US embassy cable - 05AMMAN1719

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001719 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/01/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, KISL, KMPI, JO 
SUBJECT: INTERIOR MINISTER GRILLED IN PARLIAMENT WHILE 
OPPOSITION PARTIES CALL FOR NEW GOVERNMENT 
 
REF: A. AMMAN 1353 
     B. AMMAN 1309 
     C. AMMAN 1234 
     D. AMMAN 981 
     E. AMMAN 709 
 
Classified By: CDA David Hale for Reasons 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (C) Interior Minister Habashneh fended off heated 
questioning in Parliament regarding the GOJ's crackdown on 
political activity by the country's professional 
associations.  Deputies from the Islamic Action Front (IAF) 
led the attack, while other MPs criticized the government for 
failing to promote the King's reform agenda.  Habashneh's 
backers countered by calling for a vote of no confidence in 
the minister, confident that he would easily come out on top. 
 Separately, opposition parties submitted a petition asking 
King Abdullah to sack the current cabinet for its alleged 
back-pedaling on political development and to broaden public 
participation in recently formed royal commissions on 
decentralization and the creation of a national agenda.  End 
Summary. 
 
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INTERIOR MINISTER FEELS THE HEAT 
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2.  (U) During a contentious parliamentary session February 
23 that press reports described as "rife with confusion," 
several disgruntled MPs peppered Minister of Interior Samir 
Habashneh with questions on the GOJ's crackdown on political 
activity organized by Jordan's professional associations 
(refs a, e).  Habashneh had recently added fuel to the fire 
by notifying IAF MPs Nidal Abbadi (East Banker, Amman) and 
Abdul Khawaldeh (East Banker, Mafraq) that they had violated 
the Public Assembly Law by giving "political speeches" 
following Friday prayers on February 18 without obtaining 
prior government permission.  IAF MP Ali Abu Sukkar (West 
Banker, Zarqa), who had been physically barred from entering 
the Professional Associations Complex for a banned rally, led 
the attack along with his Islamist colleagues.  In addition 
to accusing Habashneh of "insulting" Parliament by submitting 
"evasive and unsatisfactory" answers to written questions, 
Sukkar alleged that the minister had violated the Jordanian 
constitution by preventing MPs from exercising their right to 
engage in professional and political activities. 
 
3.  (U) Habashneh in reply insisted that his ministry had 
acted properly and that he respected the role of MPs, saying 
that "the dignity of the (Lower) House is part of the state's 
dignity, which is preserved by implementing the law." 
Pro-government MPs quickly came to Habashneh's defense, 
stating that the ministry's actions were consistent with the 
Public Assembly Law and had "no political implications." 
They continued that the professional associations were not 
legally authorized to sponsor political activity and called 
for reconsidering laws requiring mandatory membership in the 
associations. 
 
4.  (C) At the end of the February 23 session, pro-government 
MP Jamal Dmour (East Banker, Kerak) made a surprise move by 
submitting a petition signed by 14 MPs demanding a vote of no 
confidence in Habashneh as allowed by parliamentary bylaws. 
Dmour later told poloff that the petition was not meant to 
harm Habashneh, but that he believed a confidence vote would 
result in a clear majority of MPs voicing their support for 
the embattled Interior Minister, thereby strengthening his 
position.  Dmour noted that Sukkar realized this all too well 
and, consequently, opposed the petition.  (NOTE:  Statements 
against Habashneh and calls for a confidence vote were not 
voiced during Parliament's session on February 27, suggesting 
the two sides had agreed at least temporarily to move on to 
other matters.  END NOTE.) 
 
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FORMER MINISTERS SLAM THE GOVERNMENT 
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5.  (U) MP attacks against the government have not been 
confined to the floor of Parliament.  In a recent interview 
with Arabic daily Al-Dustour, former minister and ex-Speaker 
of the Lower House Saed Hayel Srour (East Banker, Northern 
Badia) harshly criticized the current cabinet for "having 
failed to interpret the King's vision for reform into 
reality."  Srour claimed that he and other MPs did not 
understand the government's agenda because "it claims one 
things and does the opposite."  He further accused the 
cabinet of dismissing the opinions of those who disagreed 
with it.  Former Prime Minister Abdur Raouf Rawabdeh, 
speaking to Arabic weekly Al-Shahed with virulence rarely 
used in public by a former head of government, continued his 
campaign against the GOJ (ref c), accusing the government of 
spending "huge sums of money" from undisclosed sources and 
failing to resolve a single serious case of corruption. 
 
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CALLING FOR A CHANGE 
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6.  (U) Local press reported on front pages February 23 that 
the Coordinating Committee of Opposition Parties sent a 
petition to King Abdullah appealing to him to form a new 
government that "respects the people's rights, the 
constitution and public freedoms."  (NOTE: The Committee 
includes leaders from 15 parties ranging from socialists to 
conservative Islamists.  All of the parties are relatively 
small and uninfluential, with the exception of the IAF which 
tends to dominate the Committee.  END NOTE.)  The petition 
charged that the current cabinet was incapable of "fulfilling 
the Jordanian people's aspirations for ... democracy and 
comprehensive development," and stated that the country had 
witnessed "a clear retreat by the government from the slogan 
of political development less than a year after it was 
formed." 
 
7.  (U) The Committee further suggested "expanding public 
participation" in the recently appointed royal commissions 
charged with studying decentralization and the creation of a 
national agenda (refs b, d).  It requested that "all the 
political, economic and social figures and forces (be able) 
to engage in these committees and contribute to the 
comprehensive development process."  The petition 
additionally called for "a democratic election law that 
adopts the principle of proportional representation," an 
independent judiciary, a free press, and the cessation of 
"restrictive government measures" against civil society 
institutions. 
 
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COMMENT 
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8.  (C) Habashneh's warnings against "political speeches" at 
religious gatherings, and the governor of Amman's recent 
referral of IAF MP Abu Fares to the attorney general for 
"staging an unauthorized rally following Friday prayers" 
(septel), indicates that the GOJ may be broadening its clamp 
down on unwanted political activity.  The call by opposition 
parties for greater public involvement in the two royal 
committees reflects the doubts of many that these bodies will 
stray from the government line.  Deputy PM Marwan Muasher 
told Charge that the national agenda commission (ref b) would 
include sub-committees comprised of experts and civil society 
leaders for each of 11 different substantive themes.  The 
decentralization commission (ref d), by contrast, would be 
limited to no "outside contact" as it tackles its work. 
HALE