Biggest Protest in Tafileh calling for political, economic reforms

2011-05-20

By Wael Jaraysheh

AMMONNEWS - A major demonstration on Friday took place in the southern governorate of Tafileh, with residents calling for genuine economic and political reforms.

The protest is the biggest of its kind in the governorate (180 km south of Amman) in years, organized by local residents without any official participation of political parties or civil society organizations.

The demonstrators marched from the Grand Tafileh Mosque towards the governorate building, calling for the ouster of the government and accusing it of "slacking" in implementing reform measures directed by King Abdullah II.

Protestors also called for dissolving the parliament, fighting corruption, and blasted the "security grip" in handling populist activism.

Activist Muhammad Salem Al Arwan said in a speech during the demonstration that Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit has been "procrastinating" in the past two months by presenting to people "failed projects."

He criticized the government's handling of Khalid Shaheen, the business tycoon convicted of bribery last year and allowed to travel abroad under the pretext of seeking medical treatment, and demanded government clarification of the incident.

"There will be no real reform, because the corrupt cannot hold other corrupt individuals accountable," he added.

Retired military official Owdeh Sawalqah criticized the marginalization of Tafileh governorate by successive governments, and called on protestors to demand the ouster of the governor.

He also blasted the government's privatization program, charging that the government has "sold" the important resources of Jordan to the benefit of elite businessman and corrupt officials.

The lack of security presence during the demonstration was noticeable, in comparison to demonstrations on Friday in Amman and other governorates.

Source: Ammon News.
Link: http://en.ammonnews.net/article.aspx?articleNO=12000.