Jordan National Movement

According to Transparency International (TI), corruption is the "abuse of entrusted power for private gain. It hurts everyone whose life, livelihood or happiness depends on the integrity of people in a position of authority."

The Berlin-based international organization has recently issued its Global Corruption Report for 2007.  The report ranks 180 countries on a scale of one to 10 based on the perceptions of business executives and analysts.  The report’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is a composite index that draws on 14 expert opinion surveys which scores countries in terms of the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians. It also scores countries on a scale from zero to 10, with zero indicating high levels of perceived corruption and 10 indicating low levels.  Among those countries whose corruption score had worsened over the past year is Jordan.

According to the CPI, Jordan’s standing declined by 13 points from 40 to 53.   Jordan scored 4.7 which placed it 53rd.  Last year, Jordan scored 5.3 or 40th among the surveyed countries.  According to the index, scores below five indicate serious levels of corruption. 

Furthermore, according to this international publication, corruption in Jordan and in other countries with comparable ratings remains an enormous drain on the country’s resources that are essential for education, health care, infrastructure and other development needs.  

It appears that previous and present governments have failed to deliver on their promises that they have made to vigorously fight corruption and generally improve the quality of life for their citizens.  And it appears also that once again their political ideas alone are fruitless.  

Without a doubt, the government’s failure in fulfilling its obligations to enhance the role of good governance and accountability is a major reason for this inevitable result. This serious decline can also be attributed to numerous factors such as political favoritism and thriving business kick-back practices that the state has tolerated in some instances and encouraged in some others. The report also specifically attributes Jordan’s corruption to a failing governance system that depends on highly incompetent and corrupt officialdom.  

In addition, the report identifies serious flaws in Jordan’s judicial system.  The politically appointed judiciary, which is routinely manipulated by the government and its security apparatus, is cited as a key source of this conclusion. The report states that no independent judges are allowed to even voice independent opinions.  Not to mention also the restrictions that the regime is superimposing on the civil societies and freedoms of the speech.

The report also cites business corruption as another reason for this failing grade.  For instance, in spite of all the rhetoric about economic reforms, not only has the government not succeeded in cutting regulatory and bureaucratic red tape, but it also failed to cut the time and cost of start-up businesses. In addition, bad business practices such as bribes remain acceptable norms among Jordanian officials.

It appears that the report findings have shocked the regime’s establishment both proponents and backers. Somehow, Jordanian officials were under the illusion that the organization would favorably come out supporting their policies. In their mind, the government of his majesty has created the necessary institutions and enacted pertinent laws to combat this social and economic disease, and hence their efforts should have been rewarded rather than rebuked. 

Those officials are wrong to believe that the prevailing culture of corruption that has existed for many years can be eradicated through an inept bureaucracy or by enacting an unenforceable law (Financial Disclosure Law, the Access to Information Law and a law criminalizing the practice of wasta (favoritism)).  

Needless to say, the regime’s slogans about reform and fighting corruption, while honorable on their face, may be perceived as a joke and a smokescreen to promote their public image.  What is clear is the King and his advisors have done so much damage to the economic system of Jordan that the entire legal system needs to be completely overhauled in order to tackle the underlying causes of corruption. 

As usual, instead of welcoming the report’s findings, to prepare the public for an honest and frank assessment of country’s business and judicial malpractices, the regime immediately went on the attack.  The government’s supporters attacked the report for not being fair to Jordan and accused this international body of fabricating and promulgating false stories about the country’s achievements. 

We all need to remind the regime that finding a solution for corruption will not be found by forging a new bureaucracy (e.g. Jordan Transparency Forum, General Intelligence Department’s Anti Corruption Unit) or creating a commission (e.g. Anti-Corruption Commission), or being a signatory on an international treaty (e.g. UN Convention Against Corruption) or sponsoring an international conference (e.g. World Economic Forum at the Dead Sea).  Finding a solution to corruption requires a comprehensive institutional set up, where political culture and practice that adhere to openness, transparency and rule of law, as well as, the respect for human right and freedom of speech are the norm. 

Undoubtedly and unfortunately, the findings of the report will have adverse effects on the country’s international creditworthiness and credibility, which in turn will further inhibit the country’s ability to sustain economic growth and development.  It is also worth mentioning that the latest attempt by the government to monitor and restrict electronic media will definitely have a negative impact on TI future rating as well.  This is certainly an undesirable and counterproductive measure to adopt.

