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Ammon News - AMMAN (Petra) – Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Saturday stressed the need to inject a "new spirit" in government agencies that would optimize accomplishments while raising efficiency and productivity.

He urged secretaries general of ministries to live up to their tasks and responsibilities and fight bureaucratic practices and inertia "in a climate of justice and fairness and to ensure that citizens, recipients of services and investors are treated fairly." "There is a general feeling of hesitation and fear in taking decisions to avoid accusations of corruption", Ensour said, adding that a fair and self-confident official would not fear such accusations, since the government is working with transparency and integrity and "there is no talk or hint of corruption at present." He said the focus should be on the state’s prestige, citing His Majesty King Abdullah's emphasis, during a recent speech, on the need to restore state authority through law enforcement which is applied to all.

Turning to upcoming municipal elections, Ensour urged the secretaries general to promote a large turnout at the ballot box, vowing that any attempt at fraud would be met with extreme firmness and reiterating government neutrality and fairness in the polls, due to be held on August 27.