Jordan is capable of turning challenges into opportunities, with the main challenge currently facing the country being adequate and swift implementation of political and economic reforms, His Majesty King Abdullah said on Sunday.

At a meeting with former prime ministers who led the country’s successive governments since 1971, King Abdullah voiced support for a speedy reform process based on the enactment of necessary legislation and guaranteeing the integrity of the comprehensive reform process.

His Majesty pointed out that the work of governments is accumulative and each of the prime ministers present at the meeting made his contributions to the country’s achievement, noting that his meeting with them reflected his keenness to communicate with all components of Jordanian society.

“We will stay in touch with you to get your views on the roadmap to reforms and the challenges ahead,” the King said. “Your accumulative experience will help our homeland at this stage,” the King continued, emphasising the need for such meetings “to decide what is best for Jordan”.

His Majesty said he was satisfied with the performance of “the new teams in government and at the General Intelligence Department, because they are aware of what is required at the present stage”. “Now we have to march forward. With all the mistakes and all the challenges, it is necessary for us to work together as one team,” he stressed.

“We are proceeding from a position of strength today and we will turn challenges into opportunities to build a better future for Jordan,” King Abdullah told the former premiers.

“As for political reform, we are moving forward seriously and we have a lot of work ahead of us. We want to work with confidence, seriousness and transparency. I believe we will succeed in political reform.”

His Majesty continued that the envisioned political reform includes drafting legislation for fair parliamentary elections. He added that similar efforts are required to tackle the “difficult” economic situation.

Also at the meeting, Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh explained that the essence of the Jordanian Constitution is to have an elected government accountable before Parliament, highlighting the “good” relationship between the government and the House of Representatives.

Former premiers took turn to comment on the current situation and suggest solutions to address the various challenges.

Ahmad Lozi said reform is everyone’s responsibility, noting that achieving economic reform is the hardest task due to the Kingdom’s meagre resources and limited capabilities.

Zeid Rifai said the difficult economic conditions are the reason behind popular movements, noting that Jordan’s private sector is the one providing job opportunities, as the Kingdom needs 80,000 job opportunities annually, of which the government can only provide 5,000.

Ahmad Obeidat said street protests are continuing because of a prevailing public feeling that the Lower House does not adequately represent the people. Stressing that reforms must focus on separating the three authorities, Obeidat noted that the regime’s legitimacy is undisputable. He also warned against tribal leanings that affect national unity and called for a better management of public spending.

Taher Masri agreed that some tribal loyalties could shake the foundations of the state and society, noting that the most important thing is preserving the cohesion of the Jordanian community. He also called for rebuilding trust between citizens and officials. Highlighting the need to combat corruption, Masri said a strategic action plan needs to be set up and implemented collectively under the King’s supervision.

Rejecting the “pessimistic perspective” on current developments, Abdul Salam Majali said the country has made several achievements, while mistakes can be addressed. He called for teaching children civic education and democracy since an early age and highlighted decentralisation as the “feasible solution” to development-related problems.

Abdul Karim Kabariti said the 1991 National Charter could be used as a national unity law and called for reviving the National Agenda, a document that sets the country’s priorities for a decade, as an executive tool to implement the charter.

Meanwhile, Fayez Tarawneh criticised groups that advocate dialogue in theory but do not practise it in reality.

Jordan’s popular movements are different from those in the region, said Abdur-Rau’f S. Rawabdeh, who added that protests in Jordan merely want to reform the system, and have had the advantage of uncovering a lot of the flaws in public life.

For his part, Ali Abul Ragheb warned against “moral and social chaos” and the danger posed by some electronic media outlets. He said that the end of the protests can only be brought by fair elections that produce a strong government that can manage state affairs efficiently.

Adnan Badran said no one can underestimate the Kingdom’s achievements, calling for accelerating the political reform process, because economic reform needs a democratic umbrella.

Marouf Bakhit said we do not need a national charter as much as we need a clear national working programme for the year 2012, highlighting the importance of holding parliamentary elections this year.

Also at the meeting, Nader Dahabi said the difficult economic conditions facing the Kingdom are the main reasons behind citizens’ frustration, also calling for holding parliamentary elections as soon as possible.

Samir Rifai said economic problems are not being properly addressed due to contradictions in some economic policies and a mix-up between the concepts of corruption, debt and deficit. He warned that continuing the current spending policy instead of focusing on capital spending may have grave consequences, including a widening budget deficit. Rifai added that 2012 will be a year of challenges and opportunities, noting that the current unrest in the region presents an opportunity for Jordan to attract investments and partner with the private sector.