Sep 01 2016
An ill-advised act
By Daoud Kuttab
Election season is a time for ideas, initiatives and actions. It is also a real test for the commitment of a state to democracy.
This week, this democratic test met a challenge and the result was not very good.
A group of young Jordanians decided to hold an election-awareness event. They rented a public location in Jabal Luweibdeh, contacted a number of election experts, including a woman member of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and announced the event on Facebook.
As per the amended Jordanian Constitution, they informed the Amman governor of their public event 48 hours before it was due to start.
Three and a half hours before the launch of the Hiwar lil tagheer (dialogue for change) the governor of Amman called the owners of Sakyat Al Darawish, its intended location, and informed him that the event is not allowed to take place.
The young organisers panicked slightly, but soon contacted a local radio station that agreed to accommodate the invited speakers and guests. Continue Reading »