A day of patriotic zeal

Today Jordan celebrates its 76th Independence Day, which is a time Jordanians look back at the history of their country since its founding as the emirate of Transjordan in 1921, with pride and hope for a better future.

It’s an occasion to commemorate the nation’s perseverance, as well as the struggles it has overcome to reinforce its hard won independence and to become a voice to reckon with among the global community of nations.

It was King Abdullah I, the founder of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, who spearheaded the struggle to make the Kingdom an independent sovereign country against formidable obstacles. King Abdullah I declared the Kingdom independent on May 25, 1946.

His Majesty King Abdullah II continued the journey upon his Accession to the Throne in 1999. Since then, Jordan has taken a quantum leap economically and socio-politically. The recent legislative amendments to speed up reforms are among the measures to vouch for it.

They lay the foundations for serious and effective party-based work and usher in a new political era in Jordan as they open the door for all political parties to encourage the public to effectively engage in the decision making process.

In the same vein, Jordan has continued to focus on uplifting its citizens, continuing to build infrastructure and improving the quality of education and  health services.

The country’s industrial sector and numerous other sectors have also seen advancements, especially the medical and higher education sectors. Jordan’s improvement in tourism and its management has yielded handsome dividends as it has helped the Kingdom find its own unique place on the global tourism map.

As regional developments continue to pose grave challenges, Jordanians, with their famed resilience, rally behind the Hashemite banner to take the nation forward, and to preserve its security and stability.

 On a regional level, Jordan has continued to champion the Palestinian issue and defend Al Aqsa Mosque and the Islamic and Christian sites in Jerusalem stemming from the Hashemite Custodianship.

Challenges will never make Jordan falter from going ahead with its reforms and driving development. Jordan, which still hosts 1.3 million Syrian refugees, has never given up on its humanitarian role.

As another Independence Day dawns, it marks another milestone in the journey of a small nation, short on resources but filled with human capital, to carry on with weathering challenges and take full advantage of the opportunities in store to better the homeland.