Institutionalising MPs’ work

His Majesty King Abdullah’s Sunday meeting with the head and members of the “Parliamentary Initiative Bloc” in the Lower House is part of the King’s continuous efforts to enhance the effectiveness of the Lower House and attune it with pressing national and regional issues and challenges.

This latest dialogue between the King and members of Parliament came soon after another meeting during which the Monarch called for the establishment of a code of conduct that is to govern performance and the decision-making process under the Dome by making it more orderly, substantive and effective.

This time around, the King said that parliamentary blocs need to be institutionalised; they should develop a concrete, comprehensive vision, and work from well-defined platforms to tackle all national issues.

The message delivered to the Parliamentary Initiative Bloc is clearly not meant solely for it, but for all parliamentary blocs whose duty is to transform the Lower House from a debating forum into an action-oriented branch of government.

The King reminded that the overriding national issues are poverty and unemployment, which must be addressed as a matter of high priority, especially in light of the rapid increase of radicalism and terrorism in the near and far reaches of the Middle East.

The fires raging in neighbouring countries are also of great concern, as is, of course, the urgent need to push forward the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which remains the overarching crisis in the region and the epicentre of regional conflicts. Parliamentary blocs must heed the King’s words and work assiduously to address all issues that affect Jordanians, and Jordan’s security and stability.