Jordanians want lawmakers to deal with bread, butter

Poverty and unemployment are the top priorities that Jordanians expect the new lawmakers, who held their first meeting last week, will tackle in the near future, according to the finds of a survey conducted by a local university here recently.

Issues of bread and butter come well above regio-nal ones, namely the Palestinian and Iraqi issues, which both made a considerable part of Jordanians' discussions in the past years, noted researchers.

"People's priorities have changed," Faris Breizat, head of surveys unit at the Strategic Studies Centre (SSC) at the University of Jordan, which conducted the survey, told Gulf News.

The result of the war on Iraq might have played a role on the change of people's attitudes, "but it can not be attributed completely to what happened there," Breizat said.

According to the survey, 58 per cent of the respondents said fighting poverty and unemployment is the first priority, compared to 24.6 per cent who said fighting corruption is the main issue.

Moreover, 46.3 per cent of those placed poverty and unemployment at the top of primary challenges expressed confidence that the new parliament will, successfully, tackle both issues. When it comes to fighting corruption, the percentage was 39 per cent.

The poll, which covered 1,400 people and was carried out between June 21 and 29, also showed that internal issues dominate external problems.

Some ordinary Jordanians explained that turning away from political issues resulted from their conviction that "big countries cannot do anything in th-ese issues" and that "there is no point in in concentrating on politics or any issue but social services."

During the last month's election campaign, banners that carried simple words, such as health insurance, had "attracted my attention more than big political issues," noted Sameh, owner of a grocery in a fashionable neighbourhood here.

"Let the MPs give the best they can and nothing more. We don't expect miracles from them," commented Ahmad, a Jordanian engineer.

The survey said more than 42 per cent of Jordanians believe "nothing will change with or without a Lower House of Parliament," while 50.7 per cent were opposed to this view.

While 52.6 per cent believed the new parliamentarians would be concerned with their personal interests and family business, 26.5 per cent believed the new members would dedicate themselves to the good of the people.

Furthermore, while a majority 64 per cent of respondents said the absence of parliament for two years was irrelevant, 25 per cent said it affected them negatively, and a small 2.4 per cent said it affected them positively.