US embassy cable - 05AMMAN187

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) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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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. 
 
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FEELING LEFT OUT 
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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. 
 
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CORRUPTION TAKES CENTER STAGE 
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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. 
 
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COMMENT 
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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