A fairly sensational report in al Quds al Arabi today claims that the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood is ending its long truce with the regime and is demanding comprehensive political reforms. It reports on an "unprecedented" statement "extreme in its tone" demanding an end to the "current condition of hypocrisy" and to rescue Jordan from its misguided path. The statement by Parliamentary MB representatives from the IAF demanded an elected government based on the principle of the rotation of power and constitutional changes allowing for the expression of the free will of the people. I'm not sure how seriously to take the QA story - the statement didn't seem all that exceptional to me, and I'm not quite sure where this MB initiative is supposed to be coming from - but thought it was worth mentioning.
This comes on the heels of intense Parliamentary criticism of the recent Jordanian initiative to the Arab summit, which MPs complained accomplished nothing other than hurting Jordan's image and opening it up to unfair attacks.
Al Jazeera reports that the Jordanian coalition of opposition parties also issued a statement rejecting the draft political parties law due to be discussed in Parliament.
Finally, the professional associations law remains a live issue; apparently the associations were allowed to hold a 'political' event commemorating the battle of Karameh, a Jordanian national holiday of sorts, which some observers saw as an olive branch towards some kind of common ground. It's unclear if that is really the case.
Why did King Abdullah act so rashly and unwisely by going to Washington...he should have just gone to Algiers and played it cool. What do they teach those boys at Sandhurst?
Hmm...I wonder what Prince Hassan is up to?
Posted by: Nur al-Cubicle | March 31, 2005 at 11:09 AM