Citizens pin hope on new parliament

AMMAN — Citizens on Monday voiced their expectations about  the new Lower House as Jordanians will head to the polling booths on Tuesday to elect members of the 19th Parliament.

The candidates’ programmes, or that of their open lists, “have not been very clear in regard to what they aspire to achieve”, Anwar Alsharif, a private school teacher, told The Jordan Times over the phone on Monday.

Alsharif said that the slogans he saw on the banners in the street did not resonate with him, noting that people’s representatives should have “clear plans” to resolve issues facing society.

He said that “these plans should have been clear, and citizens should not be the ones chasing after this information, but rather it should be provided to them”.

He expressed hopes that the new Lower House members would make their plans “clear” to the public, detailing exactly what they are trying to achieve instead of brief slogans.

“Even if you access the lists’ pages on Facebook or that of a single candidate, there are no posts that fully detail what they want to do, each part of their plan is divided into separate posts, but there is nothing to fully understand what they plan to do once elected,” Alsharif said, concluding, “I know the value of my vote, and I cannot cast it to someone without a clear plan”.

People have suffered a lot throughout the coronavirus crisis, they need jobs, opportunities, and have to combat poverty and corruption, an  Amman resident, who preferred to remain anonymous, told The Jordan Times.

The local resident said that the new parliament members need to tackle the Kingdom’s financial, economic and social issues, and be active in helping people overcome unemployment and poverty, among other issues.

“Lower House members are public servants, whose job is to represent the public, and people have not felt heard for a long time, we need a parliament that can truly carry our voice and take action to help with the issues facing the Kingdom,” the Amman resident said. 

Remas Abdullah, a Zarqa resident  and a mother of three, said that she has never voted for any candidate in any of the previous elections.

“The promises of candidates have not affected my life at all, I do not feel that the candidates really represent me and do not feel a connection with parliament.  During every parliament term, I would tell myself, had they made a difference, I would have been involved and voted,” Abdullah said.

She expressed hopes that the new Lower House would have members who are close to the people, who listen to their needs and support them, making their voices heard, rather than “chasing their own agenda and benefits”.