King: Future of political action in Jordan will be through political parties

• His Majesty urges committees to reach out to various sectors, listen to public’s concerns, suggestions 
• King says priority is to support Palestinian people, safeguard Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday reaffirmed that the future of political action in Jordan will be through political parties.

During a meeting at Al Husseiniya Palace with heads of permanent committees at the House of Representatives, King Abdullah stressed seriousness in implementing the political, economic, and administrative modernisation tracks, according to a Royal Court statement.

His Majesty urged the House’s permanent committees to practise their oversight role to ensure ministries’ commitment to modernisation plans, citing public administration reform as a major challenge.

The King noted the committees should reach out to various sectors and listen to the public’s concerns and suggestions, stressing the need for continuous positive engagement with citizens to maintain transparency.

The meeting covered regional and international issues, foremost of which is the Palestinian cause, with His Majesty reaffirming that the priority is to support the Palestinian people and safeguard Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

For their part, House of Representatives Speaker Ahmad Safadi and heads of the permanent committees spoke about amending the House’s internal bylaw to enhance performance and increase public trust in the chamber.

They highlighted the importance of the three modernisation tracks and the need for collaboration in their execution, noting that implementation of the Economic Modernisation Vision will be the benchmark to assess the government’s performance.

Heads of the House’s permanent committees said there is a need to actively engage women in modernisation, adding that focusing on the services-related mandate of municipal and governorate councils will enable members of Parliament to focus on their legislative and oversight roles.

In addition, they reiterated the need to bolster the rule of law, and to reward achievements and penalise shortcomings in public administration.

Royal Hashemite Court Chief Yousef Issawi and Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan attended the meeting.