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Ammon News -

 The Lower House on Tuesday began a marathon debate of the government policy statement, which will be followed by a vote of confidence in the cabinet of Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh.

Lawmakers took turns to address the chamber airing the grievances and development needs of their constituencies and views on key domestic woes and regional issues, top of which is the coronavirus pandemic, the economy, unemployment and combatting corruption, abuse of office and nepotism.

"The plenum convenes at a time of exceptional domestic and regional circumstances with extremely dangerous political, economic, security and social repercussions, which require practical programs and action plans with a vigorous involvement by the legislature," said MP Ahmad Asha, the first to take the floor in a morning session.

He urged the government to submit "tangible, workable and transparent" solutions and involving the legislature "in every decision (taken) and agreement (signed)," pointing to "a missing trust between previous parliaments and the Jordanian street."

"We, as government and representatives, are in an unenviable situation. there is no stronger enemy to the country today than poverty and hunger, and it requires fairness when Jordanians feel desperation and hopelessness," said MP Abdel Salam Diyabat of Ramtha district, adding that Jordan needs reform for recovery.

Diyabat said that Ramtha on the border with Syria was the worst hit by the Syrian crisis as it hosted 70,000 Syrian refugees, adding that the people in the northern region were dependent on intra-trade with Syria and Iraq before the borders were closed.

Other deputies spoke about poor staffing in hospitals and the health system and hospitals' indebtedness, while others called for ending the lockdowns, which are "unnecessary as the country gradually controls the epidemic."

One deputy called for ending remote learning, calling it "distancing from education," and demanded the government to put in place "a clear mechanism", regardless the epidemiological situation, for pupils and university students to return to the classroom.

On regional politics, lawmakers said the House stands behind His Majesty King Abdullah II in rejecting any change to the historical and legal status quo in occupied Jerusalem and upholding the Hashemite custodianship of the Islamic and Christian holy sites, as well as supporting the Palestinian people's right to self determination and to set up its independence state with East Jerusalem as it capital.