Polls stir old rivalries in Jordan’s first capital

By Taylor Luck

SALT - Leftist, Islamist, tribal or independent; only one criterion matters in Ahmed Adnan’s choice for MP: “Harra or Krad”.

The 32-year-old Salt resident said when the time comes to cast his ballot, he will vote according to the groupings of tribes that have settled in the hills and valley of Balqa Governorate over the last 500 years.

Salt’s Harra-Krad divide dates back to the Mamluk times, when the city consisted of two boroughs, according to Ibrahim Masri, Salt historian and curator of the Old Historic Salt Museum.

In the 16th century, Salt was a town of some 400 people divided into the Krad area on the plains southwest of the city’s citadel, which has long since been demolished, while the Harra area developed northeast of the fortress.

With the introduction of new residents in the early 19th century due to the regional movements of the army of Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt, the two boroughs expanded until they met each other at the castle center.

The merging of the two areas into a united town sparked a mostly friendly rivalry between the two sets of tribes that would flare up during events like grape harvests and municipal elections, Masri said.

Times have changed in the sandstone city, and tribal alliances are no longer geographically bound. But in a city which prides itself on a more traditional way of life, some old habits die hard, according to 19-year-old Hana.

“If you aren’t voting for your own tribe, then its Harra or Krad,” said the university student, who declined to use her full name.

Eman Hiari said the amount of cross-tribal support for many candidates is a sign that this year’s polls are breaking away from traditions.

“We still have these divisions, but it’s time to move on,” noted Hiari, a candidate for the first district.

“We are all brothers and sisters, we are all Salt and we should stand behind each other and elect our representatives based on ability,” she added.

Another candidate, Jehad Kharabsheh chalked up the talk of tribal divisions to the “old mentality” of political veterans.

“We have so many people that are used to the old state of affairs that they live in the past. Today we are one, united Salt,” the 39-year-old said.

However, Islamist candidate Samir Dababseh believes the Harra-Krad divide has impacted this year’s polls by dictating which districts candidates registered under.

Tribal candidates avoided entering districts that had popular candidates on the same side of the Harra-Krad rift, he claimed.

“There is still a level of tribalism guiding the elections in Salt, something we need to move away from,” he said, indicating that a return to Islamic principles will bridge the gap.

“The Arab and Muslim world was once united. Now we can’t even keep one city together?” he remarked.

Former Salt mayor Salmeh Hiyari said the divisions are fast becoming a thing of the past.

“Unfortunately we still see this [divide] in the municipal elections, but for parliamentary elections these tendencies died out in the 1950s,” he noted.

The Harra-Krad rift continues to influence how the city’s affairs are handled, but not the way voters choose their parliamentarians at the national level, he stressed.

Three-time MP and candidate for the first district Abdullah Ensour said Salt has largely moved on from the divisions.

“Only weaker candidates are playing that old tune,” he said, indicating that most citizens are moving beyond tribal affiliations to issues such as employment, education and women’s empowerment.

But for some like Adnan, old habits die hard.

“We still want qualified people. We just want to see our qualified people,” he said.

25 October 2010

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=31233.