Jordan falls four spots on WJP rule of law index measuring public perception

AMMAN — Jordan has dropped four spots while maintaining its second place regionally in the World Justice Project’s (WJP) annual rule of law index for 2018-2019. 

According to the WJP’s website, Jordan’s decline was due to a drop in two factors measuring constraint on the government’s powers and the absence of corruption. 

The index measures how the rule of law is experienced and perceived by the general public in 126 countries and jurisdictions worldwide, the WJP Rule of Law Index measures countries’ rule of law performance across eight factors: constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice and criminal justice.

Minister of Justice Bassam Talhouni told The Jordan Times over the phone that “there is no indication of a decline in the two mentioned factors. The WJP report is a public perception report and does not measure performance according to its outcomes”. 

However, Talhouni added that “due to measures and legislation recently introduced... I believe next year’s report will reflect a better reality”. 

Talhouni highlighted the government’s approach towards combating corruption. 

“Measures were taken in regards to combating corruption; there are [corruption] cases in the courts, and related legislation has been approved by the Lower House”, Talhouni added.

The minister stressed that “the government will study the report thoroughly in collaboration with related government bodies, law faculties and the Bar Syndicate, in addition to the civil society agencies and entities”. 

“This decline was highly expected and very concerning,” MP Saleh Armouti said. 

Armouti criticised the law-making process in the country, saying, “the laws are contradicting the rights. The Jordanian citizen is now subjected to injustice due to the lack of legal guarantees”.

 “There can be no reform without democracy and there can be no democracy without rights. The only way to reach true reform is through the judicial path”, Armouti said in remarks to The Jordan Times.

William Hubbard, chair of the WJP, said during his speech on the 2019 rule of law index that “effective rule of law reduces corruption, combats poverty and disease and protects people from injustices large and small”. 

“The rule of law matters in economic, sociopolitical and human development. With more rule of law comes higher GDP, greater democracy and peace and better education and health outcomes”, added Hubbard.