which, in turn,
leads to a series of other problems such as family disintegration, drug abuse,
and crime.
4. Confidence in parliament has also been declining. Voters’ evaluation of MPs’
ability to deliver on their constituents’ demands has been decreasing for many
structural reasons that render MPs ineffective in the eyes of their people.
5. Weak economic growth, which leads to weak economic development, more
unemployment, less income, and weak investment, compounds the economic
problems, and that we definitely do not need.
6. There is weak and declining social capital. Interpersonal trust has
declined from a third to 15 percent in the past 15 years. This has implications
for state-society relations, national pride, social cohesion, and compassionate
societal relations.
7. There is increasing perception of lack of justice and equality in society. This
has implications on perceived equitable life styles, economic disparities, and
the rule of law.
The list could go on. Suffice it to say, the
accumulated problems, despite their severity at the levels of perception and
reality, have not prevented the state from being resilient, moving on, forward
and upward.
It is in this spirit that the National Economic
Workshop convenes at the Royal Court under the title “Advancing into the
future: unleashing the potential to modernize the economy”. This will be the
13th initiative, since 2000, to address public interest, and it is no exception
in that it was received with more skeptical than accepting views.
However, the initiative and those involved in it realize
that they have to move beyond the “politics of doing business” to the “business
of doing business”.
Jordanians, all Jordanians, cannot afford another
disappointment. All are expected to rise up to the challenge and deliver an
outcome that responds to the economic priorities of Jordanians who have been
putting up with many economic failures.
It is time to make a difference in their lives so
they can regain confidence in their future and that of their children.
The writer is chairman of NAMA Strategic Intelligence Solutions [email protected]
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