Jordan joins regional unrest
* From: AP
* January 29, 2011 9:23AM
Amman
A Jordanian man watches a demonstration in Amman. Picture: AP Source: AP
THOUSANDS of Jordanian opposition supporters took to the streets on Friday in the country's capital, demanding the prime minister step down and venting their anger at rising prices, inflation and unemployment.
It was the third consecutive Friday of protests following Muslim prayers in Jordan, inspired by the unrest in Tunisia and rallies in Egypt demanding the downfall of the country's longtime president.
About 3500 opposition activists from Jordan's main Islamist opposition group, trade unions and leftist organisations gathered in Amman's downtown, waving colourful banners reading: "Send the corrupt guys to court."
The crowd denounced Prime Minister Samir Rifai's unpopular policies. Many shouted: "Rifai go away, prices are on fire and so are the Jordanians."
Another 2500 people also took to the streets in six other cities across the country after the noon prayers. Those protests also called for Rifai's removal.
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King Abdullah II has promised some reforms, particularly on a controversial election law. But many believe it's unlikely he will bow to demands for popular election of the prime minister and cabinet officials, traditionally appointed by the king.
Rifai also announced a $555.33 million package of new subsidies in the past two weeks for fuel and staple products such as rice, sugar, livestock and liquefied gas used for heating and cooking. It also includes a raise for civil servants and security personnel.
Still, Jordan's economy struggles, weighed down by a record deficit of $2.02 billion) this year. Inflation has also risen by 1.5 per cent to 6.1 per cent just last month, unemployment and poverty are rampant - estimated at 12 and 25 per cent respectively.
Members of the Islamic Action Front, the political wing of the powerful Muslim Brotherhood and Jordan's largest opposition party, swelled the ranks of the demonstrators, massing outside the al-Husseini mosque in Amman and filling the downtown streets with their prayer lines.
As they broke into a procession, the demonstrators chanted, "In the name of God, the government must change" and the Muslim holy book "Quran is our constitution, jihad is our path".
Leftist university professor Ibrahim Alloush said it was not a question of changing faces or replacing one prime minister with another. "We're demanding changes on how the country is now run," he said.
He accused the Government of impoverishing the working class with regressive tax codes which forced the poor to pay a higher proportion of their income as tax.
He also accused Parliament as serving as a "rubber stamp" to the executive branch.
"This is what has led people to protest in the streets because they don't have venues for venting how they feel through legal means," Alloush said.
* From: AP
* January 29, 2011 9:23AM
Amman
A Jordanian man watches a demonstration in Amman. Picture: AP Source: AP
THOUSANDS of Jordanian opposition supporters took to the streets on Friday in the country's capital, demanding the prime minister step down and venting their anger at rising prices, inflation and unemployment.
It was the third consecutive Friday of protests following Muslim prayers in Jordan, inspired by the unrest in Tunisia and rallies in Egypt demanding the downfall of the country's longtime president.
About 3500 opposition activists from Jordan's main Islamist opposition group, trade unions and leftist organisations gathered in Amman's downtown, waving colourful banners reading: "Send the corrupt guys to court."
The crowd denounced Prime Minister Samir Rifai's unpopular policies. Many shouted: "Rifai go away, prices are on fire and so are the Jordanians."
Another 2500 people also took to the streets in six other cities across the country after the noon prayers. Those protests also called for Rifai's removal.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
Related Coverage
* The Arab street rises against dictatorship The Australian, 12 hours ago
* Uzbekistan advance in Qatar FoxSports, 7 days ago
* Expect cricket score against India FoxSports, 10 Jan 2011
* Gas heater suffocates newlyweds Herald Sun, 25 Dec 2010
* Uma Thurman's stalker extradited to NY Herald Sun, 17 Dec 2010
End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
King Abdullah II has promised some reforms, particularly on a controversial election law. But many believe it's unlikely he will bow to demands for popular election of the prime minister and cabinet officials, traditionally appointed by the king.
Rifai also announced a $555.33 million package of new subsidies in the past two weeks for fuel and staple products such as rice, sugar, livestock and liquefied gas used for heating and cooking. It also includes a raise for civil servants and security personnel.
Still, Jordan's economy struggles, weighed down by a record deficit of $2.02 billion) this year. Inflation has also risen by 1.5 per cent to 6.1 per cent just last month, unemployment and poverty are rampant - estimated at 12 and 25 per cent respectively.
Members of the Islamic Action Front, the political wing of the powerful Muslim Brotherhood and Jordan's largest opposition party, swelled the ranks of the demonstrators, massing outside the al-Husseini mosque in Amman and filling the downtown streets with their prayer lines.
As they broke into a procession, the demonstrators chanted, "In the name of God, the government must change" and the Muslim holy book "Quran is our constitution, jihad is our path".
Leftist university professor Ibrahim Alloush said it was not a question of changing faces or replacing one prime minister with another. "We're demanding changes on how the country is now run," he said.
He accused the Government of impoverishing the working class with regressive tax codes which forced the poor to pay a higher proportion of their income as tax.
He also accused Parliament as serving as a "rubber stamp" to the executive branch.
"This is what has led people to protest in the streets because they don't have venues for venting how they feel through legal means," Alloush said.
