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Tribalism and the rule of law

Jan 26,2019 - Last updated at Jan 26,2019

Senate President Faisal Fayez has set a fine example for the supremacy of law and order in the country over tribal rights by not coming to the rescue of three young men, belonging to his tribe, who took the law into their hands earlier this month when they opened fire on the police on a main street in Amman.

Fayez immediately denounced attempts to break the law by members of his own tribe and called for the application of the law on the three men.

To be sure, tribes are the backbone of the political structure in the country and have always constituted the main supporters of the Hashemite dynasty in the Kingdom. Yet, these fine and noble roles of tribes cannot, and must not, be exploited to violate the rule of law in the country or offer immunity to tribal members if they ever break the law of the land.

The issue of tribalism again rose to the surface when some members of another major tribe were accused of complicity in the infamous tobacco factory scandal. Tribal allegiance was tested, once again, when the tribe of one of the accused rose to defend one of their senior members accused of taking bribes. This time, there were only faint voices from within the concerned tribe against allowing tribalism to override the rule of law. Certainly, all accused people, whether they belong to a big or small tribe, are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

The fine example set by the Senate president must be respected and adhered to by all tribes. Otherwise, Jordan could become a lawless country or, worse still, a nation with double standards of justice. No one in their right mind would want that to happen, not now or ever.

The tobacco factory scandal has become a test case for Jordan's credibility in combating and punishing corruption of all sizes and dimensions. Jordan cannot afford to lose this test and must show to the entire world that it means business in fighting corruption. Otherwise, the country's credit rating stands to suffer at a time when it needs financial and economic assistance from the international community, including donor countries in the region.

In short, Jordan cannot appear to be lax in uprooting corruption, and this is what Jordanians of all walks of life are invited to take into consideration when making judgements on the arrest of some former high officials in connection with the tobacco factory file.

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