US embassy cable - 05AMMAN9476

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 009476 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/07/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PTER, KDEM, KMPI, JO 
SUBJECT: KING CHARGES PARLIAMENT WITH SECURITY AND REFORM 
 
REF: A. AMMAN 9387 
 
     B. AMMAN 9372 
     C. AMMAN 9201 
     D. AMMAN 8823 
     E. AMMAN 8422 
     F. 04 AMMAN 9762 
 
Classified By: Ambassador David Hale for Reasons 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (C) In his annual speech opening parliament, King 
Abdullah called for continued reform and improved living 
conditions while strengthening Jordan's security and 
stability.  Following the speech, East Banker strongman Abdul 
Hadi Majali succeeded in being re-elected Speaker of the 
Chamber of Deputies despite the opposition of the Islamic 
Action Front.  Parliament has reacted favorably to the 
cabinet of Prime Minister Bakhit and is expected to give the 
new government a strong vote of confidence.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
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THE KING TAKES THE FLOOR 
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2.  (U) King Abdullah opened the third session of the 14th 
Parliament on December 1 with his traditional "Speech from 
the Throne."  At the onset of his speech, the King said he 
was inaugurating the legislature "in order to enhance our 
march in democracy, reform and modernization."  He continued 
that "security and stability are the first among our national 
priorities," and thanked Jordan's military and security 
services for their role in protecting Jordanians from 
terrorism and violence.  The King called for new legislation 
that would ensure that Jordan remain "an oasis of security 
and stability and a haven for freedom where human rights are 
respected." 
 
3.  (U) Highlighting the need for greater "grass-roots 
participation in decision-making," King Abdullah endorsed the 
idea of dividing Jordan into different regions, each having 
its own elected council "responsible for devising plans and 
programs related to each respective region's development." 
He then recognized the role of the National Agenda (Ref D) as 
"the general framework for our development."  The King 
pledged to put the Agenda in the hands of all Jordanians "for 
your discussion and benefit." 
 
4.  (U) Similar to his speech opening parliament the previous 
year (Ref F), the King said that he personally felt "the 
suffering of my people and ... the extent of the economic 
difficulties they are facing due to the rise in prices, 
poverty and unemployment."  He accordingly called on the 
government and parliament to "relieve people's suffering," in 
addition to advocating better coordination between the 
private and public sectors to avoid "a wasteful and 
inefficient distribution of resources." 
 
5.  (U) The King admonished MPs "to rise to the challenge of 
this moment."  The circumstances facing Jordan, he said, 
required parliament to work with the government "with a sense 
of responsibility," and to "reach out to the people" in 
adopting legislation that would aid in Jordan's development. 
He concluded his speech by noting that Jordan is "with the 
Palestinians," as well as pledging Jordanian solidarity with 
the Iraqi people "until Iraq is restored to its natural 
status and its citizens enjoy a decent, free and secure 
life."  NOTE: The King provided further details on his 
domestic agenda, reported Ref B, during a lunch with EU and 
G-8 ambassadors immediately after delivering his speech.  END 
NOTE. 
 
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SPEAKER RE-ELECTED HANDS DOWN 
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6.  (U) Following the King's address, members of the Chamber 
of Deputies gathered to choose between current Speaker Abdul 
Hadi Majali and former Speaker Saad Hayel Srour as head of 
the lower house of parliament.  Srour, with the backing of 
the Islamic Action Front (IAF), received only 38 votes, while 
Majali was easily re-elected Speaker with the votes of 68 
MPs. 
 
7.  (C) Majali's convincing re-election is a stark contrast 
to previous votes for Speaker in which the parliamentary 
blocs were almost evenly divided between the candidates, 
allowing the IAF (with 17 members in parliament) to play a 
king-maker role (Ref F).  By getting almost all the blocs to 
line up behind him, Majali managed to marginalize the IAF and 
thus has no strong political need to be sympathetic to their 
agenda.  Asked by poloff why Majali received such strong 
backing compared to the previous Speaker election, MPs cited 
his "firm leadership" and his "willingness to stand up to the 
government, when necessary."  Some also mentioned Majali's 
adroit use of the spoils system, wisely doling out positions 
in the parliament cabinet bureau and legislative committees - 
as well as spots on trips overseas - to help ensure a loyal 
and broad following.  As one MP stated, "If you help take 
care of Majali, he'll help take care of you." 
8.  (C) A traditional East Banker, Majali has in the past 
expressed a cautious view toward reform.  In November, for 
example, he publicly rejected a recommendation in the 
National Agenda to abolish mandatory membership by 
journalists in the Jordan Press Association (Ref E), though 
this may have been for other than ideological reasons. 
Despite his personal leanings, the current mood of national 
unity after the November 9 bombings - along with the sobering 
realization that King Abdullah almost dissolved parliament 
and could still do so (Ref B) - may prod him (and other MPs) 
in the direction of the King's reform agenda.  The fact that 
the General Intelligence Directorate almost certainly played 
a behind-the-scenes role in securing Majali's victory might 
also keep him from straying too far from the palace line. 
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STARTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT 
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9.  (C) By putting together a strong team that avoids 
controversial figures that might alienate MPs, and one that 
includes ministers from all the politically important East 
Bank towns (Ref A), the King and Bakhit have helped ensure a 
smooth start for the new cabinet.  Comments from a variety of 
MPs on the composition of the cabinet have been generally 
positive.  Traditionalist MP and retired general Emad Maayah 
(Christian East Banker, Madaba), for example, said the new 
cabinet was "much better than previous ones," and noted that 
it contained "many strong and experienced men."  Liberal, 
pro-reform MP Mohammad Arsalan (East Banker, Zarqa) said he 
was "satisfied" with the cabinet, and predicted it would have 
much smoother relations with parliament than did the cabinet 
of former PM Adnan Badran.  Continued efforts by PM Bakhit to 
actively engage MPs on his agenda (Ref C) has further aided 
the cabinet's image.  "He has done 80% of all the right 
things so far," Arsalan quipped.  The few negative comments 
on the cabinet we've heard center on the lack of women and 
the inclusion of many former ministers.  As one political 
analyst asked, "If they weren't successful the first time 
around, why should things be different now?" 
 
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COMMENT 
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10.  (C) The King's speech, which the media noted was shorter 
than usual, illustrates the main tasks of the new government 
-- achieve reform and improve economic living conditions 
while enhancing security.  As a result of the current 
goodwill in parliament towards the government, there is 
little doubt that MPs will give Bakhit's cabinet a strong 
vote of confidence.  A majority should also be receptive to 
at least some of the government's priorities, including new 
anti-terrorism legislation, still in the drafting stage. 
Even in the current political climate, however, the cabinet 
will face an uphill struggle to convince MPs to sign off on 
political reforms that might threaten their positions and 
privileges. 
HALE