I am the guarantor of dialogue panel outcome – King

AMMAN (JT) – His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday stressed support for the National Dialogue Committee, seriousness about reform and support for the freedom of expression, but warned against sabotage and chaos.

The King announced that he personally guarantees the outcome of the panel’s discussions, which focus on producing nationally accepted versions of the elections and political parties laws.

“You play a very significant role to take Jordan to a new level, a stage of reform, modernisation and development and I am the guarantor of what you will come out with,” the King told the panel members yesterday during a meeting at the Royal Court.

At the meeting, King Abdullah said that there is no alternative to dialogue in pursuit of consensus on comprehensive reform that meets the aspirations of all Jordanians.

Reiterating that national unity should be safeguarded and remain intact, the Monarch stressed that everybody should realise that in the absence of rational and logical dialogue, people tend to take to the street, a matter that “opens the way for tension”.

“We are not afraid of reform and we will respect the recommendations of the national dialogue panel regarding any constitutional amendments related to developing the Elections Law and the partisan and parliamentary life,” the King told the panel members.

He stressed that the Elections Law should ensure the representation of all Jordanians.

“Loyalty and reform are equally important to us,” King Abdullah said.

“We are all walking along the same path and we want the best for Jordan. This should be clear to all citizens,” he noted, adding: “We are serious about reform and we support freedom of expression which is the right of every citizen and we must head towards reform with strength and courage and without hesitation.”

His Majesty warned that sabotage and chaos are rejected as the people who adopt such an approach cross red lines. He said that freedom of expression should not lead to disrupting people’s daily lives and harm their interests.

The King denounced the violence that occurred at the Interior Ministry Circle last Friday and the pursuant abuse to national unity, calling on people not to remain captive to what happened and stressing the need to think about the future and open a new chapter based on dialogue and national fabric cohesion.

The dialogue committee can be the jumping board. “We have a golden opportunity at hand to develop Jordan,” His Majesty said.

The King urged the panel members to maintain contact with the different brackets and components of the public and visit the governorates to reach out to as many Jordanians as possible.

He also urged them to focus on youth issues, as 70 per cent of the population is under the age of 30.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit stressed his appreciation of the King’s support for the panel entrusted with the national dialogue, which has become a matter of concern to all Jordanians “not just the elite in Amman”.

On constitutional amendments, Bakhit emphasised that Royal directives are crystal clear, saying that the panel can discuss any constitutional amendments related to the political parties and elections laws.

“In the long run, we also believe in the need to establish a constitutional court and introduce more constitutional amendments prone to strengthen the Lower House,” the premier said.

The committee’s chairman, Taher Masri, commented: “There is a need for some constitutional amendments. We have discussed this publicly because the aim is to strengthen the parliamentary system and the executive branch.”

Several panel members stressed the need to arrive at a modern elections law, to be based on constitutional reforms deemed necessary to yield a strong House, emphasising the critical conditions of this stage and the necessity to protect national constants.

They noted that there are those who speak about reform with good intentions while there are others who have different agendas.

jordantimes