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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2012 10:40:21 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2012 5:18:14 GMT
This editorial from an Emirati newspaper seems to indicate that King Abdullah is making the right moves -- although systematically dissolving parliament every time there is a problem seems rather simplistic to me.
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Post by onlymark on Oct 8, 2012 7:29:54 GMT
I am aware, obviously, of the situation here and follow it as much as I can. I'd like to avoid the problems associated with security that I had in Egypt as regards running road blocks, pushing tanks out of the way etc. (which I'm not sure I posted on here). Quite if the King is following the correct path, only time will tell. What I can say is that not only the people but the security forces do have a different mentality than in Egypt. If you have a few minutes, which K2 I'm sure you do now, unless the cinema is to start soon and whilst your camera battery is recharging, you can peruse a little of the following articles of interest (to me at least). "The formation of the Constitutional Court on Saturday sent a positive message to the public that the reform process is going as planned, politicians said on Sunday." "........the establishment of the court reflects the state’s respect for the constitutional rights of its people by giving them the chance to challenge the legislative authority." "........that the formation of the court was necessary to ensure the separation of powers and democratic accountability."jordantimes.com/constitutional-court-will-boost-public-confidence-in-reformThen an article open to 'spin' from various sides, it seems the protest movement is becoming fragmented somewhat - jordantimes.com/mass-rally-reveals-growing-cracks-in-jordans-protest-movementIn the north of the country there is a large refugee camp. It appears that due to complaints over living conditions, there was a certain amount of violence and damage. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) have asked for the camp to be reduced in size to make it more manageable, which is now supposed to be happening. My initial thought, in not knowing the actual conditions - (which I'm thinking wouldn't be particularly horrendous considering it is Jordan and not the Sudan for example) - is that I'd be quite thankful to be in a safe place and out of Syria in any case. "Jordan follows an open-border policy, having granted refuge to over 200,000 Syrians since the outbreak of the crisis in March 2011."jordantimes.com/zaatari-camp-to-scale-down-in-wake-of-riotsMy prognosis, even taking in to account that you should never believe all you read, is still fairly bright for the situation here.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2012 11:21:32 GMT
I have really become allergic to the term "reforms" used in politics (it is a favourite in France as well) -- it reminds me of "new and improved" or "now even better" on packages at the supermarkets, i.e. "we knew we were selling you crap before so we'll make believe we've changed it."
I would prefer if they said "modernization" or "evolution" to conform to the changing times, but "reforms" means they knew it was bad to begin with.
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Post by onlymark on Nov 14, 2012 20:09:29 GMT
The future did seem quite bright in Jordan until the Government decided to reduce fuel and gas subsidies sparking protests - Jordan's prime minister announced price hikes for gas and other fuel, setting off demonstrations across the country and calls for general strikes. Protesters on Tuesday blamed Jordan's problems on King Abdullah II, who has the final say in all civic matters. They also demanded the resignation of the prime minister, a top aide of the king. Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour's announcement on state TV cited a need to offset $5 billion in state losses from a rising fuel bill. The news sparked protests in the capital, Amman, and at least 12 other cities across Jordan.www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/11/2012111464145140480.htmlI await what happens next.
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