US embassy cable - 03AMMAN237

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 000237 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/09/2013 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PHUM, JO 
SUBJECT: JORDAN FIRST CAMPAIGN PRESSES AHEAD: 
RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDE QUOTAS FOR WOMEN PARLIAMENTARIANS 
 
REF: AMMAN 6522 
 
Classified By: CDA GREGORY L. BERRY FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1. (C) The "Jordan First" campaign continues to make 
headlines almost daily as the GOJ moves to implement 
recommendations put forward in December by the Jordan First 
Committee--consisting of 31 political and business leaders. 
While some of the initiatives are straightforward, 
others--particularly the introduction of quotas for women in 
Parliament--have proven to be controversial.  The Islamic 
Action Front (IAF) and Opposition Parties--those who have 
been able to capitalize most on popular pan-Arab issues--have 
not surprisingly voiced their opposition to the "Jordan 
First" campaign. End Summary. 
 
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RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDE SPRING ELECTIONS: KING AGREES 
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3. (C)  The "Jordan First" committee presented its findings 
and recommendations to King Abdullah on December 18 and the 
GOJ has moved apace to implement the findings.  Prime 
Minister Abul Ragheb on January 8 announced the formation of 
five new committees that will be charged with implementing 
the recommendations of the original committee: the 
Constitutional Court Committee, the Political Parties 
Committee, the Women's Parliamentary Quota Committee, the 
Anti-Corruption Committee, and the Professional Associations 
and Civil Society Institutions Committee. 
 
4. (C)  The committee's specific recommendations included: 
quotas for women in parliament, the creation of a 
constitutional court, school curricula reform, and amending 
the political parties law to strengthen the political party 
system.  The committee also recommended that elections be 
held this spring, and idea the King subsequently reaffirmed. 
The focus of the five newly-formed committees suggest that 
the government's attention will mostly be on political and 
judicial reform. 
 
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QUOTAS FOR WOMEN ALSO INCLUDED 
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5. (C) The most controversial of the recommendations--and one 
the King seemed committed to--is the adoption of temporary 
quotas for women in parliament.  The quota issue has been 
controversial even among politically-active women who would 
most benefit.  In discussions with several women who had 
recently returned from the US after participating in the IV 
program "Women as Political Leaders: US Elections and 
Political Campaigns", Poloff found that two of the five 
voiced opposition to the quotas.  One argued that the 
IAF--who she opined did not represent the interests of 
women--would be able to capitalize on the quotas because of 
their effective campaign machinery and might win a majority 
of the women-quota seats with their own female candidates. 
Those women who approved of the quota emphasized that it 
would be a temporary measure, to allow women a toehold in the 
lower (i.e. elected) house of Parliament.  Some also suggest 
that representation for women would help moderate the IAF, as 
well as Jordanian political life as a whole.  Both proponents 
and opponents of a quota system stress that training for 
women in Parliament will be vital, since the professionalism 
that they show will help determine opportunities for women 
candidates in the future. 
 
6. (C) The GOJ has yet to define how the quotas will be 
enforced, but there is almost a universal assumption that 
there will be a mechanism in place by the Spring elections. 
The issue of women quotas is likely to be particularly 
controversial among the more traditional tribal elements. 
Poloff talked to conservative East Banker Mahmoud Kharabsheh, 
who, as a "Jordan First" committee member, was the lone vote 
against establishing quotas.  Kharabsheh argued that the 
quotas for women were illegal from a constitutional 
perspective (though there are already quotas in place for 
some minorities, such as Circassians), and that the current 
law already allowed for women to be elected (though under the 
current electoral law, only one woman has ever been popularly 
elected). 
 
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IAF AND OPPOSITION NOT SOLD 
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7. (C) The IAF has publicly criticized the campaign.  An 
article in As-Sabeel, the IAF mouthpiece, accused the "Jordan 
First" campaign of contradicting the sections of the 
constitution that stipulate the religion of the state as 
Islam and that Jordan is a part of the Arab nation.  The IAF 
also claimed that the campaign was designed to restrict the 
Islamic movement and political parties, and to undermine the 
(political) role of professional unions. 
 
8. (C) The IAF generates much of its popular support by 
embracing popular pan-Arab issues.  They have been able to 
capitalize on "anti-normalization" issues and will most 
likely be some of the loudest voices of dissent should there 
be any military action against Iraq.  There is no incentive 
for the IAF to shift the debate to internal issues in Jordan 
while regional issues have the ire and attention of most of 
their constituency. 
 
9. (C) The Opposition Parties Higher Coordination 
Committee--made up of 13 parties (including the IAF) with 
disparate agendas--declined a GOJ-invitation to participate 
on the committee that will oversee political parties.  The 
spokesperson for the opposition parties publicly argued that 
political reform should wait until after parliamentary 
elections, when new laws would not be relegated to temporary 
law status. 
 
10. (C) The GOJ has begun to push back against the criticism. 
 Minister of State for Political Affairs and Minister of 
Information Mohammad Adwan voiced his criticism of the 
opposition parties' stance in the Jordan Times on January 9: 
"They prefer to stay on the sidelines of the scene 
specializing in criticizing without helping the different 
segments of society and participating in the constructive 
building of a strong Jordan."  A Jordan Times editorial the 
same day opined that the opposition parties' decision not to 
participate was, "at the least disappointing, if not utterly 
irresponsible." 
 
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COMMENT 
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11. (C) The GOJ is pursuing the "Jordan First" campaign with 
increasing vigor as the expected US conflict with Iraq draws 
nearer and the Israeli-Palestinian crisis deepens.  There is 
still some skepticism in Jordanian society that "Jordan 
First" is merely an amalgam of empty slogans that will effect 
little change.  Whether it will achieve its goal of forging a 
national identity and re-focusing the populace on internal 
issues is unclear, but it has been the impetus for a 
commitment to Spring elections and could bring some welcome 
reforms in the political and judicial sectors. 
BERRY