Jordan News

His Majesty King Abdullah II sent a message today, Sunday, to the sons and daughters of the country, on the occasion of his sixtieth birthday, in which he addressed the features of Jordan’s future within the framework of a comprehensive cross-governmental national vision in which everyone participates.

In the message, His Majesty stressed that this vision requires intensive efforts that build on strengths and address weaknesses in planning and implementation, in order to raise the level of performance in various sectors, and provide opportunities and services for all Jordanians.

His Majesty directed the Royal Hashemite Court to start organizing a national workshop, bringing together representatives of experts and specialists in the economic sectors, in cooperation with the government, to develop a comprehensive vision and a solid roadmap for the coming years.

His Majesty pointed out the importance of this vision guaranteeing the release of capabilities to achieve comprehensive and sustainable growth, which would double the job opportunities available to our sons and daughters, expand the middle class and raise the standard of living to ensure a better quality of life for citizens.

His Majesty said that he will follow up the implementation of this vision, so that, with its plans and programs, it forms the main basis for the assignment books for governments, in a way that ensures continuity of achievement for governments and officials, and prevents the reformulation of plans and strategies whenever one government replaces another.

In the message, His Majesty the King affirmed that in Jordan we are beginning the first year in the bicentenary of the life of our state, determined to build on what our fathers and grandfathers have accomplished, to continue the development process, and to overcome the challenges we face, with unrelenting determination, solid will, and sound institutional planning. With a clear view.

His Majesty said, “As I stand at the threshold of my sixty years of age, and our beloved country begins a new century of its life, I am reminded of the message of the Hashemites for which I vowed myself, as a soldier of the Arab army, and a Jordanian citizen who believes in this homeland, which is to serve the dear Jordan and its great people.”

Below is the text of the message:

“In the name of of Allah the Merciful

Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds, and prayers and peace be upon our master Muhammad, the faithful Arab Hashemite prophet.

Dear parents, daughters and sons of our proud Jordanian people,

Peace be upon you and God’s mercy and blessings be upon you,

We begin the first year in the bicentenary of the life of our state, determined to build on what our parents and grandparents have accomplished, to continue the development process, and to overcome the challenges we face, with unrelenting determination, solid will, sound institutional planning, and a clear vision.

Our proud people have proven over the past hundred years that difficulties only increase their determination to overcome them, and Jordan has proven that it is the land of goodness, and the homeland of achievement and excellence, despite its limited resources.

This year, as I stand at the threshold of my sixty years of age, and our beloved country begins a new century of its life, I am reminded of the message of the Hashemites, for which I vowed myself, as a soldier of the Arab army, and a Jordanian citizen who believes in this homeland, which is to serve the dear Jordan and its great people. I will not forget as long as I live, the words of my father Hussein, may God rest his soul, as he bid farewell to our world, that sincerity and loyalty to this fever is an honor and duty that we carry from generation to generation.

Difficulties have intensified in recent years, and our surroundings have been ignited by crises that cast a shadow over us. We have received hundreds of thousands of refugees, we have dealt with security challenges on our borders, vital trade routes have been cut off, and external support has declined, which has slowed our path, which has also suffered from weak work. Institutional reluctance to implement programs and plans, bureaucratic entrenchment, closing-down in the face of change, perversion of rumour, absence of rational and objective dialogue, in addition to the economic and social burdens left by the Corona crisis.

Yes, the march slowed down, but it did not stop, and I am very proud of what the Jordanians have accomplished, despite the difficulties and many challenges, to prove over and over again that their determination, will and awareness are stronger than the mightiest storms.

I realize, as you do, that our reality does not rise to the level of our ambition, and this is what we do not accept for our country.

I see the features of that future clearly. We want it to be a bright future in which we enhance our security and stability, and we proceed in the process of building to broader horizons of excellence, achievement and creativity. Our private sector, so opportunities increase on an equal level, we face poverty and unemployment with determination, reduce inequality, and launch our youth in the horizons of leadership and innovation.

We want a future whose title is excellence, and whose essence is creativity, a future that is open to change and development, that absorbs new ideas, embraces diversity, and broadens the base of our common denominators, so that we can remain a symbol of tolerance and altruism.

Achieving that vision requires from us intensive efforts that build on our strengths, and address all weaknesses in planning and implementation. We must raise the level of performance in various sectors, and provide all Jordanians with the opportunities and services they deserve.

We need to identify and implement effective steps to attract foreign investment, and to stimulate national investment. A clear road map with time limits must be drawn up to overcome the obstacles that hinder the growth of the private sector, and to address the negatives that taint the institutional work in the administrative sector in the country. Our goal is to seize every opportunity and remedy every defect, in order to provide a decent life and a comfortable life for all our people.

my brothers and sisters,

There are promising sectors whose stimulus and support will reflect positively on the overall performance of our economy. I directed the government to develop plans and programs to support these sectors, which include tourism, agriculture, advanced technology, and renewable energy. We must also do everything possible to develop the medical sector, so that Jordan will return as a major destination for tourism. treatment in our area.

We must open the widest horizons for our young entrepreneurs, and provide a competitive environment to incubate the industries of the future. Developing our educational system to meet the current and future needs of the labor market is a priority that the government has directed to focus on and provide all the capabilities necessary to achieve them.

