His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday urged governors to maintain constant contact with citizens, heed their pleas and meet their demands, in cooperation with concerned authorities.

During a meeting at the Royal Court on Sunday with the governors, King Abdullah said he felt that there is not sufficient contact and communication with citizens to learn about their problems and meet their needs, especially under the difficult economic circumstances Jordanians are going through.

“Citizens must feel that the government is there to serve them,” he said.

Underscoring the role of governors, he said they should assist in preparing development plans which meet citizens’ needs and help in outlining their priorities and increasing their participation in the decision-making process.

This necessitates new mechanisms to activate the role of the executive and the consultative councils in each governorate, the King said at the meeting, which was also attended by Prime Minister Fayez Tarawneh.

“Although we are going through a period of transition in our political reform drive, citizens have daily needs that cannot be put off or delayed, and it is our duty to meet these needs,” the King told the officials.

There are simple demands that can and must be fulfilled without citizens having to go to the capital city of Amman, the King elaborated. “We have high confidence in citizens,” the King said, citing a high degree of awareness the public has shown of the current circumstances. “Therefore, it is our duty to listen to them and meet their requirements because our main target in all these efforts, including political reform, is improving citizens’ living standards,” he reiterated.

The King also highlighted the Governorates Development Fund, pointing out that governors must participate in outlining investment opportunities and productive projects to be financed by the JD150 million fund so they can assist in creating job opportunities for “our sons and daughters who are unemployed in the governorates”.

The King directed the government to follow up on issues brought up by the governors and to provide the officials with sufficient support in coordination with the concerned bodies.

Last Monday, King Abdullah chaired a meeting on the Fund, during which ministers highlighted its goals and its projected contributions to income-generating projects with the participation of local community members.