Cairo: Jordan’s newly appointed Minister of Labour Nayef Steitieh has been the butt of criticism and even derision after he was quoted as saying in an old TV interview that he had gone bankrupt twice. Steitieh is one of nine newcomers to the reshuffled new Jordanian government unveiled earlier this week.
Social media users circulated an old video of the incumbent minister purportedly saying in the undated interview that he had set up two companies that later went bankrupt. Some commentators reacted sarcastically.
“A good omen! The new labour minister Nayef Steitieh with his CV and all the companies he opened went bankrupt. So, they named him a minister!” said Hashem Al Khalidi on Facebook.
Steitieh, a holder of a university degree in business administration, has pledged as a minister to draw up a clear strategy for his ministry in handling different economic sectors.
Addressing the Amman Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, he said that he would adopt the open-door policy for doing a team work to help enhance national economy and overcome economic fallout from COVID-19.
He made no comment on the old remarks attributed to him or the current controversy.
