King assigns Rifai to form new Cabinet

AMMAN (JT) – His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday accepted the resignation of Samir Rifai’s government and tasked him with forming a new Cabinet to continue implementing the plans outlined in the outgoing government’s Letter of Designation about a year ago.

In the Letter of Designation addressed to the prime minister-designate yesterday, King Abdullah commended the achievements of the government in different fields, but noted, however, that there is still a “long” way to go to fully realise the development process.

The letter underlined the need for the government to continue working transparently and systematically to achieve the goals included in the previous Letter of Designation, highlighting several priorities that the government should take into account.

The Monarch highlighted that the Kingdom’s comprehensive reform process must be continued in order to fulfil citizens’ expectations of a prosperous future, and underscored that the pace of reform has not been as fast as he wanted.

“It was hampered and slowed down every now and then and was subjected to narrow and personal accounts more than once, costing the nation many opportunities and limiting our ability to build on a tremendous era of possibilities for development and reap the gains,” the King wrote.

In light of this, King Abdullah directed the prime minister-designate and his team, to be appointed this week, to conduct a comprehensive review in order to remove the obstacles hindering progress in implementing the strategy of reform, development and modernisation.

The Monarch added that achieving political development that boosts public participation in the decision-making process is a prerequisite for the success of other social and economic reforms.

He also directed the new government to refer the temporary Elections Law to the Lower House and give it urgent status, so that Parliament may study and amend it as necessary “in accordance with the interests of the country” and with the aim of “incorporating this important law into the Kingdom’s political life”.

“The government must also cooperate with the legislative authority to complete the decentralisation law to enable citizens to have a greater say in determining their future and identifying their development priorities,” the King said.

He also urged a smooth relationship between the legislative and executive authorities to enhance performance at all levels.

His Majesty added that the government should also go on with enhancing the performance of the economy through clear programmes that ensure a decent living for citizens, pointing out that these programmes should seek to raise Jordan’s economic competitiveness and productivity, attract investments, expand the middle class, and alleviate poverty and unemployment.

“The government should also make every effort to entrench the rule of law and follow policies that ensure social justice and preserve the dignity and rights of all Jordanians, in addition to national unity, which has been and will remain stronger than all attempts to tamper with or abuse it,” King Abdullah said.

The King also noted the need to develop the judicial system and provide it with all means of support to enhance its performance in order to maintain the judiciary as a model of justice, impartiality and independence.

In regards to the Jordan Armed Forces, the Monarch directed the government to provide the required support to ensure the military’s preparedness and development, whether in terms of training or armaments.

The King highlighted that continuing to support the Palestinian people’s right to live freely in an independent and viable state on their national soil is a strategic interest of Jordan, calling on the government to employ all the Kingdom’s international relations to support Palestinians and advocate for their right to build their country’s national institutions.

Earlier in the day, Rifai sent a letter to King Abdullah thanking His Majesty for entrusting him with forming the new government and highlighting the achievements realised by the outgoing government and its seven-point action plan.

“The government managed to achieve progress in some objectives, but was still working to realise better results in other objectives that normally require longer-term efforts, particularly those associated with the economic situation due to their reliance on the financial resources and the conditions of the international economy,” the prime minister-designate pointed out.

Rifai added that despite the difficulties, the government was able to reduce the budget deficit, which had reached almost unprecedented levels, in addition to enhancing economic growth.

“The economic indicators have also shown marked improvements that developed the country’s ability to attract investments,” he said, noting that the outgoing government also increased the number of schools, hospitals and healthcare centres across the Kingdom.

Rifai also highlighted the government’s efforts in conducting transparent elections.

On February 17, King Abdullah met with the outgoing Cabinet members, who presented the King with an outline of a seven-point plan designed to implement seven priorities His Majesty set in the Letter of Designation.

The seven components included political and economic reforms seeking to boost political and civil participation in decision making, expanding the middle class and protecting the economically disadvantaged, in addition to providing people with skills.

The plan also entailed strengthening accountability and performance measures and stimulating economic growth through implementing infrastructure mega-projects.