‘Civil society’s role continues to increase in Jordan’

AMMAN — After “baby steps”, the social role played by syndicates and civil society has increased, researchers said on Sunday at a round-table discussion organised at the French Institute.

The discussion panel titled “Civil Society and Social Mobilisations” focused on: what do these protests tell us about the social and economic challenges that Jordanian society is facing; who are the actors involved and what are their demands; and what are the ties between recent mobilisations and those organised in the past?

Commenting on social mobilisations, Director of the Phenix Centre for Economic and Informatic Studies Ahmad Awad, pointed out the importance of labour movements in Jordan, noting that “the dynamics of civil society forced the government to resign in June this year”.

Sara Ababneh, assistant professor of the Centre for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan, noted that women have taken a very active role in street protests since the beginning of the Arab Spring, however they did not raise any women specific issues like the Civil Status Law, gender based violence or equal wages.

Ababneh said that a large number of women were active and took leading roles in the Day-Waged Labour Movement, which was able to attract so many of them because it developed a discourse and flexible structure that understood women to be “embedded within communities and prioritised their economic needs”. 

Labour movements express grievances of workers, but change and progress will occur, especially if movements are conducted in a peaceful manner, added Awad.

According to Awad, starting in 2008, scholars began witnessing the events which eventually led to the beginning of the Arab Spring.

Regarding the newest trends, the upper class has continued to defend its interests, while working conditions have deteriorated in Jordan over last couple of years, Awad underlined.

Veteran journalist, Daoud Kuttab stressed the importance of civil society for the democracy in the Kingdom, adding that “when we talk about civil society it is not something that came [about] today”.

Kuttab emphasised different phases in the history of the civil movement in Jordan, adding: “It is the result of a long struggle that saw some people imprisoned for their political activism, while some organisations later enjoyed fruits of that struggle.”

“The Palestinian cause was the main political topic which also hindered the democratic process in the Kingdom as the border between east and west banks limited a debate,” he highlighted.

Turbulent events of past decades — the imposing of the martial law in 1957, restoration of parliamentarianism in 1988, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Gulf War in 1991, Oslo Peace Accord in 1993 and the assassination of Yitzak Rabin, all affected social movements in Jordan, Kuttab underlined.

Despite regional and internal conflicts, Jordan avoided the fate and turmoil of the rest of the region, Kuttab underscored.

“Whenever we have injustice within the society, such movements will emerge,” Awad said, stressing that regardless of the class from which people come from, everyone has the right to protest and defend their socioeconomic and political rights.