King calls for transparency in appointing gov’t employees

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday highlighted the importance for appointments in the government to be based on competence and expertise, and to be transparent and just.

King Abdullah, during a visit to the Prime Ministry where he chaired part of a Cabinet meeting, directed the government to explain its decisions to citizens and to reconsider any appointment that was not based on transparent and fair procedures, according to a Royal Court statement. 

His Majesty stressed the importance of holding employees and officials accountable for any shortcoming while performing their duties, and to join the efforts of all to develop the level of services presented to citizens. 

“We want to serve our citizens in a transparent and devoted manner,” the King said.

King Abdullah called for facilitating procedures for citizens and investors and not to complicate them, referring in this regard to the importance of speeding up procedures of implementing the e-government programme, which can curb corruption and save time and effort.

As for efforts exerted in addressing graft, His Majesty highlighted the importance of procedures that state institutions have recently adopted, stressing the need to continue adopting a transparent and clear approach that forms the basic point in enhancing confidence between the government and citizens. 

Prime Minister Omar Razzaz said that the meetings held with Iraqi officials have started to bear positive results, noting that the government in planning to hold a meeting on Saturday with the private sector to discuss challenges facing various industries and ways to overcome them.

Razzaz stressed that the government is implementing His Majesty’s directives to combat corruption, referring to the government’s efforts to dealing with violations in the Audit Bureau’s report and endorsing the Illicit Gains Law.

He added that the Cabinet is aware the challenges facing citizens stem from poverty and unemployment, noting that the projects currently being implemented by the government aim to address these issues, including satellite factories in governments and expanding the aid programme for underprivileged families.

The premier reviewed the government’s plans and programmes in the fields of e-government and cybersecurity, pointing out that all electronic services will be fully implemented by 2020, following the finalisation of the electronic signature technology at the end of this year.

Later in the day, Razzaz instructed the government to revisit the recent appointments in senior government jobs, and announced that the government would immediately launch a comprehensive assessment of all appointments, in accordance with the King’s directives.