His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday honoured several workers for their contribution to the Kingdom’s development process at a ceremony marking Labour Day.
King Abdullah met with 130 workers over a lunch banquet at Basman Palace and spoke to them about several issues, including the challenges they face. The King voiced appreciation for the workers and their dedication to work, which he said “represents a model of good citizenship”.
On May 1, the King addressed Jordan’s workers on the occasion of Labour Day, urging them to focus on entrepreneurship in their professional lives to help build and develop Jordan. In this year’s Labour Day letter, His Majesty said the Kingdom has a generation of creative and pioneering workers who can turn their ideas into exemplary projects and businesses.
His Majesty said Jordanian workers have built a reputation for the Kingdom as a modern country whose qualified labour force is a “main ingredient of the Jordanian culture of excellence” and “one of the foremost characteristics of Jordanian identity”.
For their part, the labourers hailed the King’s commitment to enhancing workers’ living conditions, adding that global social and economic challenges warrant hard work and dedication.
During the ceremony, worker Malak Akar, who works as a production line coordinator at a clothing company in Southern Shuneh, delivered a poem on the need for youth to work with their utmost potential and defy the culture of shame.
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Royal Decree endorses new government
Amman, 2 May 2012
A Royal Decree was issued Wednesday endorsing a new government formed by Prime Minister-designate Fayez Tarawneh.
Following are the members of Prime Minister Fayez Tarawneh's Cabinet, sworn-in before His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday:
1. Fayez Tarawneh: Prime Minister and Minister of Defence
2. Abdul Salam Abbadi: Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs
3. Suleiman Hafez: Minister of Finance
4. Nasser Judeh: Minister of Foreign Affairs
5. Sharary Shakhanbeh: Minister of Parliamentary Affairs
6. Alaa Batayneh: Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources
7. Ghaleb Zu’bi: Minister of Interior
8. Jafar Hassan: Minister of Planning and International Cooperation
9. Mohammad Najjar: Minister of Water and Irrigation
10. Wajih Owais: Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
11. Yahya Kisbi: Minister of Public Works and Housing
12. Atef Tal: Minister of Information and Communications Technology
13. Wajih Azaizeh: Minister of Social Development
14. Abdul Latif Wreikat: Minister of Health
15. Salah Jarrar: Minister of Culture
16. Yaseen Khayyat: Minister of Environment
17. Khleif Al Khawaldeh: Minister of Public Sector Development
18. Nayef Al Fayez: Minister of Tourism and Antiquities
19. Ahmad Khattab: Minister of Agriculture
20. Mahir Abul Samin: Minister of Municipal Affairs
21. Atef Odeibat: Minister of Labour
22. Shabib Ammari: Minister of Industry and Trade
23. Khalifah Suleiman: Minister of Justice
24. Fayez Saudi: Minister of Education
25. Kamel Saeed: Minister of Prime Ministry Affairs and Legislation
26. Nufan Ajarmeh: Minister of Political Development
27. Hashem Masaeed: Minister of Transport
28. Samih Maaytah: Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications and Government Spokesperson
29. Yousef Jazi: Minister of State
30. Nadia Hashem: Minister of State for Women’s Affairs
Tarawneh said on Wednesday that the government will translate His Majesty King Abdullah’s reform vision into facts on the ground, adding that his team will continue the reform process to fulfil the Jordanian people’s aspirations for the country’s future.
“The spirit of commitment in performing our duties and serving our country dictates that every Jordanian act with the highest level of discipline as they carry out their missions... A government’s significance has nothing to do with its life span, and much to do with the missions it is entrusted to carry out,” Tarawneh said in his reply to the Letter of Designation.
Tarawneh said his government will be a transitional one, in line with the Constitution, and it will complete the reforms initiated in previous stages.
The Prime Minister-designate underlined that the government will work in cooperation with all parties and commit itself to the principle of separation of powers. “Your government will meet your expectations, build on the achievements of previous governments, and cooperate with other constitutional institutions, foremost of which is the legislature, to enact the laws on political parties, the constitutional court and elections, along with any other reform-related piece of legislation.”
Tarawneh said the Law on the Independent Elections Commission for the Year 2012 was one of the key legislative achievements, pledging to send to the King on Thursday the recommendations of the heads of the executive, legislative and judicial authorities on members of the Commission. “The Commission will run and oversee the electoral process, serving as a guarantor of its integrity and fairness,” he said.
Tarawneh said the elections law is the backbone of the reform process, adding that the government will cooperate with Parliament to enact a law that reflects the political orientations and demands of all Jordanians and their political and social powers. He stressed that the law will ensure the widest possible representation in the coming Lower House, serve the reform objectives and set the stage for the inception of future parliamentary governments.
Tarawneh pledged that his government will conduct municipal elections according to the law and in a way that enhances public participation in decision making and enables municipal institutions to play their important role in development.
“The government will reach out to Jordanians in their different locations in the political, economic and social arenas, through direct communication and fieldwork. Through this, we seek to reach as much of a national consensus as possible on the major issues and challenges at hand, out of the belief that true democracy represents the view of the majority, but no one has monopoly over the truth,” said the premier.
On the media, Tarawneh wrote in the letter that his government will carry out the mandate outlined in the Letter of Designation and “will work to benefit from all strategies and efforts exerted in the past to develop the media, in cooperation with the media sector and concerned NGOs.”
The Prime-Minister designate said the fight against corruption is part of the comprehensive reform process and promised to refer to the judiciary all suspected corruption cases, as directed by the Designation Letter.
Tarawneh also touched on the economic challenges facing the country, saying that the government will adopt policies and economic reform programmes to increase economic activity and address the Kingdom’s financial woes. He pledged that his government will also take all necessary steps to rationalise and control public spending.