http://www.black-iris.com/2006/08/10/the-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/ A Jordanian Blog Sun, 12 Feb 2012 12:56:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.black-iris.com/2006/08/10/the-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/#comment-15422 November Ninth: In Your Honor at The Black Iris of Jordan Thu, 09 Nov 2006 07:19:11 +0000 http://www.black-iris.com/?p=944#comment-15422 [...] Jordanian politics seemed to center around terrorism and security related issues, enacting pieces of legislation like the anti-terrorism law that some view as an attempt to stifle civil liberties, while others, as a necessity in this current environment. Political reform took a back seat. [...] [...] Jordanian politics seemed to center around terrorism and security related issues, enacting pieces of legislation like the anti-terrorism law that some view as an attempt to stifle civil liberties, while others, as a necessity in this current environment. Political reform took a back seat. [...]

]]> http://www.black-iris.com/2006/08/10/the-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/#comment-9694 Under Pressure at The Black Iris of Jordan Wed, 27 Sep 2006 00:16:44 +0000 http://www.black-iris.com/?p=944#comment-9694 [...] I found this little piece hidden in the Jordan Times today very curious. Lower House Speaker Abdul Hadi Majali defended Parliamentarians from recent press claims that this latest extraordinary session resulted in “external pressures” placed on MPs to pass/approve government legislation. 32 of the 42 proposed bills have been passed thus far. It’s a curious claim I think due to the fact that in the past month and a half or so, a lot of controversy and debate surrounded many of these bills such as the anti-terrorism law or the khutba law or financial disclosure or even defining corruption and wasta. Not to mention one boycott and a fairly physical fight. If anything, I tend to agree with fellow blogger Khalaf who argues that recent signs indicate the government is not at all happy with the Parliament and has viewed them as uncooperative. While many of these bills have been approved and are on their way to becoming laws, many if not all of these bills were amended a great deal before the final Lower House approval. For the most part the debate that surrounded almost all the bills had the MPs at odds with the government. Suffice to say if there was external pressure on MPs then I think they would have been much more acquiescent to all the government’s demands. Or I suppose one could argue that whatever external pressure there was, it was simply ineffective. I was surprised to find the senate approved the financial disclosure bill to include themselves; I expect more of the predictable fight. [...] [...] I found this little piece hidden in the Jordan Times today very curious. Lower House Speaker Abdul Hadi Majali defended Parliamentarians from recent press claims that this latest extraordinary session resulted in “external pressures” placed on MPs to pass/approve government legislation. 32 of the 42 proposed bills have been passed thus far. It’s a curious claim I think due to the fact that in the past month and a half or so, a lot of controversy and debate surrounded many of these bills such as the anti-terrorism law or the khutba law or financial disclosure or even defining corruption and wasta. Not to mention one boycott and a fairly physical fight. If anything, I tend to agree with fellow blogger Khalaf who argues that recent signs indicate the government is not at all happy with the Parliament and has viewed them as uncooperative. While many of these bills have been approved and are on their way to becoming laws, many if not all of these bills were amended a great deal before the final Lower House approval. For the most part the debate that surrounded almost all the bills had the MPs at odds with the government. Suffice to say if there was external pressure on MPs then I think they would have been much more acquiescent to all the government’s demands. Or I suppose one could argue that whatever external pressure there was, it was simply ineffective. I was surprised to find the senate approved the financial disclosure bill to include themselves; I expect more of the predictable fight. [...]

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