The mine inside the Jordanian government

If the former Prime Minister, Dr  Maarouf Bakhet was unlucky during his term in government because the Jordanians on the street were rebellious and did not accept half-solutions and wanted quick reform, Dr Abdullah Nosur’s task is so much harder. The joy and willingness of the new post will fade away once he opposes the demands of the street. We are living in a new time when there are many variables in our societies. What was acceptable before the time of Bouazizi is not acceptable any more . In the Arab countries, gardens of freedom and demands for change and reform bloom. We are in a Jordanian era full of major challenges. The decision-makers are searching for a key word to open the door for change and reform, which has become essential and urgent, without paying the price of moving from one transitional stage to another. Changing the governments does not necessarily mean changing the official policies, which burden the citizens and drive them crazy. It doesn’t also mean the adoption of serious reform policies at political, social and economic levels. During the last two weeks, many factors lead to the eruptions in the Jordanian streets, after the Muslim Brotherhood organised the “rescue march” alone and were able to mob thousands. The constitutional entitlement dismissed the government of Dr Fayez Tarawneh, and appointed the new government led by Nosour. The most important question is: Why did the tension grow despite the reform steps that cannot be denied? The reforms were achieved under the pressure of the political forces, as well as their demands to amend a number of laws and legislation that govern public life. However, the political reforms were not accompanied by a reform in the economic system, which has a great impact on social life and attached to the real and daily suffering of thousands of Jordanian families. Consequently, there is no radical change in the new government and the economic policies and legislation remain the same. There is a mine inside the government and no one knows when it will blow. The unmistakable key word is to adopt a serious strategy for political and economic reform, that directly influences the lives of the citizens. The poor who suffered from injustice, greed, corruption and looting of public funds and a lack of freedom should be the first to feel the real effect of the reforms. Those who led the country to the edge of collapse should pay the price of the political and economic reform.   The views expressed by the author do not necessarily represent or reflect the editorial policy of Arabstoday.