His Majesty King Abdullah received the Parliament’s reply on Sunday to the Speech from the Throne, which was delivered at the opening of its ordinary session on November 15, during a ceremony held at Raghadan Palace.

In the Senate’s reply, President Faisal Fayez said that Jordan had turned into a unique model and an oasis of security and stability in the midst of a region plagued by destruction, killing and terrorism, as it presses along its path of democratisation to build a modern state and make “successive achievements on all tracks despite being in the eye of the storm”. He went on to say that “The Speech with which you inaugurated the 17th Parliament's ordinary session was deep in content with a clear vision that delineates the path to a secure and prosperous Jordan, which, thanks to your wise leadership, managed to turn challenges into opportunities and difficulties into successes”.

“You have been the pioneer truthful to your people, the beacon and the guide as we hold the historic responsibility and persevere to move forward with our homeland’s progress, particularly in political reform along which we gradually and constantly made wide strides out of our commitment to the option of comprehensive reform according to our national priorities” he said; noting that the Senate had passed the decentralisation draft law, which, along with the municipalities law, will compliment the political reform drive and fulfill “Your Majesty’s vision by deepening citizens’ participation in decision-making and boosting development in their regions while ensuring a fair distribution of its dividends”.

Fayez pledged that the Senate will accomplish without delay the elections law, the backbone of political reform, boost the democratisation process, expand popular participation in political life and upgrade parliamentary work towards the formation of parliamentary governments as envisioned by King Abdullah.

He told the ceremony, attended by royal family members and senior officials, that enhancing human rights, integrity and transparency are the key pillar of justice, equality and accountability, pledging to endorse the integrity and anti-corruption draft law when passed to the chamber.

Noting the King’s emphasis that the economy and improving people’s living conditions are the paramount challenge, Fayez said the Senate viewed with concern the high employment rate and the country’s rising debt despite achievements made in fiscal policy and the reduction in the budget deficit.

He said the Senate valued the His Majesty's directives to the government to submit a draft law to set up a Jordanian investment fund to attract local and Arab investment and accomplish national development projects to prop up the economy, pledging cooperation with the government and Lower House to achieve the royal initiative. The Senate president also said the Kingdom should press ahead with energy diversification projects and increase reliance on clean domestic energy sources, stressing that the sector’s development should go hand in hand with that of transport, water and Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

He also stressed revamping education as a top government priority to ensure that education output caters to labour market needs.

Fayez said Jordan remained the staunchest supporter and defender of the Palestinian cause and that the Kingdom’s strength and resilience is a big support to the Palestinian brethren, pledging that the Senate stands behind the King in this endeavour and in facing “the vicious onslaught” until the end of the occupation and the setting up of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. He urged the international community to live up to its responsibility towards the Syrian refugees and provide enough aid to ease the burdens of hosting them, noting the tremendous cost they had posed on the Kingdom’s economy and infrastructure.

In his reply, Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh said that the His Majesty’s speech underlined “your keenness on the soundness of our democratic process and deepening its roots and opening horizons to elevate it to the level our people are worthy of in their aspirations for participation and development”.

He said that despite the colossal challenges “our region is going through, we were able to turn all challenges into opportunities and keep abreast of the comprehensive reform approach that aims to build on achievements and steadily and confidently move forward within our national priorities to build the future”.

Tarawneh said the House will live up to its role and pass reform-centred legislations, noting the passage of the municipalities and decentralisation laws that will broaden participation and grant more powers to local administrations in the governorates. He said the legislature will pass the elections law “in a manner that guarantees fair representation and advances reforms towards parliamentary governments”. He noted that the King attached great importance to the betterment of quality of life and improving living conditions as an utmost priority, which required the implementation of job-creating projects to alleviate the problems of poverty and unemployment.

“It is high time we liberalize our economy from the strains that hamper its growth and boom, and that we ensure self-reliance, utilise and invest in our national resources, enhance production, provide expertise and efficient management and coordinate the efforts of the public and private sectors”, he said.

The House chief said investment should be directed towards the vital strategic sectors of energy, water and transport to achieve economic stability, stressing the need to absorb the advancements in the information and communications technology sector and boost its competitiveness to employ the youth.

He noted that the Palestine issue is on top of the Jordanian diplomacy as a fair, central cause and a higher national interest for the Kingdom, pledging the House’s support of His Majesty’s position as custodian of holy shrines in Jerusalem in defending the city and stopping any attempts to change the status quo at the holy sites.

The House speaker also said the lawmakers shared the King’s view that terrorism and extremism are the biggest danger and that terror gangs, or the Khwarej outlaws (of Islam), threatened the world and the region and that facing them is a regional as well as a global responsibility, but is in reality a war of the Muslims.

He said the House will continue supporting security forces and also expressed pride in national unity, adding that the country will remain a model for its cohesion and co-existence of its people of all faiths and origins.