The Government with the most difficult tasks

In practical terms one cannot envy the Prime Minister of Jordan on his job right n ow .

It is true that being a Prime Minister brings with it a great social status and high political portfolio but at the end of the day the governance of a country like Jordan is a very tedious task. Under the current political, economic and emerging social conditions this task must be addressed by officials who bring with them an enormous magnitude of determination, honesty and creativity.

The new government headed by Mr. Samir Rifai may have the most difficult task of any government in Jordan, at least during the past thirty years.

The Government will begin its term with a large budgetary deficit, without the prospect of large external grants and is forced to freeze the capital expenditures, even those with a development orientation. This means need for prudent fiscal policies and coordination especially between the Ministries of Finance and Planning.

The Government also finds itself in the face of regional political risks especially the spread of the extreme right in Israel and the lack of prospects for a peaceful solution in the near future, plus the worst division in the history of Palestinian political system that adds new burdens on Jordan to be in the leading positions seeking to break the political deadlock.

This task requires considerable political experience in the cabinet or at least creating a "unit for strategic thinking" in the Prime Ministry that will monitor the political climate and provide smart policy options for the government at the global and regional political front.

The government finds itself in the face of exceptional internal challenges, including the process of decentralization and local councils' elections and then parliamentary elections that will all be conducted in 2010. Achieving this task properly requires flexibility and transparency from the Interior Ministry with real beliefs in the values of transparency and popular participation, which were advocated by the King in his letter of designation.

This will require a strong paradigm shift from the current mentality at the Ministry of Interior. Challenges do not stop at this point as the government needs to design and implement innovative and efficient policies in the sectors of energy, health, water, agriculture, education, combating poverty, unemployment and protecting the achievements in the fields of telecommunications, information technology, tourism, environment, industry and trade. Those sectors form the foundations of sustainable development and all depend on the efficient management of scarce resources.

Another major challenge is the increase in the proportion of social tension between citizens themselves and between citizens and the state, which may reflect a state of decline in trust that needs to be restored and repaired based on the open communication between the state and citizens

Experience has taught us that it is not wise to adhere to be preconceived perspectives, whether positive or negative, but the viability of the new government will depend on both integrity and efficiency.

The King in his letter of designation instructed the government to develop and implement four codes of honor that may create an integrated system of integrity values. If implemented properly and firmly the codes of honor will define the principles of evaluating the performance of the cabinet as well as to abolish the blackmail behavior that was shown by the majority of the former members of parliament to seek personal and tribal benefits from the government. In addition, the efficiency of public delivery depends on the harmony of the ministerial team and the existence of the principle of accountability.

This is a huge burden on the government, but we can still look with optimism and consider that there is a new beginning which includes aspirations for change. I hope that each member of the new ministerial team will realize the difficult tasks ahead of him/her and be willing to work in a way that requires more sacrifices than advantages. We all know that we no longer can afford the options of failures and sluggish process.