INTERIOR MINISTER GRILLED IN PARLIAMENT WHILE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001719

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/01/2015
TAGS: PGOV KDEM KISL KMPI JO
SUBJECT: INTERIOR MINISTER GRILLED IN PARLIAMENT WHILE
OPPOSITION PARTIES CALL FOR NEW GOVERNMENT

REF: A. AMMAN 1353

B. AMMAN 1309

C. AMMAN 1234

D. AMMAN 981

E. AMMAN 709

Classified By: CDA David Hale for Reasons 1.4 (b),(d)

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) Interior Minister Habashneh fended off heated
questioning in Parliament regarding the GOJ's crackdown on
political activity by the country's professional
associations. Deputies from the Islamic Action Front (IAF)
led the attack, while other MPs criticized the government for
failing to promote the King's reform agenda. Habashneh's
backers countered by calling for a vote of no confidence in
the minister, confident that he would easily come out on top.
Separately, opposition parties submitted a petition asking
King Abdullah to sack the current cabinet for its alleged
back-pedaling on political development and to broaden public
participation in recently formed royal commissions on
decentralization and the creation of a national agenda. End
Summary.

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INTERIOR MINISTER FEELS THE HEAT
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2. (U) During a contentious parliamentary session February
23 that press reports described as "rife with confusion,"
several disgruntled MPs peppered Minister of Interior Samir
Habashneh with questions on the GOJ's crackdown on political
activity organized by Jordan's professional associations
(refs a, e). Habashneh had recently added fuel to the fire
by notifying IAF MPs Nidal Abbadi (East Banker, Amman) and
Abdul Khawaldeh (East Banker, Mafraq) that they had violated
the Public Assembly Law by giving "political speeches"
following Friday prayers on February 18 without obtaining
prior government permission. IAF MP Ali Abu Sukkar (West
Banker, Zarqa),who had been physically barred from entering
the Professional Associations Complex for a banned rally, led
the attack along with his Islamist colleagues. In addition
to accusing Habashneh of "insulting" Parliament by submitting
"evasive and unsatisfactory" answers to written questions,
Sukkar alleged that the minister had violated the Jordanian
constitution by preventing MPs from exercising their right to
engage in professional and political activities.


3. (U) Habashneh in reply insisted that his ministry had
acted properly and that he respected the role of MPs, saying
that "the dignity of the (Lower) House is part of the state's
dignity, which is preserved by implementing the law."
Pro-government MPs quickly came to Habashneh's defense,
stating that the ministry's actions were consistent with the
Public Assembly Law and had "no political implications."
They continued that the professional associations were not
legally authorized to sponsor political activity and called
for reconsidering laws requiring mandatory membership in the
associations.


4. (C) At the end of the February 23 session, pro-government
MP Jamal Dmour (East Banker, Kerak) made a surprise move by
submitting a petition signed by 14 MPs demanding a vote of no
confidence in Habashneh as allowed by parliamentary bylaws.
Dmour later told poloff that the petition was not meant to
harm Habashneh, but that he believed a confidence vote would
result in a clear majority of MPs voicing their support for
the embattled Interior Minister, thereby strengthening his
position. Dmour noted that Sukkar realized this all too well
and, consequently, opposed the petition. (NOTE: Statements
against Habashneh and calls for a confidence vote were not
voiced during Parliament's session on February 27, suggesting
the two sides had agreed at least temporarily to move on to
other matters. END NOTE.)

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FORMER MINISTERS SLAM THE GOVERNMENT
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5. (U) MP attacks against the government have not been
confined to the floor of Parliament. In a recent interview
with Arabic daily Al-Dustour, former minister and ex-Speaker
of the Lower House Saed Hayel Srour (East Banker, Northern
Badia) harshly criticized the current cabinet for "having
failed to interpret the King's vision for reform into
reality." Srour claimed that he and other MPs did not
understand the government's agenda because "it claims one
things and does the opposite." He further accused the
cabinet of dismissing the opinions of those who disagreed
with it. Former Prime Minister Abdur Raouf Rawabdeh,
speaking to Arabic weekly Al-Shahed with virulence rarely
used in public by a former head of government, continued his
campaign against the GOJ (ref c),accusing the government of
spending "huge sums of money" from undisclosed sources and
failing to resolve a single serious case of corruption.

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CALLING FOR A CHANGE
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6. (U) Local press reported on front pages February 23 that
the Coordinating Committee of Opposition Parties sent a
petition to King Abdullah appealing to him to form a new
government that "respects the people's rights, the
constitution and public freedoms." (NOTE: The Committee
includes leaders from 15 parties ranging from socialists to
conservative Islamists. All of the parties are relatively
small and uninfluential, with the exception of the IAF which
tends to dominate the Committee. END NOTE.) The petition
charged that the current cabinet was incapable of "fulfilling
the Jordanian people's aspirations for ... democracy and
comprehensive development," and stated that the country had
witnessed "a clear retreat by the government from the slogan
of political development less than a year after it was
formed."


7. (U) The Committee further suggested "expanding public
participation" in the recently appointed royal commissions
charged with studying decentralization and the creation of a
national agenda (refs b, d). It requested that "all the
political, economic and social figures and forces (be able)
to engage in these committees and contribute to the
comprehensive development process." The petition
additionally called for "a democratic election law that
adopts the principle of proportional representation," an
independent judiciary, a free press, and the cessation of
"restrictive government measures" against civil society
institutions.

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COMMENT
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8. (C) Habashneh's warnings against "political speeches" at
religious gatherings, and the governor of Amman's recent
referral of IAF MP Abu Fares to the attorney general for
"staging an unauthorized rally following Friday prayers"
(septel),indicates that the GOJ may be broadening its clamp
down on unwanted political activity. The call by opposition
parties for greater public involvement in the two royal
committees reflects the doubts of many that these bodies will
stray from the government line. Deputy PM Marwan Muasher
told Charge that the national agenda commission (ref b) would
include sub-committees comprised of experts and civil society
leaders for each of 11 different substantive themes. The
decentralization commission (ref d),by contrast, would be
limited to no "outside contact" as it tackles its work.
HALE