Jordan News

Emad Abdel Karim

Social networking sites have been buzzing after Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya’s decision to continue concerts and musical gatherings that have permission and prior approvals, at a time when regulatory and epidemiological authorities are calling to stop all forms of gatherings for fear of the new mutations of the Corona virus that struck several countries, the latest of which is the mutant (Omicron).

The Minister of the Interior’s decision came in response to the decision of the Governor of the Capital, which was provoked by videos spread on social media of a huge concert on Abdali Boulevard in the center of the capital, Amman, to issue orders to prevent the holding of any celebrations or concerts within the limits of the capital, but the Governor’s decision did not last hours until it was cancelled. from the Minister of the Interior.

What happened Thursday evening until Friday noon of contradictory decisions between the governor of the capital and the Minister of Interior reflects a simple picture of government confusion in managing the Corona crisis, in which everyone is working hard and does not know who the decision is or who the references whose decision is taken.

Several weeks ago, the Minister of Interior issued a decision banning the establishment of mourning houses or parties and weddings under penalty of perjury, and today it is allowed to hold a musical gathering, the number of attendees is close to 10 weddings in Jordanian cities and villages. Why this confusion in decisions? Where are the references that preserve the integrity of the procedures and decisions taken by the government? Did the Minister of Interior or the Defense Order override?

Government confusion and decisions that made the street lose confidence

For his part, the head of the Parliamentary Health and Environment Committee, Dr. Farid Haddad, said, “I am not surprised by the government’s confusion with decisions related to confronting the Corona virus. These committees have sufficient expertise to assess the current situation that the country is going through and are able to give the right advice that is reflected in the health and safety of the community.

He added, in statements to “Akhbar Al-Jordan”, that as long as the advice was directed to the Minister of Health, the health media should be unified and non-vibrating and give a sound health and awareness message free from chaos and skepticism.

Haddad criticized the official and private health authorities for causing chaos by appearing on satellite channels and social media and giving messages about the virus and the epidemiological situation in a contradictory manner, which was negatively reflected and gave an adverse reaction to the taking of vaccinations and the demand for them.

He stressed the need for government decisions regarding the Corona pandemic to stem from touching the reality of the scientific situation and based on scientific data to limit the spread of the epidemic away from confusion and dependence on the experiences of other countries or through unrealistic office decisions, and to ensure that our priorities are health and restoring the confidence of the citizen That we are managing the scene with care and effectiveness, and that our health sector is our weapon on which we rely in confronting the virus.

No necessity, no gain from artists’ parties

The head of the Parliamentary Health and Environment Committee, Dr. Farid Haddad, considered that the absolute and wide openness that we are witnessing in festivals and concerts is not an urgent necessity, and that it is without gains or economic reasons.

He added that these gatherings, parties, and festivals are not necessarily the ultimate in our lives, and they also give strong opportunities for the epidemic to spread in society at a time when we are stressing the gatherings of government institutions, schools and universities and stopping most of the activities in them, and on the other hand we go to the options of gatherings and singing festivals, so what is the message that we want to convey from that?.

Haddad was surprised by the government decisions that approve the holding of these gatherings and musical festivals with this crowd of people in attendance, and he reassured them in their establishment, and we note later the lack of discipline in them and the lack of public safety means in addition to the lack of distance between attendance and gathering in a narrow space in front of the theater or the artist’s stage.

He pointed out that the vaccination is not a final matter in allowing this openness, as most citizens received the vaccinations 6 months ago and after this period the strength of the vaccine weakens and the person becomes vulnerable to infection because the virus is still strong and develops its effectiveness from time to time, as we recently witnessed the emergence of the Omicron mutant, which has spread to several countries Its features are still not clear to us.

Haddad asked: Where is the absolute necessity for an Arab singer or artist to come to perform a concert in Jordan in the middle of winter? And what are the economic gains that we derive from that? He added, “Yes, we want an economy and people’s interest in a better living, but we want their health first, and the matter requires more care and seriousness.

He pointed out that we note that the government’s decisions do not keep pace with the epidemiological situation in which we are living so far, because HIV infections have touched 6 thousand cases, after we reached less than 20 cases, in addition to the occupancy of more than 50% of hospital beds in the inductive care departments in a number of governorates, which It indicates that we are approaching the red lines of the disease.

Cessation or continuation of concerts requires a notification from the Prime Minister

Legal expert and professor of constitutional law, Dr. Layth Nasrawi, said that the decision of the Minister of Interior is administratively enforceable, since the governor of the capital follows him in the administrative hierarchy, and therefore there is no defect in the decision taken by the minister or an override of powers, since the minister is administratively responsible for the affairs of the ministry and what is issued by it.

He added, in a statement to “Akhbar Al-Jordan”, that the content of the decision that stops the musical celebrations and artistic gatherings needs a government decision or a cabinet decision, whether to stop them or allow them, since we are still working with the Defense Law that manages and controls government decisions taken regarding the Corona pandemic, and therefore it was necessary to From issuing a communication from the Prime Minister to stop the concerts.

In this regard, the former Minister of State for Legal Affairs and former head of the Legislation Bureau, Noufan Al-Ajarmeh, confirmed what the legal and constitutional expert Laith Al-Nasraween said, as he posted on his Facebook account a tweet in which he said: “The defense order is an administrative and organizational decision that only those who issued it or any authority can modify it. Others are higher than him, and accordingly what was issued by the Minister of Interior (regarding parties) is legally sound, and there is no excuse for him in this regard.”

The plurality of parties and many statements confuse the scene

The legal expert and professor of constitutional law, Dr. Laith Nasrawi, believes that the governor’s decision is an appreciative decision for the situation that happened, while we are calling for tightening and imposing restrictions on various gatherings and events, we see the establishment of such gatherings in violation of the decisions imposed and followed by state agencies.

Nasrawin criticized the pluralism of the authorities responsible for the Corona file, and said that we are witnessing dozens of statements and media appearances for multiple parties, and each party speaks with a different or different point of view, and it is necessary to grant powers to one party to manage the file, and its decisions are binding on all sectors.

Haste and disrespect for the governor’s decision

For his part, the Jordanian Journalists Syndicate, Colleague Rakan Al-Saeedh, believes that the decision of the Minister of Interior was issued quickly and came in response to the governor’s decision, and carried with it distrust and respect for a responsible decision by the governor of the capital.

Al-Saeeda posted a tweet on his personal Facebook page, in which he said: “The Minister of Interior could have handled the governor’s decision regarding the celebrations in a way that was more respectful of the governor.”