PARLIAMENT IS SUCH A DRAG

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 000187 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/09/2014 TAGS: PGOV KDEM JO SUBJECT: PARLIAMENT IS SUCH A DRAG REF: A. AMMAN 00150 ¶B. AMMAN 00013 ¶C. 04 AMMAN 10141 Classified By: CDA David Hale for Reasons 1.4 (b),(d) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) The cabinet's working relationship with Parliament has deteriorated since MPs reconvened in December 2004. Allegations of corruption resulted in heated exchanges on the Parliament floor, while perceived GOJ indifference to MPs' concerns contributed to vocal opposition against a trade agreement with Israel and out-of-country voting by Iraqis in Jordan. Parliament's belabored focus on these issues and belligerency reflects in part its inability to directly address major policy decisions. This behavior also reflects the personality-driven competition among the three otherwise indistinguishable secular bloc leaders in Parliament, and the capacity of the Islamic Action Front (IAF) to manipulate them. The consequence may be impeded progress on the cabinet's legislative agenda, including approval of the 2005 budget, the substantial backlog of provisional laws, and key U.S. legislative priorities, such as ratification of the article 98 agreement and passage of an anti-money laundering bill. Some contacts think that the current cabinet may not last through the spring if PM al-Fayez and his ministers are unable to smooth things over with MPs and secure passage of the government's legislative priorities. End summary. -------------- FEELING LEFT OUT -------------- ¶2. (C) Mutual antipathy has been a consistent hallmark of the relations between this parliament and successive Jordanian cabinets. Ministers are openly disdainful of the admittedly second-rate quality of most MPs and their aversion to reform (a result of the government's own gerrymandering in favor of rural and tribal constituencies). As for MPs, many have complained privately that they feel slighted or ignored by the GOJ despite executive promises to treat Parliament as an "equal partner." These feelings surfaced publicly in late December 2004 when over 50 MPs (out of a total of 110 in the Lower House),led by former Speaker Saed Hayel Srour, submitted a memorandum formally requesting a special session of Parliament to discuss the government's performance. According to the memo, the signatory MPs believed that a review of the government's progress in achieving its stated goals for last year was needed since the Parliament was not given the opportunity to approve the October 2004 cabinet reshuffle via a new vote of confidence. The cabinet, with some help from the current Speaker, was able to sideline the request, but MPs may raise the issue again. Relations between the cabinet and Parliament were further strained over vocal opposition by some MPs, particularly from the Islamic Action Front (IAF),to an upgraded trade agreement with Israel (ref B) and by a parliamentary resolution opposing preparations for out-of-country voting (OCV) for Iraqis resident in Jordan (ref A). Even MPs who did not oppose the trade agreement told POLOFF they were annoyed that the government seemed to expect them to rubber-stamp legislation without real debate. -------------- CORRUPTION TAKES CENTER STAGE -------------- ¶3. (U) Bitter squabbling surrounding corruption allegations has provided fodder for the local media. Events were put in motion the last week of December when IAF MP Bader al-Riyati (East Banker, Aqaba) publicly alleged that former officials -- including former PM and current Senator Abdul Salam Majali -- had improperly used their influence to acquire valuable land at a cut-rate price and then sold it for a large profit. Lower House Speaker Abdul Hadi Majali (the younger brother of Senator Majali) vehemently denied the allegation, demanded a public apology, and threatened possible legal action against Riyati. A meeting between the IAF and Speaker Majali on December 29 failed to resolve the dispute. That same week, the Lower House asked the government to provide details on the sale of Jordan TV Channel 2 to a private investor in response to rumors of alleged impropriety surrounding the deal. ¶4. (U) The issue of corruption attracted further media attention during a parliamentary debate over a financial disclosure law that would require certain officials and public office holders (including MPs) to file a statement declaring their assets. An effort led by Deputy Speaker Mamdouh Abbadi to exempt MPs from the law, but to create a financial disclosure bureau within the Parliament, generated heated reaction. In the debate, MP Jamal Dmour (East Banker, Karak - 1st Dist.) assailed unnamed MPs for "illegally lining their pockets in one year" and "impeding the government's anti-corruption efforts." Abbadi and other MPs condemned Dmour for his "insulting behavior" and demanded that he spell out the named of those he was accusing. Abbadi and his allies eventually dropped their proposed amendment to the financial disclosure law in the face of a media and public uproar, although they slammed the press for "intentionally misguiding public opinion" on their position. ¶5. (U) Yet another heated exchange over corruption erupted January 5 between MPs and Justice Minister Salah Bashir after MP Suleiman Abu Ghaith (West Banker, Madaba - 1st Dist.) asked Bashir on the Lower House floor whether there was corruption involved in the delay of judicial appointments. Bashir took the charge personally and when other MPs insisted on answers to further questions, he responded (loosely translated) "in your dreams." Furious MPs demanded that Bashir be escorted out of the Parliament building, but Speaker Majali intervened to restore order and mediation efforts by other ministers resulted in an apology from Bashir. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶6. (C) The corruption allegations raised in Parliament are indicative of widespread dissatisfaction among Jordanians with half-hearted efforts to curb graft and influence-peddling. MPs' focus on these allegations, as well as the trade agreement with Israel and OCV for Iraqis, is natural in the current environment, but also highlights their inability to address or influence weightier policy matters, as their critical views would cross clear palace "redlines." MPs also chafe at the government's non-consultative approach to public sector reform, which will require legislative changes to sweep away the very tools of patronage on which MPs depend. Much of the tone being set in Parliament flows from the restless competition among the three main secular figures in the Lower House: Abdul Hadi Majali (current Speaker),Saed Hayel Srour (Speaker prior to Majali),and Abdur Rauf Rawabdeh (former prime minister). With little of substance to distinguish one from the other, these three East Bankers' continual games of procedural one-upmanship have included wooing of the Islamic Action Front, which thereby gains the Islamists an enhanced ability to exploit populist issues. And the more the government is put on the defensive, the more each of these three little giants maneuver in the hope of becoming the next prime minister -- unable to step back and see that this political behavior only reinforces the King's disdain. ¶7. (C) The current rancor in Parliament has strained its relations with the government to the point that passage of the GOJ's legislative agenda, including the 2005 budget, may be in danger. Frustration in the palace with the ministers' failure to push through legislation could again lead the King to consider the unhappy options of compromising with anti-reformists in Parliament, trying another ministerial reshuffle, or dismissing altogether his amiable but weak prime minister. While the latter course of action may be tempting, no likely successor combines the qualities of strong identification with the King's priorities and the proven capacity to get bills through Parliament. It is in this charged atmosphere that the government faces the challenge of promoting key, but potentially unpopular, U.S. legislative priorities, including passage of the article 98 agreement and an anti-money laundering bill. HALE