One by one as predicted when the trouble started in Tunisia we knew that most of the Arab countries will be affected; the question was which country was on the line next?
Although the demonstrations on the road were not much significant, Abdullah II wanted act very fast and ahead of the demonstrators’ and replaced Prime Minister Samir Rifai with the former ambassador to Israel and Turkey Marouf al-Bakhit. King Abdullah II of Jordan must have been very sure that his country is next on the way to street protests so he quickly without much panic sacked his government yesterday.
Al-Bakhit is been seen as a moderate politician who is widely viewed as free from corruption. He holds similar views to King Abdullah in keeping close ties with Israel under a peace treaty signed in 1994.
A big job is waiting Al-Bakhit and his government as there were protests in recent months in Jordan which attacked corruption, lack of democracy and lower food subsidies. Everyone who was on the road criticised the government by raising their voice, “We want change.” This change is demanded by many Jordanians from trade unionists, to left wingers and Islamists.
Jordan has a well-developed security and intelligence operations, which we can see this in action as they have quickly taken all these protests into their own hand. I think we can not accept anything different from a country which has highly literate society.
It is not a surprise the only group who are not happy with Al-Bakhit appointment are the Islamists in Jordan.
The hope is that this chain reaction of a domino effect should not take all these Arab countries’ secular states into the hands of extremists of any kind.
The duty of the West is now not just watching and reporting the street protests as the Arab world has discovered something new, but consider the after affects of these protests seriously. The damage the change will bring to secularism in those Arab countries will leave the Middle East in a perpetual state of reform and the invisible instability.
It is time for the West to reassess its own position when they have supported repressive regimes in the Middle East and beyond.
Copyright Semra Eren Nijhar – All rights reserved
Semra Eren-Nijhar 