Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Prime Minister-designate Omar Razzaz said on Monday that the royal directive in the letter of designation to his government-in-the-making to forge a new social contract could be a top priority on its agenda.

He spoke in a meeting at Al-Hussein Youth City with the secretaries general of political parties as part of a series of meetings and consultations he is holding to form a government and its plan of action for the next stage.

"working towards a new social contract means a focus on rights and obligations and the transition to a system of institutions governed by laws and regulations, a shift to economic production and a system where the citizen is the centre of developmental work, and one that gives the human his right to bread and freedom," he said.

The transition to a new social contract requires accord on an economic vision tied to production, creativity and innovation, he stressed.

Commenting on his ministerial team now in the making, the prime minister-designate said "it is not enough to be a technocrat government at this stage because it may be fully aware of the technical aspect of its work, but it is important to understand the political and security implications of its decisions."

"The model we are looking for in the cabinet is a person who fully knows his sphere of work, in a vertical and deep way, and has the experience and ability to see the implications of any decision within his ministerial portfolio on social security and the economic situation," he pointed out.

"We do not need a narrow accountability mindset in dealing with matters. At the same time, the team must have real political awareness and understanding of the opportunities and technical challenges in the field of its work", he said.

"We recognize that the time factor is important, but we have to make sure that the ministerial team is integrated," he said, adding that when His Majesty the King designated him to form a government he recommended not to be hasty and to take the time to guarantee the right choice.

The premier-designate said today's meeting with political parties is the beginning of a new relationship, adding: "We believe in political parties and pluralism, but not in one party or absolute power."

He also reiterated that his government will withdraw the draft income tax law from the Lower House, adding: "I think that we, in the previous government, have underestimated the urgency of sending the law to the House, where the idea was to conduct a dialogue, but the people of Jordan had their word on the bill."

The prime minister-designate said that the draft law did not take enough time for debate, pointing out that the handling of the income tax issue should not be in an individual or partial manner, but should be within the system of the overall tax burden system, which should be fair among all social groups.

Razzaz stressed that the main objective of the law is to deal effectively with tax evasion, but not at the expense of citizens' rights, stressing the need for clear legal provisions that penalize the evader and protect the citizen.