Ammon News - By Nermeen Murad

I have tried all week to decide exactly where I stand vis-a-vis this government and I am still as undecided today as I was yesterday and the day before. I have read commentaries by my fellow columnists. I have assumed position on my thinking sofa and squeezed my brain. I have opened books on government that I hadn’t looked at in years - and still I remain undecided.

Final conclusion is that I have thought about the pros and cons of this government and really, really can’t find anything that makes me feel worse or better about it than the one before it, or before that, or before that ة etc.

If I am going to use the same line of analysis used by some of this government’s detractors then I would say I like going online during office hours to check my Facebook (and my son’s), LinkedIn (my professional network site), Twitter (to see what government officials are saying), pick my crop on Farmville, and read the latest gossip on Ammon, Khaberni, Saraya, JordanZad, and 7iber. So a government that would ban me from enjoying my daily trip across these Internet-based places is not just antisocial but c?rtainly undemocratic and is obviously trying to punish these web-based businesses by denying them my business or, even worse, is systematically undermining the voice of opposition which apparently can be found on these sites - although I have yet to see any real opposition.

I have to admit that upon rereading that last paragraph, I couldn’t follow the train of thought that critics put forward to lambaste the government. The world over, employees are banned from using office time to surf the net under any excuse and my esteemed colleagues in the media sector are aware of these restrictions.

It comes to my mind that we are highlighting these insignificant issues to vent our frustration with the real problems we have with the government which may in fact be considerably more “sensitive” such as: corruption; the international super powers’ plans for regional peace; division of labour according to origins; political bankruptcy among political parties and the government; and forming government from one’s pool of friends and colleagues.

But then upon reflection I found that even in those critical fields, the performance of this government is no better or worse than any of its predecessors and if anything this government appears to have followed, to the letter, the formula of self preservation and benefit laid out by governments before it.

So what is the issue with this government? I have to answer it from my own perspective because I cannot claim to understand where everybody else is coming from. I criticise this government because I expect more from this government and its prime minister than I did from the one before it and before that. Having come from a successful commercial background I would have expected that the premier would have understood the importance of securing and maintaining the confidence of the people he serves i.e. the Jordanian people. This hasn’t happened because the priorities got all muddled up somehow.

While the premier has certainly looked at some cases of high profile corruption, called for elections, announced government austerity measures and taken other steps that will reap benefit in the long term, such as the railway improvement project and alternative fuels and sources of energy and water, he has so far failed to respond to the people’s more basic needs - again the bread and butter issues. This is what is leading to the perception that the government is not doing a good job, especially in this time of economic crisis.

People need to see the government working directly on their own individual problems including their employment, basic financial needs, food, fuel, shelter, health and education for their children. When critics make fun of the “westernised bureaucrats” in government they are essentially saying that these officials are not like us and do not suffer like us and therefore do not feel like us and therefore do not have our best interests at heart. They are probably wrong but in politics perception is almost everything and the current government has a serious problem with perception that it needs to address quickly, before more damage is done to its own image and the image of Jordan.

NermeenMurad@gmail.com


* The Jordan Times