We all know that the technological revolution provides an opportunity to re-engineer the public sector in innovative ways. Automation of formal transactions would make the delivery of public services more smooth, efficient and transparent. By reducing direct paperwork, we will reduce much slack, and the level and fairness of services will be less vulnerable to personal whims or functional corruption lurking in stacks of paper.

We must work to bridge the trust gap between the people and governments, and this begins with governments adopting comprehensive and integrated plans and programs, with clear goals and measurable outputs. Governments must work transparently and clarify their mechanisms of action frankly and responsibly, dispel destructive rumors with convincing facts, so that information-based dialogue replaces the frustrating debates fueled by the absence of that information, and the accountability approach must be devoted to those who fail in their duties towards the citizen, because the concept of public service requires the provision of Solutions, not putting obstacles in front of the citizens.

We will not find solutions if we remain in a cycle of blame, skepticism and absence of facts, logic and rationality, and we will only get out of this cycle through a real partnership between the government and citizens to confront rumors, false news and false information. Together, we must restore the spaces of public dialogue, to prevent the weak souls hiding behind their screens from spreading a spirit of negativity, frustration and undermining confidence in our society and our country. Their personal heroism is more important than the interests of the nation.

Pessimism does not build a future, frustration does not provide solutions, and we will not move a step forward if ambition is not our relentless motive. I know that Jordanians are determined people who accept nothing but the best, and together we will make this better future.

We must translate our vision for the future we want into a reality for all our proud sons and daughters to live in, and this requires us to draw our future that we aspire to, and move towards it by developing and updating our work tools to keep pace with the conditions for success in a world characterized by continuous change. Our time, and in all economic, technological, scientific, cultural and even climatic fields.

Today, all countries stand at a crossroads: either they keep pace with the changes and possess the tools to deal with them, or they fail to do so, and become on the sidelines of the future. In our time, the criterion for the success of any country is its ability to quickly adapt to the qualitative leaps the world is witnessing, by stimulating creativity, excellence, innovation and openness to new ideas and global experiences.

We must accept this future with the courage that the world knows has always distinguished Jordanians. We adhere to our constants, preserve our values, and defend our positions, using the best tools and capabilities that our time provides.

We must challenge ourselves and take the boldest and most difficult decisions without hesitation. There is no place among us for an official who is afraid of decision-making and positive change, or who is holed up behind the walls of bureaucracy for fear of taking responsibility for his decision, and it is our duty to provide protection and support for every official who takes bold decisions, takes initiative and strives, as long as his decisions are consistent with the law and do not bring him personal benefits. And we have to realize that there are always people or groups who will oppose decisions, and no decision will have complete unanimity, and accepting criticism is part of the nature of public work that aims at the public interest, far from winning populism.

The citizen is a key partner in accelerating the pace of positive change and benefiting from it, and we must stand united in the face of those who perpetuate the status quo, to protect the interests that come to them from its sustainability, or for fear of making the effort and sacrifices required to achieve the new that benefits everyone.

We keep pace with change to benefit from the opportunities it provides, and we deal with it with the confidence of the believer in the strength of its values, principles and constants, and we protect and fortify these constants by using what the modern era provides of dynamic tools. With this faith, we walk, not besieged by narrow-mindedness and closure, towards the vastness of openness to a new era. We break the deadlock, we overcome reality instead of complacency.

my brothers and sisters,

I do not see a place for us except at the forefront of change, which proceeds according to a comprehensive national vision with a clear methodology and objectives, unimpeded by hesitation, weakened by improvisation, and not deterred by narrow interests. We are moving forward without retreat in implementing this vision, which is backed by administrative and economic reforms.

To this end, I directed our Royal Hashemite Court to start organizing a national workshop at the home of Jordanians, bringing together representatives of experts and specialists in our economic sectors, and in cooperation with the government, to develop a comprehensive vision and a solid roadmap for the coming years, ensuring the unlocking of capabilities, to achieve comprehensive sustainable growth, which It ensures doubling the job opportunities available to our sons and daughters, expanding the middle class and raising the standard of living to ensure a better quality of life for citizens.

Work is also underway to put in place a mechanism to ensure diligent follow-up to the implementation of this vision in all sectors, and to ensure that steps are taken to overcome obstacles. Our goal is for this mechanism to contribute to ensuring continuity of achievement for governments and officials, and to prevent the reformulation of plans and strategies whenever one government replaces another.

This mechanism will be subject to personal follow-up from me, to form the comprehensive national vision and the plans and programs it contains, the main basis for the assignment books for governments, so that it builds on what its predecessors have accomplished, so that the achievement will continue and the fruits of comprehensive reforms, effective services, economic and administrative development, and job opportunities will be achieved.

This country was built with the efforts of its sons and daughters who believed in it, worked, struggled and excelled, and it is our duty to build on their efforts, and our choices today will create the future of future generations.

May God help us all to carry out our responsibilities, in the service of a country to which we are proud of our belonging and proud of what has been accomplished. There is no limit to my trust in the sons and daughters of my dear people, for you are the source of determination and the source of hope, and your service is my goal for which I have dedicated all my life.

Peace, mercy and blessings of God.

Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein

Oman on Jumada al-Thani 27 1443 AH
corresponding to January 30, 2022 AD.