US embassy cable - 04AMMAN10141

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 010141 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/23/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, KMPI, JO 
SUBJECT: PARLIAMENT RESPONDS TO KING'S CALL FOR 
DEVELOPMENT; LOWER HOUSE FACTIONS ENGAGE IN INTERNAL POWER 
STRUGGLE 
 
REF: AMMAN 09762 
 
Classified By: CDA David Hale for Reasons 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (C) In response to King Abdullah's speech opening 
Parliament (reftel), the leaders of the Lower House and the 
Senate pledged support for the King's calls for continued 
development, modernization and security.  Both men agreed 
with the King's emphasis on translating economic growth into 
improved living conditions, although the Lower House Speaker 
singled out corruption as another problem requiring immediate 
attention.  Two competing coalitions of MPs in the Lower 
House earlier brought business to a temporary standstill in a 
dispute over control of committees.  Deputy Speaker Mamdouh 
Abbadi privately predicted some rocky times ahead for the 
government's agenda as many MPs feel slighted by the GOJ's 
perceived failure to consult with Parliament as a real 
partner.  End Summary. 
 
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"WE AGREE!" 
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2.  (U) Senate President Zeid Rifai and Lower House Speaker 
Abdul Hadi Majali formally presented at the Royal Court on 
December 20 their replies to King Abdullah's speech opening 
Parliament (reftel).  Both Rifai and Majali vowed full 
backing for the King's directive to strengthen economic 
growth, reform and security, stating that Parliament would 
cooperate with the government to "realize the ambitions of 
citizens who should feel the outcome of the development 
process."  The two leaders jointly embraced the King's call 
to attract investment and noted that political development 
should proceed in tandem with efforts to enhance security and 
stability. 
 
3.  (U) Rifai separately lauded the King for his leadership 
in transforming Jordan into a modern state and urged the 
government to expand education and training programs to 
increase the skills and capabilities of Jordanians.  Majali, 
for his part, echoed the King's remarks on how economic 
growth has not yet directly benefited or impacted the lives 
of many citizens.  He also called attention to corruption 
(which the King did not mention in his speech), saying that 
attempts to combat this problem were "still in the slogans 
stage." 
 
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POWER STRUGGLE 
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4.  (U)  The bylaws of the Lower House (Chamber of Deputies) 
provide for 14 permanent committees, each comprised of 11 
members and led by a chairperson and a rapporteur.  While the 
bylaws direct that committee members should be chosen by 
secret ballot at the start of each new parliamentary session, 
 
SIPDIS 
in practice membership has traditionally been decided by 
consensus.  During the second week of the current session, 
however, negotiations between two competing coalitions -- the 
National Democratic Coalition (NDC) and the Reform and Change 
Coalition (RNC) -- over committee leadership quickly broke 
down.  The 56-member NDC, which backed Majali as Speaker and 
includes four parliamentary blocs, insisted on controlling a 
majority of committees while the 52-member RNC, which 
supported losing Speaker candidate Abdel Karim Dughmi and 
includes the Islamic Action Front, demanded an equal split 
(i.e., control of 7 of the 14 committees).  When the issue 
appeared to be headed for a secret ballot vote, all RNC 
members walked out of the Lower House chamber, thereby 
preventing formation of the required quorum and bringing 
business to a halt. 
 
5.  (U) After an additional week of wrangling, the NDC and 
RNC reached a compromise agreement under which the NDC was 
given a majority of slots in eight of the 14 committees, 
including the positions of president and rapporteur.  The RNC 
in turn agreed to control and preside over the remaining six 
committees.  The influential and hotly contested legal and 
financial committees were among the committees awarded to the 
NDC. 
 
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TOUGH ROAD AHEAD FOR THE GOJ? 
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6.  (C) The principal architect of the deal hammered out 
between the NDC and RNC was First Deputy Speaker (and former 
Mayor of Amman) Mamdouh Abbadi.  Abbadi told Acting PolCouns 
that he did not expect the committee debate to sour relations 
among MPs as the agreement reached was embraced by both 
sides.  He predicted that the cohesiveness of the two 
coalitions would soon fragment as divergent, and at times 
competing, interests among the constituent blocs came to the 
forefront on upcoming legislative issues. 
 
7.  (C) Asked about the backlog of provisional laws awaiting 
parliamentary ratification, Abbadi said that the GOJ 
shouldn't count on easy acquiescence by MPs.  He elaborated 
that for all the government's talk about dealing with 
Parliament as "a partner," many MPs felt ignored or even 
slighted by GOJ officials and were thus more inclined to 
question the GOJ's legislative agenda.  Abbadi noted, for 
example, that Parliament was not consulted whatsoever on the 
latest cabinet reshuffle.  He also questioned why the GOJ 
enacted a new provisional law related to military funding 
immediately before Parliament reconvened on December 1, 
asking "why did they circumvent us rather than just wait a 
few days?"  Abbadi acknowledged that Prime Minister al-Fayez 
had conducted a series of recent meetings with MPs to explain 
the government's goals, but complained that "the real 
decision-makers, like (Minister of Planning) Bassem 
Awadallah, won't talk to us." 
 
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COMMENT 
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8.  (C) Abbadi's comments reflect grumbling from other MP 
contacts.  In addition to resentment caused by perceived GOJ 
snubs, many MPs are suspicious of reforms that could reduce 
their patronage powers and perks, while East Bank 
conservatives -- among the King's most loyal backers -- are 
wary of progressive laws on social issues that conflict with 
tribal norms.  The GOJ can still bring considerable pressure 
to bear on MPs to rally support for legislation, but it may 
have to do more than simply parade the Prime Minister, 
increasingly seen as a figurehead, to win over skeptical MPs. 
 
HALE