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Ammon News - By Mohammed Abu Hmaed

AMMONNEWS - Over 1,000 people rallied on Saturday in front of the house of ex-Prime Minister Abdul Raouf Rawabdeh, ahead of a planned protest by a pro-reform group Saturday evening against recent high-level government appointments which the group claims are corrupt practices.

Supporters of Rawabdeh (Prime Minister 1999-2000 and current Senator) rallied near his house in Abu Nseir district, northern Amman, chanting support slogans and rejecting the 'reformists' method of protesting in front of officials' homes.

Shortly after 6 PM, two pro-reform protesters were attacked by supporters of Rawabdeh when they arrived near his house to protest, carrying placards with anti-corruption slogans. The supporters beat the two protesters, including member of the 'United Jordanian Opposition' group - which called for the protest - Hussam Abdullat.

The two protesters were rushed to the hospital after sustaining various injuries from the attacks. Their vehicle was also vandalized by the supporters amidst a noticeable absence of security forces at the time of the incident.

Security and gendarmerie forces later arrived at the scene to contain the clashes.

The supporters blasted a pro-reform movement for what they considered "transforming peaceful protest into means to spread fear among citizens in their own homes, shifting the issue from a political aspect into a family and tribal one."

Several political, partisan and populist movements met overnight on Saturday rejecting the recent protests staged in front of homes of officials, including last week's protest held in front of the home of Emad Fakhouri, Director of King Abdullah II's office.

A group calling itself "Support Committee of Abdul Raouf Rawabdeh" issued a statement stressing the need to defend national figures such as Rawabdeh from the protests that target officials' homes.

The group called on the government and security forces to put an end to such protests, blasting the pro-reformers as having "narrow interests" behind their activism.

Meanwhile, disparities between members of the so-called "United Jordanian Opposition" pro-reform group were evident in statement issued regarding the planned protest in front of Rawabdeh's home.

In a statement issued Friday, the United Jordanian Opposition group said that it will carryout the planned protest in front of Rawabdeh's home Saturday evening, and hold other similar events in front of homes of other current and previous officials suspected of corruption.

Meanwhile other members of the opposition group, including the (36) Tribal Leaders group distanced themselves from the statement, stressing that they will carryout a protest in front of ex-Prime Minister Samir Rifai's home instead.

Spokesman Abdul Hadi Hawamdeh denied that the group agreed on protesting in front of Rawabdeh's home, noting that "unknown groups tried to shove Rawabdeh's name despite everyone's objection."

Meanwhile, leading member Hussam Abdullat stressed the protest will take place at 6 PM, noting that the opposition group received support from Jordanians.

Abdullat said that the aim of such protest is to target officials suspected of corruption and to question their wealth.

The recent government appointment of Rawabdeh's daughter, Nadia Rawabdeh, as Director General of the Social Security Administration, along with other high-level appointments stirred controversy over the governmental practices that the opposition blasted as 'lacking in transparency and fairness.'

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