KING RAISES THE BAR IN OPENING SPEECH TO PARLIAMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 004772 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2017 TAGS: PGOV ECON KISL JO KDEM SUBJECT: KING RAISES THE BAR IN OPENING SPEECH TO PARLIAMENT REF: A. AMMAN 4430 ¶B. AMMAN 4559 ¶C. AMMAN 1022 ¶D. AMMAN 4733 ¶E. AMMAN 4737 Classified By: Ambassador David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary. King Abdullah opened the first session of Jordan's newly elected parliament on December 2. His top issue was the economy and the imperative to improve the standard of living, followed closely by political reform. On both issues, the King challenged legislators in both houses to think big, asking them to put away their tribal loyalties and focus on national issues. The King also directed some subtle criticism at the Muslim Brotherhood's political party, the Islamic Action Front (IAF),which is still debating whether to continue participating in the parliament. By all accounts the King raised the bar for performance in the coming term, but whether the politicians (who depend on the patronage opportunities afforded by the current system) will rise to the occasion is an open question. End Summary. The Main Issues: The Economy And Political Reform -------------- - ¶2. (SBU) The main thrust of the King's speech was on the top issue of the campaign season - the economy (Ref B). Twice in the course of a minute, the King emphasized the goal of economic reform: "what is required is to improve the citizen's standard of living." The King then laid out a laundry list of priorities, including increasing the rate of growth, dealing with Jordan's debt, changing expenditure practices, moving towards economic independence, and enhancing the role of the private sector. He also addressed specifically the gap in income distribution between urban and rural areas. The King took previous governments to task for "not implementing all the projects and plans required of them, in spite of the availability of the necessary funding for these projects" and obliquely noted the previous senate's obstructionism on reform legislation (Ref C). ¶3. (SBU) Political reform was another key theme of the King's speech. He spoke about the need for further laws on a national ombudsman, human rights, the rights of women and children, and freedom of the press. Throughout the speech, the King emphasized the necessity of changing Jordan's political culture to one of openness. He said that political reform "demands the entrenchment of the principles of justice, equality, and equal opportunity, on the basis of merit, rooting these principles and concepts in our national culture and transforming them from the realm of mere talk into the reality of work, away from doubting and posturing." Services and The Tribal System -------------- ¶4. (C) In his charge to deputies, the King touched on one of the main reasons that many parliamentarians were able to win their seats - the tribal system (Ref A). Saying that "public service allows no room for personal interest, or interests that are related to district, party, or narrow tribal affiliation", the King put the work of the parliament squarely in the context of broader national interests. Comment: In practice, however, most deputies realize that they are essentially tribal representatives, elected largely for the purpose of securing the "narrow" interests mentioned by the King. This was evident in the cheers that erupted from the gathered tribal sheikhs when the King mentioned improving health and education services in bedouin areas. End Comment. International Affairs -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Turning to international affairs, the King issued a call to both Palestinians and Iraqis to "overcome their differences, unite their ranks against sedition, and embrace dialogue". He also issued the standard call for Israel to withdraw from Palestinian land and seek peace, balancing that by saying that Palestinians should "seize the available opportunity to realize peace and establish your independent state." Sticking It To The IAF -------------- ¶6. (C) There were some subtle barbs directed towards the Islamic Action Front (IAF). In addition to his initial admonishment to look at the national interest rather than party affiliation, the King said that reforms should not be "subject to outside agendas" - a veiled reference to the AMMAN 00004772 002 OF 002 IAF's affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood, and by extension, Hamas and Iran (Ref D). When talking about the dangers of extremist thought and the explicit need to combat the concept of takfir, the King said: "We will stand up to anybody who tries to abduct our religion or to monopolize Fatwas for political reasons, for the purpose of using religion as a tool to subdue others for the sake of special or suspicious agendas." IAF: Should We Stay Or Should We Go? -------------- ¶7. (SBU) A point of controversy regarding the convening of the legislature was the issue of a possible IAF boycott or even withdrawal from the parliament altogether. In an interview on November 28 with the Al-Arab Al-Yawm newspaper, Muslim Brotherhood Controller General Salim Al-Falahat said that "withdrawing (IAF members from the lower house) is one of the options, and we are studying it. If we conclude that this is a useful option, we do not mind using it." Yet, after some half-hearted indications that IAF parliamentarians would not show up in a gesture of defiance towards alleged "rigging" of the elections (Ref D),the Islamist representatives did in fact attend the opening of parliament. On December 4, the IAF declared its intention to remain in parliament "dependent on future political developments." ¶8. (SBU) The deliberations within the IAF over whether IAF representatives in the lower house should keep their seats are matched by an open debate over whether the only IAF-friendly representative in the Senate (appointed entirely by the King) should resign or not. The fifty-five seat senate was installed on November 29, and included Abdul Majed Dhunaybat, who was Controller General of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan until March 2006 and is associated in most observers' minds with the MB's so-called moderate wing (as opposed to current Controller General Zaki Bani Irsheid, seen as a pro-Hamas firebrand). On December 3, two conflicting stories appeared in Al-Ghad newspaper indicating that Dhunaybat may resign in protest of alleged government interference in elections. A front page story indicated that the Muslim Brotherhood "requested" Dhunaybat's resignation, while a column in the same paper spoke of a decision by the IAF (of which Dhunaybat is not a member) that would "force" his resignation. On December 4, the IAF released a statement that put the ball in Dhunaybat's court, after which the IAF would "discuss matters." So far, Dhunaybat himself has said nothing of the issue publicly. Further discussion of ongoing IAF machinations will follow septel. Al-Majali Wins Speakership -------------- ¶9. (U) As anticipated (Ref E),long-time parliamentary speaker Abdulhadi Al-Majali was re-elected in a vote following the King's speech. Falak Jemani, the only woman in parliament elected without the help of the quota, received twenty votes out of the 110 deputies in the lower house. Mamdouh Al-Abbadi (also profiled in Ref E) was elected as deputy speaker. Comment -------------- ¶10. (C) According to observers of previous parliamentary addresses by the King, the progress of the speech was relatively smooth and devoid of outbursts. Tribal sheikhs and gathered dignitaries are known, in long-standing tradition, to interrupt the King so as to extol his virtues and even recite a few stanzas of their favorite poems (much to the King's discomfort). Not so this time around, where ushers quietly urged attendees to keep their interruptions to a bare minimum. This is perhaps a symbolic recognition of the serious issues that the parliament faces this time around - rising prices, discontent over public services, and disagreements over the future of internal reform. It is also in keeping with the King's efforts to modernize the monarchy. The parliament and cabinet alike will face tough decisions in the coming months - something contacts and media observers nervously point out. The King's speech is clearly a call to arms and a reaffirmation of his view that the way forward is through further reform and taking on the difficult issues rather than muddling through and retreating to established political safe havens. What remains to be seen is whether Jordanian politicians can rise to the King's challenge to put the national interest over local politics. If the election season and previous parliaments are any indication, the temptation to descend into service-based tribal loyalties - which tend to be manifested in an obstructionist stance towards economic reform - will be strong. Hale