The government [of Jordan] on Monday announced the formation of a committee to review all privatisation deals since 1989, in line with His Majesty King Abdullah’s directives in the Letter of Designation.
In a letter to the King, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said the Privatisation Evaluation Committee includes local and international experts who enjoy integrity, objectivity and experience in social, political and economic areas.
The committee will assess privatisation policies and operations carried out by successive governments since the 1989 economic crisis to date, Ensour said in the letter (see full translation).
Headed by Omar Razzaz, the committee will include Fahed Fanek, Ibrahim Saif and Ibrahim Dabdoub as well as representatives of the International Finance Corporation, the Islamic Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
In the letter, Ensour said the committee will also examine social and economic ramifications of the privatisation plans according to figures and facts on ground, adding that the committee will have six months starting from its first meeting to come up with a report detailing its findings.
“The government team seeks through the formation of the committee to reach a set of recommendations and a roster of credible facts and statistics that would help the government and policy makers evaluate Jordan’s privatisation programme in all objectivity and neutrality,” he noted.
The premier said the government has directed the panel to reach out to and gauge the opinions of stakeholders in government agencies, private sector and civil society institutions in order to encourage citizens to take part in this national effort.
