KING CHARGES PARLIAMENT WITH SECURITY AND REFORM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 009476

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/07/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER KDEM KMPI JO
SUBJECT: KING CHARGES PARLIAMENT WITH SECURITY AND REFORM

REF: A. AMMAN 9387


B. AMMAN 9372

C. AMMAN 9201

D. AMMAN 8823

E. AMMAN 8422

F. 04 AMMAN 9762

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

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) In his annual speech opening parliament, King
Abdullah called for continued reform and improved living
conditions while strengthening Jordan's security and
stability. Following the speech, East Banker strongman Abdul
Hadi Majali succeeded in being re-elected Speaker of the
Chamber of Deputies despite the opposition of the Islamic
Action Front. Parliament has reacted favorably to the
cabinet of Prime Minister Bakhit and is expected to give the
new government a strong vote of confidence. END SUMMARY.


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THE KING TAKES THE FLOOR
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2. (U) King Abdullah opened the third session of the 14th
Parliament on December 1 with his traditional "Speech from
the Throne." At the onset of his speech, the King said he
was inaugurating the legislature "in order to enhance our
march in democracy, reform and modernization." He continued
that "security and stability are the first among our national
priorities," and thanked Jordan's military and security
services for their role in protecting Jordanians from
terrorism and violence. The King called for new legislation
that would ensure that Jordan remain "an oasis of security
and stability and a haven for freedom where human rights are
respected."


3. (U) Highlighting the need for greater "grass-roots
participation in decision-making," King Abdullah endorsed the
idea of dividing Jordan into different regions, each having
its own elected council "responsible for devising plans and
programs related to each respective region's development."
He then recognized the role of the National Agenda (Ref D) as
"the general framework for our development." The King
pledged to put the Agenda in the hands of all Jordanians "for
your discussion and benefit."


4. (U) Similar to his speech opening parliament the previous
year (Ref F),the King said that he personally felt "the
suffering of my people and ... the extent of the economic
difficulties they are facing due to the rise in prices,
poverty and unemployment." He accordingly called on the
government and parliament to "relieve people's suffering," in
addition to advocating better coordination between the
private and public sectors to avoid "a wasteful and
inefficient distribution of resources."


5. (U) The King admonished MPs "to rise to the challenge of
this moment." The circumstances facing Jordan, he said,
required parliament to work with the government "with a sense
of responsibility," and to "reach out to the people" in
adopting legislation that would aid in Jordan's development.
He concluded his speech by noting that Jordan is "with the
Palestinians," as well as pledging Jordanian solidarity with
the Iraqi people "until Iraq is restored to its natural
status and its citizens enjoy a decent, free and secure
life." NOTE: The King provided further details on his
domestic agenda, reported Ref B, during a lunch with EU and
G-8 ambassadors immediately after delivering his speech. END
NOTE.

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SPEAKER RE-ELECTED HANDS DOWN
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6. (U) Following the King's address, members of the Chamber
of Deputies gathered to choose between current Speaker Abdul
Hadi Majali and former Speaker Saad Hayel Srour as head of
the lower house of parliament. Srour, with the backing of
the Islamic Action Front (IAF),received only 38 votes, while
Majali was easily re-elected Speaker with the votes of 68
MPs.


7. (C) Majali's convincing re-election is a stark contrast
to previous votes for Speaker in which the parliamentary
blocs were almost evenly divided between the candidates,
allowing the IAF (with 17 members in parliament) to play a
king-maker role (Ref F). By getting almost all the blocs to
line up behind him, Majali managed to marginalize the IAF and
thus has no strong political need to be sympathetic to their
agenda. Asked by poloff why Majali received such strong
backing compared to the previous Speaker election, MPs cited
his "firm leadership" and his "willingness to stand up to the
government, when necessary." Some also mentioned Majali's
adroit use of the spoils system, wisely doling out positions
in the parliament cabinet bureau and legislative committees -
as well as spots on trips overseas - to help ensure a loyal
and broad following. As one MP stated, "If you help take
care of Majali, he'll help take care of you."

8. (C) A traditional East Banker, Majali has in the past
expressed a cautious view toward reform. In November, for
example, he publicly rejected a recommendation in the
National Agenda to abolish mandatory membership by
journalists in the Jordan Press Association (Ref E),though
this may have been for other than ideological reasons.
Despite his personal leanings, the current mood of national
unity after the November 9 bombings - along with the sobering
realization that King Abdullah almost dissolved parliament
and could still do so (Ref B) - may prod him (and other MPs)
in the direction of the King's reform agenda. The fact that
the General Intelligence Directorate almost certainly played
a behind-the-scenes role in securing Majali's victory might
also keep him from straying too far from the palace line.
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STARTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT
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9. (C) By putting together a strong team that avoids
controversial figures that might alienate MPs, and one that
includes ministers from all the politically important East
Bank towns (Ref A),the King and Bakhit have helped ensure a
smooth start for the new cabinet. Comments from a variety of
MPs on the composition of the cabinet have been generally
positive. Traditionalist MP and retired general Emad Maayah
(Christian East Banker, Madaba),for example, said the new
cabinet was "much better than previous ones," and noted that
it contained "many strong and experienced men." Liberal,
pro-reform MP Mohammad Arsalan (East Banker, Zarqa) said he
was "satisfied" with the cabinet, and predicted it would have
much smoother relations with parliament than did the cabinet
of former PM Adnan Badran. Continued efforts by PM Bakhit to
actively engage MPs on his agenda (Ref C) has further aided
the cabinet's image. "He has done 80% of all the right
things so far," Arsalan quipped. The few negative comments
on the cabinet we've heard center on the lack of women and
the inclusion of many former ministers. As one political
analyst asked, "If they weren't successful the first time
around, why should things be different now?"

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COMMENT
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10. (C) The King's speech, which the media noted was shorter
than usual, illustrates the main tasks of the new government
-- achieve reform and improve economic living conditions
while enhancing security. As a result of the current
goodwill in parliament towards the government, there is
little doubt that MPs will give Bakhit's cabinet a strong
vote of confidence. A majority should also be receptive to
at least some of the government's priorities, including new
anti-terrorism legislation, still in the drafting stage.
Even in the current political climate, however, the cabinet
will face an uphill struggle to convince MPs to sign off on
political reforms that might threaten their positions and
privileges.
HALE