Jordan's new prime minister brings an air of ease to some while others fear for freedoms amid jittery times, reports Sana Abdallah in Amman Jordan's King Abdullah appointed a former military general and diplomat, Marouf Bakhit, to form a new government, hoping the man who headed up the country's national security will have the power and ability to introduce changes the monarch has been seeking since assuming the Hashemite throne in 1999. Bakhit's appointment on 24 November did away with Prime Minister Adnan Badran's government only seven months after it was formed, having barely survived a no confidence vote in the conservative 110-seat parliament, three reshuffles, two sharp hikes in fuel prices, and suicide attacks on three hotels that left 60 dead and 100 others injured in Amman. That is not to say, however, that the king was unhappy with Badran's performance, palace officials say. It was simply time to introduce a new and reliable figure to take on the task of "imposing" the monarch's instructions to enact reform programmes that defeat deep-rooted corruption and nepotism. But most importantly, following the breach of security with the triple attacks, the king specifically wants Bakhit to fight and uproot terrorism -- something that is making the opposition and syndicates nervous. Bakhit, known for his directness and having a clean record of being honest, became the king's trusted confidante when Abdullah drafted him as ambassador to Tel Aviv earlier this year, filling a position that was left empty since the start of the second Palestinian uprising in 2000. The new prime minister, who served as ambassador to Turkey before that, was also involved in the multilateral negotiations with Israel on refugees and non-proliferation, headed the Centre for Human Security and was a negotiator in bringing Jordan into the World Trade Organisation, as well as the Jordan-European Union partnership. The king brought him back to Amman only a few months after serving in Tel Aviv, placing him as head of Jordan's national security council. Palace officials describe Bakhit as a man of many colours, combining a military and security mindset with political, economic and academic credentials. The king believes Bakhit will be able to strike a balance between reforms and "soft security" and may perhaps be able to implement the king's ambitious agenda. While the new premier's personality and record appear impressive to analysts and politicians, his 23 ministers who were sworn in by the king on 27 November -- the sixth government under Abdullah's reign -- do not send out the same vibrations. Bakhit has kept the bulk of the economic team in the previous government, maintaining 11 ministers and bringing in 12 new ones, some of whom were cabinet members in former governments. The government change came amid widespread restructuring spearheaded by the monarch who a week earlier accepted the resignation of most of his advisors at the royal court and appointed a new senate. While the restructuring came just a week after the 9 November triple suicide attacks, palace sources insist these changes were planned before the bombings. Nevertheless, the bombings pushed the security issue to the top of Abdullah's agenda, which he made clear in his letter of designation to Bakhit. He said there that the terrorist attacks only "add to our determination to adhere to our constants and irreversible approach of reform and democratisation". However, the monarch added, "these attacks underline the need to embrace a comprehensive strategy to face the culture of takfir," or the labelling of "apostasy" used by Al-Qaeda and other Islamic militants in order to justify carrying out attacks and assassinations. The king said an effective counter-strategy would not just encompass a security dimension, but also take into consideration "the intellectual, cultural and political dimensions. This requires drafting a law to counter all forms of terrorism and wage a no- mercy war on the schools of takfir that are nourished by bigotry, backwardness and isolationism, live on the ignorance of simple and naïve people and work under the guidance of misleading fatwas and approaches." Since the hotel bombings, claimed by Al-Qaeda in Iraq led by Jordanian-born Abu Musaab Al-Zarqawi, the king, supported by some politicians and the official media, has been calling for an anti-terrorism law to be given urgent status in parliament. The former government began drafting the legislation and Bakhit's government is expected to submit it to the predominantly pro-establishment Lower House for endorsement. However, the proposed bill is sending jitters through the opposition, led by the Muslim Brotherhood's Islamic Action Front and including leftist and pan-Arab nationalist groups. They rightly warn that such a law, which is expected to penalise those who "justify or incite acts of terror," could easily restrict public freedoms, starting with freedom of expression, and could be quickly used to settle scores with the opposition, though all condemned the Amman attacks. Opposition parties and powerful professional syndicates say an anti-terrorism law is not required in Jordan because "the culture of violence does not exist" in the country, citing that the suicide attacks on hotels, as well as the triple Katyusha rocket attack in the Red Sea port city of Aqaba in August, were carried out by Iraqi nationals, not locals. But in local media interviews and in his response to the king's letter of designation, Bakhit tried to assure the sceptics, but not at the expense of security, promising to "maintain a balance between safeguarding security and preserving public freedoms". He promised to submit new and modern political parties and elections bills to replace controversial current ones. Nonetheless, Bakhit insisted that security and stability would "remain characteristics of Jordan's image regardless of the terrorist attacks that targeted innocent people in Amman", which he said has "only added to our determination to go ahead with our preventive war against terrorism and the culture of takfir that is alien to our society". The former army general added his government is keen on securing Jordanian constitutional rights, and was ready to embrace dialogue and to listen, promising not to "impose opinions on others". Nevertheless, Bakhit warned, "Jordan's higher interests will always remain a red line that no one will be allowed to cross." Independent analysts say Bakhit's clarity, despite the ambiguity of how his government will be able to strike the delicate balance between security and a fragile democracy, might just be the quality that will shift the country to a higher level in terms of political progress. But it is too early to tell whether the man will indeed be a new executive force able to bring about such a shift.
