The question now Mr Prime Minister is whether the parties will be removed from under the government’s umbrella to be under the Independent Elections Commission’s?
Prime Minister: It is necessary, because when we reach the stage where the objective conditions have ripened for the formation of governments with a partisan majority; then objectively, and out of impartiality, you cannot leave the issue of supervising the establishment of parties and their registration to a ministry that may be composed on a partisan basis.
I might be the leader of a party, and the majority party that is mine has won the elections, so how can I supervise the rest of the parties that may be competing against me. We will, at a certain stage, reach the goal of party and programme-based governments so that those governments are not suspected of dominating the rest of the parties that do not have a majority, and this is why an independent body is overseeing this.
JRTV: Let us move on to the coronavirus issue and the question of the Jordanians; when will the defence law stop being implemented?
Prime Minister: When the coronavirus crisis and its challenges become a new normal, or become completely behind us.
The Defense Law and its orders protect 100,000 jobs for Jordanians working in different and multiple sectors. There is an objective necessity for this protection to continue until objective conditions are created that would allow, if in the future this workforce is laid off in some sectors, for workers to find an alternative that would provide a decent living…
This is a basic objective requirement, we are for real partnership with and the empowerment of the private sector, but we have a duty to provide protection, which necessarily parts away from considerations of raising profit margins, which is the philosophy of the private sector that is based on legitimate profit,
And the government’s duty is to take this element of legitimate profit for the private sector into consideration; however, it also has to protect, in exceptional circumstances, existing job opportunities in a way that does not harm the private sector, and at the same time, protect those who work in these jobs.
JRTV: The government’s goal in the defense law, and its continuation, is to protect workers?
Prime Minister: This is a split. We have multiple aspects. One of the central aspects in the continuation of the defense law is that it gives us the legislative means to encourage the largest possible segment of people to take the vaccine; to resume their normal lives as they were before the coronavirus pandemic, and we are patr of them.
JRTV: We understand from your state’s speech that there is no return to closures?
Prime Minister: It is not taken into consideration now, and not the data of the epidemiological situation, nor the achievement we have achieved in terms of the demand for and provision of vaccination put us today in front of a reality with which we return to any form of partial or comprehensive closures.
Today we need this regulatory framework. We have a green area that has begun to recover in the Golden Triangle, Aqaba, Petra and Wadi Rum, and it is an important tourist destination. Every Jordanian or foreign visitor can enter this green area if they are immunised; an immunised person is someone who has received the two jabs of the vaccine or to have had a “PCR” test that within 72 hours before entering the golden zone, as is the case in many institutions.
The main objective of these measures is to expand the area and base of the vaccinated, because it is the means and the way for a normal life process. Today, we hear a lot in the media about the need to hold festivals.
JRTV: There is talk that amounts to accusing the government of being strict in certain locations and relaxing in others, including festivals and celebrations, and closures and fines for people on the other hand.
Prime Minister: Let me say the following; unfortunately, a lot of this talk is not based, in my humble opinion, on a scientific, realistic and fair analysis of the government’s measures. There are healthy protocols for the festivals that are held, which contribute to the revitalization of the economic movement, significantly.
The health protocol is clear, you cannot go to these festivals, or set foot in these festivals and occasion unless you are immunised; meaning, unless you have received vaccination or a negative PCR test result 72 hours before the event.
It is It is established in a safe atmosphere, especially in open spaced. As for other facilities, what is overlooked, for example, in the context of mitigating measures, even before the issuance of the Defense Order 46 were restaurants and many of the facilities that we stipulated that a person should have a “green Sanad” meaning a person should be immunisd to enter restaurants, where the requirement was that there should be 6 people at the table, while today it has increased to 10 people. This is part of the process of safe and gradual opening.
JTTV: Do you listen to the demands of the private sector in this regard?
Prime Minister: Certainly, but the challenge today, and for society to rise again completely from the painful and harmful psychological, economic and moral effects of the coronavirus pandemic, there is a reciprocal and shared responsibility on everyone; for the benefit not only of the private sector but also of the revenues of the public treasury, as well as improving the public opinion.
Festivals and celebrations spurred the economy, a real movement that was necessary and required, and it will continue according to health protocols and requirements based on the idea of ??immunization…
Today, we are talking about the presence of about 10.5 million people in Jordan, including a very large number of refugees. The Jordanian state and Jordanian society offer them services in the same way does for Jordanians.
Since the first day of the government, I said in the House of Representatives that the government will not make many promises and will not intentionally, in any way, mislead citizens, and certainly we will be true to our leadership and our constitutional oath. Accordingly, we presented an indicative economic programme, because it was the safest methodology in light of the data of the coronavirus crisis…
We went for the government’s economic work priorities programme, which was linked to timeframes and aims to deliver achievements within 24 months, in a process extended on three main axes and includes 53 priorities, aimed primarily at improving the work and investment environment…
These priorities also aimed at developing our export capabilities in terms of services and goods, by supporting industries; today we have a fund to support the industrial sector, and allocate JOD20 million to support tourism, and we have allocated for the next public budget about JOD80 million for operating programmes.
We have a unit for follow-up and performance measurement In the Prime Ministry, it is responsible for submitting monthly reports on the achievements.
Source: Jordan News Agency