Jordan faces complicated crisis but Islamists haven't closed the door on dialogue

The head of the Islamic Action Front in Jordan, Hamza Mansour, has said that his country is going through a “complicated crisis” but Islamists “haven’t given up on dialogue”. In fact, Mansour told a Hotline Coalition meeting on Tuesday, “The Islamists’ decision to boycott the parliamentary elections is actually in Jordan’s favour.” The Hotline Coalition’s head, Dr. Barakat Awgan, and the Islamic Movement’s leading member, Dr. Mousa Al Wahsh, also took part in the meeting.

---

“Islamists,” said Mr. Mansour, “actually open the doors to positive dialogue, with the government and everybody else, aiming for the reform desired by all Jordanians.” With the crisis in Jordan having a number of dimensions, including political, economic and educational, he added, it is important to protect the country from the policies of successive governments which ignore the voices of reformers.

“Reform is necessary for stability,” he insisted, warning against the increase in the budget deficit and national debt. “The solution should not come through citizens’ pockets and by raising prices, but through real political and economic reform, along with changes to tax anomalies.”

Mansour noted that the Islamists propose amendments to the constitution in order to remove the distortions that have marred it for many years. “Those standing against reform are the forces of corruption. The path of reform in Jordan was and will continue to be peaceful. It won’t deviate from this, except to defend the country from foreign aggression.”