I must admit that I am unable to propose magic solutions to tackle Jordan’s corruption issues. However, I would argue that Jordan will not overcome its economic and legal challenges until corruption is checked through improved government.  I can also add that unless there is adept and sincere political and economic leadership, which Jordan lacks at this time, these challenges will continue to exist for years to come.

Jordan should seize this opportunity and use the Transparency International’s Global Corruption Report of 2007 and carefully study its findings so it can move forward with its reform agenda.  In doing so, the regime will demonstrate its commitment to serious and meaningful programs to fight corruption.

To read about the report and its findings, you can visit: http://www.transparency.org/publications/gcr/download_gcr#toc

June 1, 2007

Shame in King Abdullah II House

By Dr. Abdul Salam Al-Mualla

بقلم الدكتورعبدالسلام المعلا/واشنطن

In his recent book, Lee Iacacco cites a quote from Winston Churchill, "The longer you look back, the farther you can look forward." The Hashemite regime in Jordan ignores historical precedence. A few days ago, the absolute monarchy in Jordan has marked 61 years of undemocratic monopoly of power, during which its main concern has been to centralize politics and pave the way to strengthen the executive power (the king), so that a tiny technocratic elite, working hand-in-hand with a political segment of the draconian security forces, would impose an authoritarian vision on the whole of Jordan society. They have achieved success at a heavy price!

With the repression of the press and judiciary growing day after day, with the absence of any effective political parties, with a bribed Parliament, and with the added monopoly of the press, radio and television stations at the behest of King Abdullah II, the morphology of the civil society, of which all the above institutions are crucial pillars, has a disturbing meaning in the country.

For a desperately poor country, Jordan’s current leadership has proved weak and untrustworthy. King Abdullah II’s local and foreign policies have had a deeply damaging structural impact on Jordanians. The royal family in Jordan has lost its moorings. The royal family rings hollow. The royal family is self-serving. Leaders restore moorings. And King Abdullah II, a man deeply unmoored, is precisely not the man to introduce genuine democracy in Jordan or revitalize peace and lead Jordan and its citizens in the Middle East and on the world stage.

In a significant sense, what we are seeing and observing in Jordan these days is the history of massive corruption and lax management, a travesty of justice, press-monarchy conflict, ghastly threats toward opponents of the absolute monarchical regime, a tangled and defunct economy, endless abuse of people’s basic rights, such as freedom of expression, and abject poverty inflicted on the diminishing middle class and urban and rural working people. The outcome: A countless number of evil terrorists like Abu Musab Zarqawi and his associates (e.g., Al-Maqdsi, Abu Trab, Al-Bana, Al-Jarrar, Saqallah and Al-Smmadi) has been planted in Jordan and exported to the world via the daily actions of the corrupt Hashemite regime in Amman. The solution: Constitutional changes so that Jordanians can govern themselves by electing their own government, Senate and Supreme Court judges. Freedom, proactive and elected leadership, peaceful coexistence and a sustained economy represent major parts of the solution to fight evil terrorism in the Middle East and beyond!

One of the many weaknesses of King Abdullah II is his lack of effective communication, a key leadership skill in the 21^st century. Commanding the native language of a country is a very important skill for the proactive and successful leaders of that country. In fact, it is a key tool for those leaders to communicate with their followers and the people in the street. King Abdullah II lacks this important communication skill and tool. This embarrassing shortcoming has been evident at key Arabic events as well. In the recent Arab Summit held in Sudan, the king delegated Faisal Al-Fayez, the former appointed and corrupt Prime Minister, to deliver his Arabic speech. In Saudi Arabia, a few months ago, King Abdullah II did not give a speech. Instead, his staff circulated the excerpt of his speech to the press. In his visits to Jordanian cities and villages, King Abdullah II does not speak much in Arabic, but relies very heavily on his staff to jot down what people say to him so his wife Queen Rania can translate these notes to Arabic for the king, later in the evening or the next day, according to reliable sources at the royal court. And when he speaks in Arabic, people laugh at him! A few months ago, King Abdullah II said in a very funny Arabic accent, on national TV, “Kel wahid be saker tmoh” (everyone must shut up). People across Jordan laughed and have been very upset and shaking their heads that their unaccountable and unelected king cannot speak their own language! Also, King Abdullah II has never shown up before local and regional Arabic speaking press conferences in order to avoid embarrassment due to his heavy Arabic accent and any situation where he might run out of Arabic vocabulary and not understand the questions voiced in Arabic. The same reliable sources informed JNM that when an Arabic-based newspaper asks to interview King Abdullah II, the royal court staff asks for the questions in advance, prepares the text of answers and insists that the interview is set up as a photo opportunity that is focused on very informal, unrecorded conversation. Yes, in our own country, Jordan, we have an Arabic as a Second Language (ASL) King!

