US embassy cable - 04AMMAN3733

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 003733 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/13/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, PHUM, JO 
SUBJECT: GOJ PROGRESSING ON PLAN OF ACTION FOR POLITICAL 
REFORM 
 
REF: AMMAN 02729 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm for Reasons 1.5 (b), (d) 
 
------- 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
1.  (C) The Ministry of Political Development recently 
distributed a draft strategy and plan of action for political 
reform to selected diplomatic missions, members of Parliament 
(MPs), journalists and NGOs.  The plan is relatively 
forthright in its assessment of the obstacles to the 
development of a democratic culture in Jordan, and contains 
objectives that include the adoption of new legislation on 
elections, political parties, and women's rights.  The 
details of implementing these goals remain to be worked out 
through a national dialogue with different segments of 
Jordanian society.  Prime Minister Faisal al-Fayez and other 
GOJ officials have already begun a series of meetings with 
different groups to discuss the draft, and plan a large 
opinion poll and a "national gathering" to gauge popular 
expectations.  While reformist MPs and others acknowledge the 
GOJ's intent to give Jordanians more of a voice in the 
political process, they contend that lasting democratic 
reform will ultimately depend on whether the Palace is ready 
to devolve more authority to Parliament and local governing 
bodies.  End Summary. 
 
-------------- 
A PLAN IS BORN 
-------------- 
 
2.  (C) Following up on an earlier draft domestic reform plan 
(ref), the Ministry of Political Development & Parliamentary 
Affairs has over the past few weeks quietly distributed 
copies of a draft "Political Development Strategy and Plan of 
Action" to selected diplomatic missions, members of 
Parliament, journalists and civil society groups.  This 
action plan lays out in a somewhat disjointed manner:  1) the 
King's vision and general objectives for democratic and 
political reforms; 2) problems and challenges to achieving 
reform in Jordan; 3) a strategy for developing a political 
development program; and 4) mechanisms for implementing 
political reforms, including the adoption of legislation. 
 
3.  (C) The section on the King's vision closely follows the 
Palace's oft-stated commitment to making Jordan a modern, 
open and tolerant society based on the rule of law, personal 
freedom (including full rights for women), and democracy.  A 
new element in the document is a frank recognition of some of 
the obstacles the country faces in achieving this vision, 
including a "culture that rejects opposing opinions," civil 
society institutions that focus more on political opposition 
than promotion of rights, the pursuit of personal 
self-interest over democratic values among politicians, and 
the failure of political parties to develop national 
platforms that would attract rank and file Jordanians. 
Conspicuously absent is any mention of the disparity in power 
between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of 
government, or the current locus of decision-making authority 
far above the grass-roots level. 
 
4.  (SBU) The plan envisions a continuing national dialogue 
with representatives from all sectors of Jordanian society -- 
from MPs to academics, journalists to artists -- to develop 
and institute specific reforms, stimulate open debate, and 
encourage increased public participation in political life. 
The document also identifies needed legislation and timelines 
for adoption.  The legislation includes a new political 
parties law that supports the formation of parties that can 
attract broad support, a new parliamentary elections law that 
expands "the choice of representatives in Parliament," and a 
municipal elections law that ends the appointment of local 
council members.  Also mentioned are laws to strengthen the 
National Center for Human Rights and help end discrimination 
and violence against women. 
 
---------------------- 
MAKING THE SALES PITCH 
---------------------- 
 
5.  (C) During a May 5 meeting at the Ministry of Political 
Development (which is short-staffed with rotating employees 
on loan from other ministries and without a discrete budget), 
PolOffs learned that the Ministry has organized a series of 
meetings with different segments of society to discuss the 
draft strategy.  A gathering with university students, for 
example, was held May 10, while meetings with military 
figures, women's groups, and religious leaders are on the 
future agenda.  Ministry contacts also are hoping to hold a 
conference around May 20 (possibly with funding from the 
Japanese) to formally "introduce" the little-known Ministry 
and the draft action plan. 
 
6.  (C) Political Development Ministry senior advisor Rabha 
Dabbas informed PolCouns May 6 that the Ministry is 
finalizing a large opinion poll to ascertain popular 
expectations on democratic reform.  She also said the 
Ministry hopes to cap the process with a "national gathering" 
to debate a more finely tuned version of the action plan. 
There are no definite dates yet for either the poll or the 
meeting. 
 
7.  (U) Prime Minister Faisal al-Fayez and other senior GOJ 
officials are also helping to galvanize support for 
envisioned political development.  Fayez, for example, has 
met with youth and charitable organizations to underline 
their roles in reform.  Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad 
Halaiqa inaugurated a youth forum on political development 
where he told participants that the draft strategy envisions 
young people as "active players" in the political arena. 
Minister for Political Development Mohammad Daoudiyeh met 
April 26 with senior members of the press to promote the 
draft political action plan and to highlight the "pivotal 
role" of the print media. 
 
------------- 
SKEPTICAL MPS 
------------- 
 
8.  (C) Lower House of Parliament Speaker Abdul Hadi Majali 
met with 25 MPs on May 3 to distribute and discuss the draft 
political development strategy.  MP Mahmoud Al-Kharabsheh 
(East Banker - Balqa, 1st District), a frequent government 
critic, told PolOff that the meeting ended without any 
consensus or decision for future action.  According to 
Kharabsheh, he and several other MPs were upset that the 
action plan, albeit still in draft form, had been developed 
thus far without input from Parliament.  Kharabsheh said that 
some MPs had proposed forming a committee to draft a parallel 
political development plan, though he doubted that this would 
happen. 
 
9.  (C) Kharabsheh conceded that the action plan, if 
implemented, might "improve" the political situation in 
Jordan and prompt Jordanians to be less passive about 
participating in the political process.  However, he was 
skeptical that it would result in any real change in the way 
important decisions were made given the Lower House's 
subservience to appointed cabinet ministers and the Palace. 
MP Raed Qaqish (Christian East Banker - Balqa, 1st District) 
told PolOff that while he thought the Palace and GOJ were 
sincere in encouraging Jordanians to "speak out" on domestic 
political issues, he wondered if this was "just for show" and 
questioned how seriously a government that is not accountable 
to voters would listen to citizen concerns. 
 
---------------------- 
INFIGHTING FOR CONTROL 
---------------------- 
 
10.  (C) Embassy contacts and press speculation indicate that 
the political reform process has caused a rift between the 
new Ministry of Political Development and the 
long-established Ministry of Interior.  Specifically, the 
Ministry of Interior has historically had responsibility for 
supervising the electoral process and for dealing with 
political parties, and is reportedly loathe to entrust 
development of new laws on elections and parties to the 
Ministry of Political Development.  Former Prime Minister 
Taher al-Masri told PolOff that while Daoudiyeh and Interior 
Minister Samir Habashneh have a long personal relationship, 
this has not prevented competition between the two ministries 
over ownership of the reform process.  Masri also noted 
hesitancy and concern over political development plans within 
the conservative General Intelligence Directorate (GID). 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
11.  (C) The draft strategy represents a step forward on the 
way to a final, detailed plan for political and democratic 
reforms (albeit government-led).  However, it is 
characteristic of Jordan's "top down" approach to reform.  A 
more representative Parliament, broad-based political 
parties, and a vigorous civil society as called for by the 
strategy could give Jordanians a much greater voice in the 
political process.  Whether citizens will be able to actually 
shape government decisions, however, also depends on whether 
the King is willing to grant more authority to governing 
bodies directly accountable to the people. 
 
Please visit Embassy Amman's classified web site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ or through the 
Department of State's SIPRNET site. 
GNEHM