So here’s how it played out: After weeks and weeks of rumors that fuel prices would be going up (rumors that usually prove to be true), the Prime Minister announced yesterday that no such thing would happen. Mind you, the rumors were in fact first started by the Jordanian media.
But in the same pitch, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Ziad Fariz, resigned, with the PM ‘urging’ the King to accept the resignation.
The premier did not link the finance minister’s resignation to the fuel prices decision. But an official source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Jordan Times that Fariz, who was said to be pressing for price rises to save the state’s finances, resigned on the backdrop of the Cabinet’s decision rejecting his recommendations. [source]
The government is searching for a little redemption here. It’s been battling election fraud, the Islamists, and a public that is sick of its very existance. So sick, that a lot of them have flooded public hospitals due to bad water and bad shawarmeh. And all this in less than 2 months. Public confidence in this government is at an all time low.
So you kind of have to appreciate the inside baseball of all this.
The resignation of Ziad Fariz was simply put, a sacrifice hit. The government has obviously been playing the media field (which it partly controls anyway) to build up fuel hike rumors, only to come in at the 11th hour and have the PM say, ‘Hey, not on my watch’. It’s then leaked to the media that the Finance Minister was ‘pressing for price rises’, thus painting the picture that the PM had to put up a fight with the biggest fiscal hawk in his own cabinet, only to come out swinging as the socialist champion; the defender of the common Jordanian, a man of the people. Robin Hood in a suit.
Suffice to say, it injects a breath of air into a hemorrhaging government that will need at least the appearance of strength to make sure Islamists don’t make any leads in the next elections.
Oh.
To put a cherry on top of all this, the PM got to announce only 2 days after the King dissolves Parliament, that parliamentary elections will be held on November 20.
This type of political maneuvering has been done before and people with a good sense of recent history will recall such incidents fairly easily. I have to admit, that politically speaking, this is actually one of the few highlights we get to munch on.
And as for fuel hikes.
There’s no doubt now that this government is playing out its final scene. When the curtain falls post-elections, expect the next government to raise fuel prices some time in the first quarter of 2008.
الله لا يقيمكو،رØÂتو وقÙÂتوامع أمريكا ÙˆØÂلاÙÂائه منالعرب الخونه ضذ العراق وشعيه،زيما بقول المثل،أليبزرع الخير بØÂصدخير،وليبزرع الشر بØÂصد الشر ،كانيجب عمل المستØÂيل لصد هذا العدوانالغاشم عليالعراق،ما قامت به هذه الØÂكومه المصديه،شئ لايغÙÂر له،،وتوقعوا المزيد منالمعانه،لسه ما شوÙÂتو أشÙÅ
Carry your problems forward explained!
Well, this is when democracy is manipulated to the maximum. The decisions are just about the same, but they’re only made by a different government, or a different party. It just shows you that decisions in Jordan, are not really made by decision-makers (how’s that for irony? Ha), but they are made by other forces. Like the WASPs, who make decisions for the USA, like the World Bank who force third world countries to certain decisions. You want a really good read? Confessions of an Economic Hitman. But beware, it gave me a three-day depression period, because it reveals how we are simply, consumers, figures, or just nobodys swirling in this world. We are tools for the hidden forces that make those decisions for us. But I guess everybody knows that already (or at least I’m hoping so).
الأردنيالØÂر أنا واثق تماما بأنك قد قمت بÙÂعل المستØÂيل لمنع العدوانالغاشم منموقعك ÙÂيالولايات المتØÂدة Ù†ÙÂسها. أتمنى لك التوÙÂيق وأنتØÂرص على التدÙÂئة الجيدة ÙÂيالشتاء بÙÂضل النÙÂØ· العراقيالمسروق أميركيا والذييستهلكه سكانالولايات المتØÂدة مثلك تماما.
Batir,, while Iam individual with limited ability that has always participated in in every mass demonstration against this naked aggression, ,I and along with my true Americans friends participated in mass demonstration to voice our disgust and opposition to this illegal immoral and unjust war, while “your” government have banned Jordanians to demonstrate and at the same time has been assisting and providing logistics and intelligence to the American Army to occupy and attack Iraq.
بتير ،روؠألعب غيرها،جايتلومنيوتلوم أشخاص مثليعليأØÂتلال العراق،أنا ومعيالملاينمنالشعب الامريكيالØÂر والمسالم أشتركنا ÙÂيكثير منالÙÂعاليات والمظهارات لوق٠هذاالعدونالغاشم عليدوله العراق،ولكنÙÂيالمقابل ØÂكومتك وعليرأسهم الملك عبدالله قد قام بتقديم كل المساعدات الجوستيكيه والمخابراتيه اليبوش والجيش الامريكيلØÂتلال العراق….