His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday called on deputies to upgrade the Lower House bylaws and codes as a prerequisite to having parliamentary governments.
His Majesty made his remarks at a meeting with Lower House members at the Royal Court, where he discussed Parliament’s duties, escalating campus violence as well as Jordan’s stand on Syria crisis developments and repercussions of the conflict on national security, according to a Royal Court statement.
His Majesty advised against including deputies in the Cabinet at the present time, adding that priority should go to revamping the way in which the House operates.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour told lawmakers during the debate over the vote of confidence last month that a government reshuffle was imminent “after taking permission from the King”. He reportedly did not rule out the possibility of adding MPs to his 18-member government.
The issue triggered a controversy among House members, with some rejecting the idea and others reportedly setting it as a condition to give Ensour their vote of confidence.
The King told Lower House members that “the premier came to me and requested permission for a reshuffle”.
The Monarch emphasised the importance of maintaining a gradual move towards a full parliamentary government.
“In order for this to happen, the House’s bylaws need to be amended and a code of conduct for MPs needs to be put forward, so that the performance of parliamentary blocs is institutionalised in a manner that enhances the monitoring tools as well as the principle of the separation of and balance between powers,” the King said.
Addressing MPs, the King asked:
“If the ultimate goal of reform is an inclusive parliamentary government, what should be the priority: appointing lawmakers in the Cabinet or modernising and institutionalising the House’s performance in a way that ensures the success of the experiment of having MPs as Cabinet members?”
His Majesty urged the deputies to focus on their legislative mission and double their efforts to enact the bills at hand in a timely manner.
In the King’s Speech from the Throne during the inauguration of the 17th Lower House extraordinary session, he called for developing the House’s internal regulations, bylaws and code of conduct as soon as possible in order to boost the Chamber’s efficiency and institutionalise the work of parliamentary blocs.
In his third discussion paper he authored and published over the past months on Jordan’s political evolution, the Monarch also noted that efforts to deepen parliamentary government will develop gradually and in tandem with the development of political parties and parliamentary work over the coming parliamentary cycles.
Rule of the law
Meanwhile, King Abdullah stressed that the rule of the law is the most essential pillar of statehood, and the real guarantee of democracy, citizens’ safety and the country’s stability, according to a Royal Court statement.
He underlined the need for the three branches of government to collaborate so that the law is enforced with “complete decisiveness, firmness and transparency, and with no leniency, appeasement and favouritism”.
“Violence and breaking the law at universities and the community has grown at an alarming rate to the point that there needs to be immediate action by the three authorities to put an end to this phenomenon, which is affecting the daily life of every citizen in the Kingdom,” the Monarch said.
The Monarch called on deputies to remain mindful of domestic issues when deciding their agenda, urging them to make issues of national concern their top priorities.
Calling lawmakers the “representatives of people”, King Abdullah told lawmakers to remain connected to the electoral districts so that they can objectively explain the challenges currently facing the country and engage citizens in the decision-making process.
“I am fully confident in your abilities and your enthusiasm to serve national interests,” the Monarch told them.
Syria
Regarding recent developments in the north of Jordan, where brief firefights between Jordanian and Syrian border forces have been reported, the King assured the deputies that “all measures to ensure the country’s security and stability have been taken”, adding that Jordan has intensified its diplomatic efforts with the international community so that a political solution to the crisis can be found to safeguard Syria’s unity and territorial integrity, the statement said.
For his part, Lower House Speaker Saad Hayel Srour said the House’s bylaws will be presented to Parliament for endorsement before the end of this month, noting that an ad hoc committee has been formed to draw up a code of conduct.
The code will be adopted to improve Parliament’s performance and develop its action plan, according to the speaker.
He noted that the House has increased the number of its weekly sessions to three; one dedicated for general issues and two for legislation, in order to meet the “huge” responsibilities.
Srour said the issue of university violence has been discussed by the MPs, who came up with recommendations that would be of benefit for decision makers.
On the situation in Syria, he stressed Jordan’s commitment to end the bloodshed in Syria through a mechanism that does not entail interfering in the country’s internal issues.
by: JT
source: http://jordantimes.com/king-stresses-gradual-move-to-full-fledged-parliamentary-govt
