Speech from the Throne reaffirms Jordan steadfast positions — experts

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah’s Speech from the Throne during the inauguration of the 19th Parliament’s non-ordinary session reaffirmed the Kingdom’s stances in a number of internal and external issues, topped by the Palestinian cause, according to political experts.

The speech reaffirmed that the Palestinian cause is “at the core of the country’s policy and concerns”, while also addressing issues related to public health and the economy, they said.

The Speech from the Throne is a constitutional entitlement that comes after formulating the government and after holding parliamentary elections, Professor of Political Science at the Hashemite University Jamal Shalabi told The Jordan Times on Thursday.

“The King addressed the core issue of the economy as many are worried about it. The speech aims at alleviating this fear by reassuring the public that the matter is being safeguarded,” Shalabi said.

“The Kingdom has over a debt of billions of dinars, which is a problem that requires untraditional and innovative solutions with a future vision,” he noted.

The pandemic crisis requires a balance between protecting public’s lives and the economy, he noted.

“This is a message to the government to be logical and moderate in its visions, discourse and actions, taking measures without providing false hopes,” he said.

He noted that Jordanians are also partners in the country’s politics and have a role in supporting the government’s decisions, which “creates integration among all to make the Kingdom a role model of democracy”.

Political analyst and commentator Bader Madi said that His Majesty’s speech has reaffirmed a set of firm stances in the Kingdom’s internal and external policies, highlighting a group of matters that govern the behaviour of the government and the Jordanian political institutions.

“This historic speech came in very difficult political, health and economic conditions that Jordan and the region in general are going through to ensure that Jordan will remain active in the region and world’s policies, especially as His Majesty said that the Palestinian cause will remain the core Jordanian matter, as it is especially important to Jordan and Jordanians,” Madi said.

His Majesty also stressed on the importance of cooperation among the authorities towards the betterment of the economy, health conditions, and social matters in the Kingdom, noting that new visions are necessary to govern the current urgent matters the country is experiencing.

“The speech without doubt highlighted the importance of adhering to constitutional entitlements and the importance of the independence of the judiciary,” Madi said.

President of the Jordan and Amman Chambers of Industry, Fathi Jaghbir, said that King Abdullah in his Speech from the Throne gave directives to safeguard the national economy while also safeguarding the health of Jordanians in light of the coronavirus crisis.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Jaghbir said that King Abdullah supported the demands of the private sector to achieve an active partnership between public and private sectors, as Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Bisher Al Khasawneh alongside several ministers met with representatives of the industry chambers and of various industries to discuss all the challenges facing the different sectors.

The King has created “a clear action plan” for the government to follow, through developing the economy by plans and programmes based on studied and implementable decisions as well as an active partnership with the private sector, Jaghbir said in the statement.