By Agence France Presse (AFP)

Monday, February 28, 2011

AMMAN: Jordan’s prime minister pledged Sunday to bring “true and gradual” reforms, a day after the opposition threatened more pressure on the government, accusing it of not taking the process seriously.

“The government is not practicing a policy of containment. It is implementing a methodology of true and gradual reforms to achieve national objectives,” Prime Minister Maaruf Bakhit told MPs in his policy statement.
“We will continue our drive for political reforms, rationally review socio-economic policies and tackle errors and failures,” the state-run Petra news agency quoted him as saying in Parliament.

King Abdullah II sacked the government of Samir Rifai on Feb. 1, and named Bakhit as the head of a Cabinet tasked with introducing general reforms. “The government will review laws which form the foundation of democracy and political life, including the electoral law,” said Bakhit, who is seeking a parliamentary vote of confidence in his leadership.

“The government will comprehensively evaluate and review press and freedom of expression laws and take effective measures to address past errors because it realizes the need for a free press.”

The powerful Islamic Action Front, the largest opposition party, said Saturday the regime needs to introduce reforms in order to survive.

“The regime must understand that it must reform to survive, and that the longer it delays, the louder the calls for change will become,” Zaki Bani Rsheid, a member of IAF, told AFP.

Several thousand people demonstrated in Amman in a “Day of Anger” Friday to call for political reforms – in the largest demonstration since protests began in January.
Jordanians have been protesting against the rising cost of living, but their numbers and demands escalated after the ouster of former Tunisian president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali on Jan. 14 to include political reforms and the fall of the government. – AFP