The domestic audience and international community are watching! Note the following salient statements: http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/05/22/jordan15973.htm issued by Human Rights Watch in New York on May 22, 2007, the important chapter in the U.S. State Department’s 2006 human rights report: http://www.jordannationalmovement.org/State of Human Rights in Jordan--Report 1.doc, the stunning report: http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/cp76_choucair_final.pdf contemplated by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC, in December, 2006, the comprehensive reports: http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=2442&l=1 issued on November 23, 2005 and February 19, 2003 respectively, by the International Crisis Group’s (Crisis Group), several scientific polls and surveys: http://www.css-jordan.org/polls/index.html conducted by the Center for Strategic Studies (CSS) at the University of Jordan, the stunning 38-page report: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/arabic/middle_east_news/newsid_6313000/6313195.stm (Arabic news story) published by Manfred Novak, the United Nations Human Rights Commission's Special Rapporteur on Torture, on Tuesday, January 30, 2007, and the recent statement: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=22118 released by Reporters Without Borders (RWB), condemning the arrest of Dr. Ahmed Oweidi Al-Abbadi, former Member of Parliament and the author of 57 books. All point to one key fact that King Abdullah II of Jordan has done nothing less than silence all public dissent. Most of this was done, no doubt, to keep control of his absolute monarchy in choppy political waters and to show American and European critics that he does not shrink from sticking a finger in his own eyes.

In a speech, delivered on Thursday, May 24, 2007, King Abdullah II stated, “For our democratic march, we are very much concerned that it must take deep roots…we must reactivate the role of civil society, respect the principal of pluralism, in the frame of national unity that must become intact, above all differences…pluralism and diversity are the streams that foster this march and allow the citizens the freedom to choose and express themselves…”

Following is the Arabic version of this quote:

ÃãÇ ãÓíÑÊäÇ ÇáÏíãÞÑÇØíÉ¡ ÝäÍä ÍÑíÕæä ßá ÇáÍÑÕ Úáì ÊÑÓíÎåÇ æÊÚãíÞåÇ¡ æÊÝÚíá ÏæÑ ãÄÓÓÇÊ ÇáãÌÊãÚ ÇáãÏäí¡ æÇÍÊÑÇã ãÈÏà ÇáÊÚÏÏíÉ¡ Ýí ÅØÇÑ ÇáæÍÏÉ ÇáæØäíÉ¡ ÇáÊí íÌÈ Ãä ÊÈÞì ÝæÞ ßá ÇáÇÎÊáÇÝÇÊ..ÝÇáÊÚÏÏíÉ æÇáÊäæÚ åí ÑæÇÝÏ ÊËÑí ÇáãÓíÑÉ¡ æÊãßøä ÇáãæÇØä ãä ÍÑíÉ ÇáÇÎÊíÇÑ æÇáÊÚÈíÑ.

When asked about the current Parliamentarian elections law, a very unfair and controversial piece of legislation, criticized by many domestic and international observers and experts on national elections, King Abdullah II reported in Al-Arab Al-Yawm Newspaper, on Tuesday, May 15, 2007, that “the government decided not to change the current Parliamentarian elections law,” which is a fabricated response designed to mislead the public and international community since the government in Jordan is appointed directly by the king.

Again, here is the Arabic version of the above quote: يبدو أن الحكومة ارتأت حاليا الإبقاء على قانون الانتخاب وعدم تغييره

On Thursday, May 31, 2007, King Abdullah II visited the Abbad tribe in the city of Eira. According to independent dignitaries and educated leaders in this tribe, the visit was arranged by King’s Adviser for Tribal Affairs, Sharif Fawaz Zaben Abdullah, and dozens of loyalists to the absolute monarchy in this tribe. Hundreds of intellectuals and representatives in the Abbad tribe declined to attend, stressing that this absurd visit was arranged to show the people and foreign diplomats in Amman that King Abdullah II still enjoys the support of Abbad tribe despite his unwise decision to imprison one of their leaders, Dr. Ahmed Oweidi Al-Abbadi, former Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Jordan National Movement (JNM). Dr. Al-Abbadi has been in jail since Wednesday, May 2, 2007 for speaking up against corruption and human rights abuses in the country.  

