AMMAN, 8 April 2005 — A new Jordanian Cabinet composed of economic reformers close to King Abdallah took office yesterday, charged by the monarch with speeding up liberal reforms.
Abdallah told the ministers their mission was to accelerate reforms that the outgoing Cabinet led by Faisal Al-Fayez had failed to push through in the previous 18 months.
Prime Minister Adnan Badran, a US-educated academic and former minister, was asked by Abdallah on Tuesday to take over from Fayez, a former palace aide and tribal leader who quit amid criticism of his government.
“I am committed to speeding the pace of reforms,” Adnan told reporters after the first Cabinet meeting soon after the new government swore the oath of office in front of King Abdallah. Officials said the Cabinet was dominated by Western-leaning reformists, including businessmen and young technocrats in contrast with the conservative politicians who have held sway in previous governments.
“The new Cabinet has a liberal reformist outlook that appears to be in tune with the calls for reform coming from outside,” said Taher Masri, a prominent independent politician and former prime minister.
“At first glance, it appears to be a Cabinet composed to advance the reform agenda,” said a Western diplomat.
The 26-member Cabinet includes reformist Finance Minister Bassem Awadallah, a Jordanian of Palestinian origin whose appointment signaled a desire to speed up economic reforms. A long-time confidant of Abdallah, US educated Awadallah whom diplomats say has strong IMF and Western donor backing, resigned last February as planning minister amid differences with Fayez over the speed and handling of reforms.
Officials said the new government would push ahead faster with IMF-guided reforms, accelerate privatization and modernize laws to make the kingdom more attractive to foreign investors.
It will also work more closely with the powerful opposition and civil groups to ease censorship and curbs on political activity and public freedom, officials said. The government appointed a new interior minister, Awni Yarfas, to replace Samir Habashneh who had antagonized Jordanian civil rights activists and the Islamist opposition by heavy handed police tactics to clamp down on public dissent.
Most power in Jordan rests with the king, who appoints governments, approves legislation and can dissolve Parliament. Fayez was dismissed after mounting criticism by parliamentarians and senior officials of his government’s performance.
Before the Cabinet was sworn in, Badran visited Parliament and met deputies including representatives of the Islamist opposition, who said political reforms had suffered a setback under Fayez.
Badran’s appointment Tuesday by the king struck a note of optimism in Jordan, where Badran, who served as education and agriculture minister in the 1980s, is known for his integrity. But many Jordanians said they were disappointed by the return of ministers who had served in two former administrations, which were likewise tasked with reform but failed to make real change in the country.
“It is difficult for the Jordanian people to believe that these ministers will do a better job today than in the past, when they also had the means and power to push for reform,” a political analyst told AFP.
The analyst, who declined to be identified, noted that the past administrations have failed to carry out two key reform measures: The adoption of a viable electoral law and a law on political parties.
The outgoing government leaves behind another thorny issue — a draft bill submitted in March to Parliament to regulate unions that has triggered outrage in Jordan and among international human rights groups.
