Jordan's King Abdullah on Saturday accused some political parties, trade unions and journalists of having links with foreign powers and seeking to "undermine national unity.” Meanwhile, he promised free parliamentary elections, which are expected next year.
"The political parties, the unions and the press must respect the laws which set the frame for their activities ... any attempt to violate these laws will be a violation of the Constitution," the king was quoted by AFP as saying in response to comments that Jordan faced a crisis in its democratic system.
"We have listened to the views expressed by some political parties, writers and journalists, but the Constitution has clearly defined the freedoms and laws which are the rule” in Jordan, he said, according to AFP.
"That some political parties and the press should take non-national positions, be tied to foreign powers and receive instructions from outside ... raises a very serious problem," the king warned in an interview aired Saturday night by Jordanian television.
However, the king said, “we are fully keen to protect political parties, associations and the press, but all these must adhere to the Constitution and the laws that define their work.”
Despite the fact that these groups “are few,” the King was quoted by the Jordan Times as saying, they “have a loud voice and exploit any occasion or small incident to harm national unity, and at the same time feign tears over it.”
The king did not, however, elaborate on the identity of the organizations, people or powers targeted in his comments.
"Political parties must have a national agenda, unions should concentrate on the professional aspect and the press be patriotic,” said the Hashemite monarch.
"From the very start of my reign, I have said there were no limitations to freedoms,” said the king, who nevertheless added: "supreme national interest constitutes the ceiling of these freedoms.”
Jordan, where more than half the population is of Palestinian origin, has been the scene of numerous anti-Israeli protests since the latest Palestinian uprising against 34 years of Israeli military occupation broke out last September.
Jordan's opposition has been angered by the government ban on demonstrations in public places. The latest such demonstration was staged Friday in refugee camps by anti-Israeli protestors, who tried to march into Amman but were rebuffed by security forces.
Meanwhile, King Abdullah urged eligible voters on Saturday to take part in the upcoming elections and said he would ensure that polls would be free, fair and transparent, according to the Jordan Times.
“Allow me... to reassure every citizen that these elections will be fully free, fair and transparent and thus preclude any party from casting doubts or interfering,” said the king in the interview.
“I am personally keen to have these elections serve as an example of fairness and transparency,” he said. “The most important thing here is to have every citizen take part in these elections and to choose the qualified and capable candidate who is able to shoulder this responsibility.”
As for the timing of the elections, the king said that “when the government concludes all necessary arrangements and is fully prepared to hold the elections, the polls will take place without delay.”
A senior official predicted last week that the polls would take place in the first week of September 2002 so as to give the government ample time to prepare, according to the Jordan Times.
The daily reported that representatives of 17 opposition parties had opened an intense internal debate to decide on whether to take part in the elections.
These parties, especially the main opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood's Islamic Action Front, are unhappy with the new temporary elections law, which maintains the controversial one-person, one-vote formula that prompted their boycott of the 1997 parliamentary elections - Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
