Response of the Senate to the Throne Speech at the Opening of the Third Regular Session of the Eighteenth Parliament of Jordan
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Peace and blessings be upon the noble Hashemite prophet.
To His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al-Hussein,
May God protect him, Peace be upon the leader of the nation and may God's mercy and blessings be upon you.
We begin by expressing our pride and joy at the historic and courageous decision you made yesterday, Your Majesty, to reclaim Baquora and Ghamr, which are integral parts of the hearts of Jordanians and the pulse of their existence. We congratulate our nation and our people, and our Arab nation for this great Hashemite step. The entire Jordanian people, Your Majesty, stands proudly alongside their leader and supports the decisions you make to safeguard their national interests. They renew their loyalty to Your Majesty and reaffirm their belonging to your Hashemite leadership, celebrating this significant achievement and all of Your Majesty's remarkable accomplishments.
As we celebrate the centenary of the establishment of our Hashemite Arab Jordanian state, we stand in reverence, respect, and appreciation for the spirit of the founding King, martyr Abdullah I Ibn Al-Hussein. It is our duty to raise a salute of loyalty to him and his noble descendants for what the Hashemites have achieved for Jordan and the entire nation, erecting lofty structures that have made this great homeland a refuge of abundant shade, framed by its three legitimacy pillars: religious, national, and historical.
It is an honor for us, Your Majesty, to bow our heads to the flag that is guarded by our brave Arab army, with its swords and spears. This army has written with the strength of its sons and the spirits of its martyrs the brightest pages in defense of Jordan, Palestine, and all Arab lands, as well as at the humanitarian level across the globe.
Our Arab army, under your courageous leadership, and our security forces who watch over the homeland, have always been and will remain the apple of your eye and the pride of the nation, the sword and shield of our land, by God's permission. If the Great Arab Revolt, led by its great leader Hussein bin Ali, may God rest his soul, gave real meaning to the concepts of unity, freedom, and a better life, we reaffirm these values once more and commend what you, Your Majesty, expressed in the Royal Throne Speech, where you directly and clearly hit the mark in the three main areas.
These areas are that the rule of law is linked to the state's prestige and takes precedence over all priorities; justice must be for all, and no one is above the law. We must eradicate corruption and fortify state institutions against it, which necessitates confronting favoritism and nepotism, activating accountability and oversight, and enhancing the integrity system and its mechanisms. As for the productive state, its focus is on the human being, who is both the goal and the tool of development. The values of the message-driven state are embodied in its steadfast principles, making its movement continuous towards betterment.
Your Majesty...
Your confidence, which has pleased your loyal people, has been expressed in acknowledging their awareness and active role in combating corruption. You have wisely warned that caution is required against those who, intentionally or unintentionally, contribute to the most dangerous transformations we have recently faced—namely, rumors, character assassination, slander against symbols, defamation, and denial of achievements. We, alongside Your Majesty, reject and will not accept that Jordan's reputation be placed at stake, as we are in a time different from all previous times and in an atmosphere unlike that which heralded the best fruits with every drop of rain that descends upon us from the sky.
Since people, Your Majesty, are our true wealth—intellect, action, morals, commitment, and faith in the homeland and its leadership—we appreciate your concern for empowering them to contribute to the nation's renaissance and providing them with the opportunities they deserve to keep pace with the changes occurring in the world faster than we can all imagine.
The Senate supports your vision, Your Majesty, for adopting a new economic model to stimulate growth, enhance financial and monetary stability, and address public debt within a clear and specific program that leads us to a state of economic independence, which we consider the most important goal and the highest aim we strive for with all our strength, will, and determination. This, in turn, will create job opportunities to combat poverty and unemployment and will lead to enhancing the trust between citizens and state institutions.
Yes, Your Majesty, what is required of all of us is justice in every sense of the word, especially in terms of fairness to the homeland and acknowledging its achievements. The founding fathers built this nation brick by brick, despite the scarcity of resources and means, through hard work, perseverance, and will, even in the worst of surrounding conditions. Armed with a culture of hope, they accumulated achievements and knew no impossibilities.
We must preserve this beautiful and noble legacy in the homeland of the sword and the guest, as our well-known Jordanian proverb states. The secret lies in our skillful management of what we have, as our elders have taught us, guiding us on how to make much out of little and how to turn what is available into a key for understanding the noble verse: "And your Lord will surely give you, and you will be satisfied." (Quran 93:5)
Your Majesty...
The Jordanians deserve much more, whether in health, education, transportation, or other means of a dignified life. There should be among those working in various institutions "institutional and functional loyalty," which makes them devotedly and proudly serve the citizens under prudent state management and its institutions. This requires addressing weaknesses in public administration and continuously improving performance.
The Palestinian cause, with Jerusalem at its forefront (and Your Majesty, as the trusted guardian of its Islamic and Christian holy sites), remains the foremost and most important issue for you and for this steadfast, resilient nation. Our eyes have never strayed from it, nor have our footsteps deviated from its path, and they shall not.
And the last of our supplications, Your Majesty, perhaps the first of them, is that God grants us strength, expands our provision, preserves you as a treasure and support for us and for our nation, and grants you victory over all those who wish us harm or seek to bring misfortune upon us and our country.
"For the foam passes away as scum, but what benefits the people remains in the earth."
Peace and blessings be upon you.