A report issued Dec. 23 by Jordan’s Economic and Social Council (ESC), a governmental advisory body, has stunned Jordanians across the board. Titled “State of the Country,” the 1,500-page document that took one year to complete with the participation of no less than 700 Jordanian experts was seen as an indictment of previous governments covering a period of the past 18 years, until early 2018.
Its most damning conclusion is that governments have failed to execute their strategies for lack of proper planning and funding in addition to poor human resources. It also concluded that attempts at achieving political and economic reforms had stumbled and that key posts were allocated according to a quota system that favors regional and supplementary identities. The report underlined the absence of a merit system in appointments, in addition to lack of accountability.
