His Majesty King Abdullah said Wednesday he seeks an election law that fairly represents voters throughout the Kingdom and that meaningful change to the Elections Law exceeds the matter of cancelling the controversial one-person, one-vote system.

King Abdullah made the remarks at a meeting with representatives of the Wihdat refugee camp, where he said the government is working seriously to restore the rights of citizens who were treated unjustly following Jordan's 1988 disengagement from the West Bank.

“We do not accept that any citizen suffers injustice,” the King added, in reference to many Jordanians of Palestinian origin, whose citizenship has been revoked by the Ministry of Interior.

The King has directed the incumbent government to revisit files of these individuals to make sure that they were not subject to injustice.

Stressing that national unity is a key pillar of the state, he called on all to be vigilant and confront anyone who undermines “this sacred unity”.

The King talked about the urgent need for reform and said: “We want to proceed quickly as citizens want something new.”

He expressed hope that the National Dialogue Committee will complete the drafting of new elections and political parties law ahead of the three-month deadline that has been set for it. The panel should come up with legislation that “opens a new chapter for the future of Jordan and Jordanians”.

“I said more than once that there is nothing to fear in reformm and we are serious in this regard,” the King said.

King Abdullah urged the private and public sectors to work to solve citizens' problems related to poverty and unemployment and creating new jobs as there is a need for 60,000 jobs every year while the government can create only 10,000.

“Our concern at this stage is the economic situation and the problems of unemployment and poverty. We should develop partnership between the two sectors and attract more job-generating investments.”

King Abdullah also instructed the government to address the needs and requirements of the Wihdat refugee camp and enhance services in the area, which is home to about 55,000 people.

The King called for forming a camp committee to determine priorities and present them to the government and the Royal Court for implementation.

At the meeting, Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit stressed Jordan's position on defending the Palestinian issue and the right of return and compensation for the Palestinian refugees.

Concerning the impact of the 1988 disengagement from the West Bank, the premier said the King had instructed the government to study the issue and ensure justice and said that the Kingdom under Hashemite leadership does not accept that anyone is dealt with unjustly.

He called on any citizen who believes that he or she has been mistreated or denied rights to report their complaints to authorities, vowing that he would personally look into their cases.

The premier added that Jordan supports the Palestinian National Authority and said King Abdullah is the main defender of Palestinian rights in the international arena.

He also spoke of Jordan's position on UNRWA, the UN agency that provides services and humanitarian relief to Palestinian refugee communities in Jordan and the region. He Jordan continues to support the agency politically and financially and exerts diplomatic efforts globally to sustain UNRWA.

“We are aware that there are international entities which want and try to close down this agency which has evolved as a symbol of the Palestinian plight,” he said.

Noting that Jordan is home to 41 per cent of the Palestinian refugees in the agency's five operation areas, Bakhit added that the Kingdom spends more than UNRWA to enhance the situation of refugee camps.

Bakhit added that a plot of land will be allocated for charity societies which care for orphaned children and persons with special needs to build offices, while the government will study other needs.

Wajih Azaizeh, director of Palestinian Affairs Department, voiced appreciation for the King's support for Palestinian refugees in the Kingdom.

“We are in a country where we are not afraid of each other, but are concerned about each other,” he said.

Fahed Bayyari, former president of Al Wihdat Club and a member of the National Dialogue Committee, said that national unity was paramount.

“The Hashemites are the guarantee for us and our rights. We live in an oasis of safety and security,” he said.

Also stressing on the need to preserve national unity, Mohammad Al Kouz, a local community leader said: “Jordanians of Palestinian origin are with the Hashemites… We are one nation, and we are all with you.”

“No one supports us and our cause like the Hashemites do. We will never forget your support for the Palestinian issue,” he added.

Camp representatives reviewed the camp's requirements and expressed appreciation for the royal makruma in support of health, education, infrastructure and assistance for the needy in Wihdat.

They proposed opening new roads in the camp and suggested allowing the restriction on residential building height to be amended from two floors to three or four floors. They said this was necessary to help the camp absorb natural population growth.

Noting the large number of street peddlers and stalls in the area supporting families, they also suggested designating a plot of land to regulate the work of street vendors and reduce traffic congestion in the camp, which they said suffers from overcrowding and traffic jams.