King Abdallah And The Jordanian Spring

By Ahmed Al-Jarallah

Jordan has taken another step towards strengthening stability and complementing the positive results of the democratic initiatives in the 1920s. The Kingdom gained momentum in the era of King Abdallah II, who swore upon ascending to the throne that he will take Jordan to lofty heights with stable steps. This has prompted him to implement political reforms and amend the Constitution to place the Kingdom at the forefront of the world’s democratic nations.

With this big historic step, King Abdallah II saved Jordan from the selfish claws of some unscrupulous elements that attempted to exploit the genuine aspirations of the Jordanians for more freedom to ruin peace and stability for selfish ends, which are not linked with the people’s plight. The confidence exuded by King Abdallah II is that of someone assured of the people’s loyalty as was evident in his speech when he accepted the constitutional amendments proposed by a special committee.

The King had a great demeanor when he ushered in the new era of democratic and political institutionalization. The process started long ago in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, making it overcome challenges easily over the years. This peculiar society has experienced a lot and it can never be understood except by a well-rounded person, who knows the culture and experiences of other nations like King Abdallah II.

This development in the reform processes of Jordan is not different from the ways of other stable Arab nations. There has been no submission to the irresponsible overzealousness of those trying to hijack the ‘Arab Spring’ to actualize inordinate ambitions, which have been exposed to everybody. It has become clear that stable regimes are capable of making peaceful progress without any rush in a healthy and natural manner, which can never be done by a restless regime.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a good example in this regard. The reforms implemented by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in 2005 bore fruits in the form of several giant economic, educational and political projects that have become historical landmarks in the Kingdom. A number of decrees were also issued lately in a bid to realize the vision of King Abdallah bin Abdul-Aziz for a modern and developed kingdom.

Any effort to truncate the existence of stable Arab regimes is a futile exercise, because the exploiters have not grasped the age-long understanding between the people and the rulers. The incidents witnessed in Morocco recently are living examples of this fact. King Mohammad the VI discerned the desires of his people long before the political blocs understood and started making long speeches about freedom. He worked on reforms that complement the deep-rooted democratic structure and removed all obstacles to development in Morocco.

The peaceful reform movements by the stable Arab regimes are in contrast to the political intimidations of the incoming troubled regimes, which might probably reach the seat of power through machine guns, bloodshed or coup d’états under the guise of revolution. If the bloody ‘springs,’ wars and revolutions in some Arab nations like Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Syria were expected, these are not in any way linked to stable regimes with democratic structures that suit the period of establishment on the ground. These regimes were firmly planted to withstand the test of time. They have the ability to obtain political, economic and military resources. Their structures were built through a reinvigorating mechanism. They learn from the experiences of others and correct their mistakes because they are on the right path towards building a nation.

Undoubtedly, King Abdallah II is up to task. He has given the people of Jordan hope of a springtime that meets their aspirations. The people support the regime and trust its ability to improve itself from the inside. The springtime holds promising news for the loyal Jordanians, while those who tried to destroy the country will fall into oblivion soon.

-This commentary was published in The Arab Times on 17/08/2011
-Ahmed Al-Jarallah is the editor-in-chief of The Arab Times and the Kuwaiti Arab daily Assiyassah