Now, who is the bluffer? Who is behind of all of the massive corruption, lawlessness, human rights abuses, abject poverty, and bribery and force of members of parliament to enact laws that support the ailing monarchy in Amman and curbing people’s freedom of expression and association? Who is appointing these consecutive corrupt governments, cruel senior intelligence officers, self-promoting senators and bribed judges? Who is conducting the people’s business and managing the ruined infrastructure of health, education and transportation sectors? Who is calling for the charges and arrest warrants against peace and human rights activists who are being targeted solely for exercising their rights to speak up and speak out against failures of the judiciary system and human rights abuses, thereby challenging the dominant power structures of the Hashemite regime? And, who is the unelected and unaccountable monarch who does not pay tax and refuses to open his books and unfold the annual budget of his corrupt house, the royal court, and members of the Hashemite royal family?

The answer is very obvious: our illustrious King Abdullah II. No single change in the political, economic, legislative and/or social arenas takes place and shapes in the country without the blessing and direct involvement of King Abdullah II and his intelligence community!

Americans must be true to themselves. For any action on King Abdullah II’s cruelties that the U.S. authorities describe as unwarranted interference, it would be foolish of Americans not to expect to pay a price. Tyranny breeds terrorism and violence. We have all been witnessing the massacres and daily killings of innocent people on the streets of Baghdad and other parts of new Iraq. Where are most of these evil terrorists coming from? Certainly, based on news and intelligence reports, most of these suicide bombers and killers are made in Iraq and neighboring countries, such as Jordan. We must recall and never forget what the dead rat, Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab Zarqawi, did in the cities and villages of new Iraq. Zarqawi was made in Jordan!

On the other hand, the Jordan National Movement (JNM) calls for national unity against the corrupt regime of King Abdullah II. JNM is for all Jordanians, including our brothers and sisters, the large Palestinian-Jordanian community in Jordan. We stand for their rights in Jordan as much as we do for the rest of the population. We fully understand that they are misrepresented in the unelected government, security forces and army, and oppressed politically and economically. And this is one of the reasons that we, ALL Jordanians, regardless of origin and nationality, must work side by side and shoulder to shoulder against the corrupt cliques and henchmen of the Hashemite regime in Amman. This regime has not been elected nor selected via legitimate channels to govern the people of Jordan. As long as this absolute monarchical refuses to share power and listen to the legitimate demands of the Jordanian people (http://www.css-jordan.org/polls/index.html), we must work relentlessly and peacefully with the other concerned countries and organizations to impart genuine, democratic and peaceful change in Amman.

The Hashemite regime in Amman must be confronted by a reasonable choice between suffering penalties for its absolute authoritarian ways and opening up political space for internal challenge. The democratic deficit in Jordan will not be overcome without the help of the United States and those democratic countries that have short and long-term interests in its stability and security. Constitutional amendments are vital to introduce viable political changes to our homeland. The current absolute monarchical regime in Jordan must be replaced by a constitutional monarchical system of governance. The outcome of making these necessary changes could be a beacon of hope in creating lasting peace, economic prosperity, justice, local and regional security, not only in Jordan, but also in the entire Arab and Muslim worlds.

A new constitution, a popular government, and an independent justice system in Jordan would be the hallmark of constructive change in Amman. The present constitution is very ancient and extremely ineffective. The current and previous unelected governments have proved to be totalitarian, despotic, impartial and corrupt.  The will of the people of Jordan must prevail. The people’s loyalty and allegiance must be directed toward Jordan and its people. In the new world order, full freedom goes hand-in-hand with economic and political reforms, information technology, peace and security. Thus, these important issues must be planned for in the form of short and long-term strategies to bring ongoing prosperity to our homeland and its citizenry.

The Jordan National Movement (JNM) will proceed to assist in accomplishing this visionary plan with full responsibility and vigor. These political reforms, of course, will not take place without direct support from the people of Jordan and their friends in the United States. We must march together toward fairness and the rule of law in our homeland. Again, the dividends of this plan will be reaped and shared by all citizens in the Middle East region.