AMMAN — A Royal Decree was issued on Wednesday approving Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour’s first Cabinet reshuffle since he came to office in March this year, raising his team members to 27 from 19, including the premier.
The reshuffle saw 13 new ministers join the government, including two women, while five others left their post.
The ministers who left their posts are Mohammad Wahsh of the Ministry of Education, Mohammad Qudah (awqaf and Islamic affairs), Mujalli Mhailan (health), Malek Kabariti (energy and mineral resources) and Barakat Awajan (culture).
The reshuffle brought 10 first-time ministers and three who have served in previous governments.
The first timers are: Mohammad Hamed, who was appointed as minister of energy and mineral resources, Sami Halaseh as minister of public works and housing, Bassam Talhouni as minister of justice, Ali Hiasat as minister of health, Salameh Neimat as minister of state, Hayel Dawood as minister of awqaf and Islamic affairs, Khaled Kalaldeh as minister of political and parliamentary affairs, Lana Mamkegh as minister of culture, Lina Shbeeb as minister of transport and Azzam Sleit as minister of information and communications technology.
The veterans among the newly appointed ministers in Ensour’s government are Mohammad Thneibat who was appointed as minister of education, Akef Zu’bi as minister of agriculture and Taher Shakhshir as minister of environment.
When Ensour’s government was formed, several ministers were assigned more than one portfolio in anticipation of appointing MPs as Cabinet members at a later stage, which never happened because it was deemed “premature” by His Majesty King Abdullah to include lawmakers in the executive branch when the country’s reform drive is heading towards a full-fledged parliamentary government.
Ensour told reporters earlier this week that the scheduled reshuffle was aimed to fill in the vacancies in the government, noting that he wanted to free multi-portfolio Cabinet members from the extra burden to enhance the performance of his team and encourage its members to focus on a single portfolio to expedite the implementation of plans on the drawing board.
Up until the reshuffle, Hatem Halawani was minister of industry, trade and supply and minister of information and communications technology, Hazem Nasser handled the water and agriculture ministries, Ibrahim Saif was minister of planning and international cooperation and minister of tourism and antiquities, while Mohammad Momani was minister of state for media affairs and communications and handled at the same time the political development and parliamentary affairs portfolios.
Other multi-tasked ministers were Ahmad Ziadat, who was minister of justice and minister of state for Prime Ministry affairs, Nidal Katamine, minister of labour and minister of transport, and Hussein Majali, who was holding the portfolios of the interior and municipal affairs.
After the reshuffle, Katamine was the exception. He kept his post as labour minister but was also tasked to handle tourism portfolio.
Ensour appointed three political activists on his team. Two are from the Islamic Centrist Party: Thneibat and Dawood.
Kalaldeh was the leader of the Social Leftist Movement and a political activist who called for speeding up the political reform process.
The government members were sworn in Wednesday before His Majesty King Abdullah except for the awqaf minister who was abroad.
Cabinet list
Following is the list of Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour’s Cabinet members:
- Abdullah Ensour: Prime Minister and Minister of Defence
- Amin Mahmoud: Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
- Mohammad Thneibat: Minister of Education
- Nasser Judeh: Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs
- Hussein Majali: Minister of Interior
- Hatem Halawani: Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply
- Hazem Nasser: Minister of Water and Irrigation
- Akef Zu’bi: Minister of Agriculture
- Taher Shakhshir: Minister of Environment
- Umayya Toukan: Minister of Finance
- Khleef Al Khawaldeh: Minister of Public Sector Development
- Nidal Katamine: Minister of Labour and Minister of Tourism and Antiquities
- Ahmad Ziadat: Minister of State for Prime Ministry Affairs
- Walid Masri: Minister of Municipal Affairs
- Ibrahim Saif: Minister of Planning and International Cooperation
- Mohammad Momani: Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications
- Reem Abu Hassan: Minister of Social Development
- Mohammad Hamed: Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources
- Sami Halaseh: Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Bassam Talhouni: Minister of Justice
- Ali Hiasat: Minister of Health
- Salameh Neimat: Minister of State
- Hayel Dawood: Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs
- Khaled Kalaldeh: Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs
- Lana Mamkegh: Minister of Culture
- Lina Shbeeb: Minister of Transport
- Azzam Sleit: Minister of Information and Communications Technology
By:Hani Hazaimeh
Source:http://jordantimes.com/govt-reshuffle-sees-13-ministers-in-five-out
