His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday stressed that ensuring justice and equality for public employees and addressing all forms of discrimination, imbalances, injustice and arbitrary measures against them are key to public sector reform.

King Abdullah emphasised that “a secure work environment that encourages loyalty and creativity positively impacts the quality of services offered to citizens and enhances their confidence in public institutions”.

During a visit to the Ombudsman Bureau yesterday, the King highlighted the role of the bureau in serving justice and helping people restore their rights. He stressed that boosting law enforcement, transparency, fairness, neutrality and credibility are basic pillars of the comprehensive reform process.

The King  instructed the government to provide the Ombudsman Bureau with the support and facilities it needs to continue to carry out its duties professionally and competently.

Touring several sections of the bureau, His Majesty listened to citizens who were filing complaints with the agency against public administration’s measures and decisions, including ministries, municipalities and all other public institutions. He also listened to a briefing presented by Ombudsman Bureau Chairman Abdul Ilah Kurdi on the agency’s duties, achievements and future plans.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit, Royal Court Chief Khaled Karaki, the King’s media adviser, Amjad Adaileh, and Royal Court Adviser Amer Hadidi.

Kurdi said the bureau, receiving 15-30 complaints daily, has embarked on a strategy to reach out to citizens in all governorates, to receive their complaints and spread awareness on the role of the bureau as a public institution working towards enhancing good governance.

The Ombudsman Bureau received 2,716 complaints in 2009, 1,239 of which were accepted while the rest were rejected on grounds that they did not fall within the jurisdiction of the bureau. Established in 2008 as a financially and administratively independent monitoring entity, the Ombudsman Bureau has been looking into complaints and petitions raised by citizens against public administration and public sector employees. The bureau reports to the Council of Ministers.