Jordan set to impose code of conduct on officials

The Jordanian government has refused claims that a code of conduct, detailing how MPs should behave in parliament, was established in response to an incident last week where an MP tried to pull a gun on a colleague during a parliamentary session. Jordanian MP Shadi al-Adwan became so angry with fellow politician Zeid Shawakbeh for accusing the country’s Prime Minister Abdullah Nsur of corruption that he tried to pull a pistol on his colleague. Although he was stopped by several members of the parliament, questions are now being raised around tighter guidelines governing the behaviour of politicians inside parliament. Adnan Alsoair, the chairman of the Action Committee in the House of Representatives, told Arabstoday that the code of conduct was not brought in as response to the gun incident, saying the government had been “discussing the code for years.” Alsoair admitted that he hopes the new guideline will “adjust the behaviour of representatives by limiting their absence in parliament” and by “eliminating chaos.” Meanwhile, Khalood Khatatba , a spokesperson for the country’s Watan Party, said he considered the new legislation a “qualitative addition” to the current council. In addition, Jamil Nimri, a spokesperson for the Democratic Rally Party told Arabstoday: “The Code of Conduct will add additional details to the procedure governing the House of Representatives. It will guide MPs on what is an acceptable way to respond to colleagues, citizens and other government officials.” Nimri also confirmed that the House of Representatives held a meeting yesterday evening to discuss the formation of a committee to finalise work on the code of conduct in a bid improve relations between representatives.