Parliament vows to follow King’s guidelines in addressing challenges

AMMAN — Both chambers of the Parliament on Wednesday presented their replies to His Majesty King Abdullah's Speech from the Throne, which he delivered on November 12, inaugurating the second ordinary session of the 18th Parliament. 

In the speech, His Majesty started with commending the legislature’s performance during the past session, resulting in “the endorsement of a package of vital legislation encompassing several key sectors, in line with our keenness to develop the performance of the judiciary, enhance the rule of law and nurture the foundations of our civil state”, asserting that the government “must remain transparent, realistic and proactive, without hesitation”. 

He also expressed pride in the progress made to the democratisation process, especially the success of the local polls held in August, marking the start of the decentralisation process and a new style in local governance. 

On national priorities, the King said these “require the utmost engagement from this esteemed assembly in terms of oversight and legislation in the service of Jordanians”.

In the Senate’s reply to the speech, Upper House President Faisal Fayez said that the Chamber would work to materialise His Majesty’s vision that seeks self-reliance in solving the Kingdom’s problems through working out realistic solutions that depend on the available resources and potentials, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Fayez also agreed with the King on the need for the government to work on executing the economic growth stimulation plan in the following years, in a way that meets the aspirations of various sectors and helps achieve targeted growth rates.

He also urged the government to work on creating jobs for Jordanians and to benefit from available opportunities to improve citizens’ living standards, as well as empower low- and middle-income classes.

For his part, Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh expressed MPs’ commitment to addressing all challenges and difficulties, citing His Majesty’s praise of the Chamber’s efforts, “which constitutes a motivation for us to exert more efforts to achieve Jordanians’ aspirations”. 

The Lower House, through the oversight powers vested in the chamber in the Constitution, will continue monitoring the economic growth stimulation plan, recently endorsed by the government, through analysing performance indicators, Tarawneh added.

The speaker expressed the legislature’s readiness to shoulder its responsibilities in the second session by deliberating and, subsequently, endorsing priority economic bills that mainly focus on economic reform laws, which are envisioned to improve living conditions, address economic deformities and balance revenues with expenditures.

He also commended the King’s role in making Jordan a model of moderation, expressing the House’s support for such an approach.