Jordan interior minister moved aside in cabinet reshuffle

Prime minister Hani Mulki has been tasked by King Abdullah to take measures to revamp Jordan’s sluggish economy.

Jordanian interior minister, Salameh Hammad, has been removed from his position in a cabinet reshuffle by prime minister Hani Al Mulki on January 15, 2017. Muhammad Hamed / Reuters

AMMAN // King Abdullah approved a reshuffle of Jordan’s cabinet on Sunday at a time of rising public anger against deteriorating economic conditions and security challenges.

The changes affected six portfolios, including that of foreign minister and interior minister.

Nasser Judeh, Jordan’s foreign minister since 2009, was replaced by Ayman Al Safadi, a former deputy prime minister who used to be chief executive of Abu Dhabi Media.

Interior minister Salameh Hammad, who had faced criticism for his handling of the terrorist attacks in Karak last month, was replaced by Ghaleb Zohbi, a lawyer and former police chief who has held the post in the past.

Prime minister Hani Al Mulki was appointed by King Abdullah in May to pursue political reforms and revamp Jordan's sluggish economy and oversaw a cabinet reshuffle in September.

But analysts say his cabinet has been plagued by internal rivalries and the lack of harmony hampered coordination, particularly concerning security issues which surfaced after last month’s ISIL-claimed attacks in Karak that killed 10 people, mostly members of the security forces. Four other police men were killed in a shoot-out in Karak two days later during a hunt for suspects.

Forty-eight members of parliament signed a memorandum last month demanding a no-confidence vote against Mr Hammad for what they said was the mishandling of the security situation.

As he was expected to survive the vote, the government asked parliament to delay it until Sunday to coincide with the government reshuffle. Sunday was also the 10-day constitutional deadline to submit the motion of no confidence.

“The prime minister is aware that the interior minister is powerful and that he was expected to pass the no-confidence vote, which would have made it difficult to oust him in the reshuffle,” said Mohammad Hussainy, the head of Identity Centre, a civil society organisation that works on electoral issues.

“The reshuffle was needed as a result of the lack of harmony among ministers and the disputes that erupted which hampered the government’s work. Now, the prime minister will not have an excuse to say that the ministers cannot work together. He will be held accountable.”

Finance minister Omar Malhas kept his job in the reshuffle, which comes at a time when the government is moving to curb spending and generate revenue of 450 million Jordanian dinars for this year as part of a three-year deal agreed with the International Monetary Fund in August. The deal aims to cut public debt from almost 95 per cent of GDP currently to 77 per cent by 2021.

The reshuffle was widely seen as a move to placate the public ahead of expected tax hikes.

Jordan’s economic growth has been stunted in the past few years due to the spillover of violence from Syria and Iraq which has cut off key trade routes, shaken investor confidence and taken a toll on the tourism sector.

In the first half of 2016, the economy grew 2.1 per cent, declining slightly from a 2.2 per cent expansion in the first half of 2015, according to the World Bank.

The other changes to the cabinet include the appointment of Mamdouh Abbadi as minister of state for prime ministerial affairs, Omar Razzaz as minister of education, and Hadithah Khreisha as minister of youth. Bisher Khasawneh, who was minister of state for foreign affairs, was appointed minister of state for legal affairs.

Despite the changes, critics are not optimistic.

“Nothing will change at the end. The cabinet reshuffle is only a change of persons and not strategies,” said Amer Sabaileh, the Amman-based director of Middle East Media and Political Studies Institute, a think tank.

“As long as the prime minister remains in his position, the new government will have nothing to offer. He seems to lack a vision on how to deal with the country’s challenges, mainly how to spur economic growth and fight radicalisation.”