Approval for purchase of 'luxurious' cars for mayors stirs public outrage

AMMAN — Social media users have slammed the decision to allow some municipalities to buy new Mercedes cars for their mayors following the Ministry of Municipal Affairs' announcement that it only approved the purchase of such cars for the heads of five main municipalities, which will have to pay for the vehicles themselves.

Jordanians took to Facebook and Twitter to protest the decision announced by the ministry on Sunday which gave some municipalities the green light to buy new 2,000 CC engine Mercedes cars, saying the government should ration spending amidst price hikes and an increase of economic burdens on citizens.

The ministry, however, said it approved purchasing new cars for five municipalities only following thorough studies, noting that municipalities will have to cover the costs for the cars themselves.

The purchase of new Mercedes cars was approved for the municipalities of Ajloun, Mafraq, Maan, Salt and Tafileh, Walid Otoum, the ministry's secretary general told The Jordan Times on Sunday.

"Ajloun mayor does not have a car and mayors of Maan and Tafileh also do not have cars. We approved the purchase of a new car for Mafraq's mayor as his current car is an old car, produced in 1994, while Salt mayor's car was scrapped," the official told The Jordan Times.

The official added that these municipalities repeatedly requested approvals for the purchase of the cars to meet their needs.

"The cars are paid for by the municipalities which are financially and administratively independent," said Otoum, adding that the Municipalities Law bans the purchase of used cars.

The official added that the approval was taken following a decision by a specialised committee of the Customs Department, the Audit Bureau and the Traffic Department.

"If the committee decides that a car needs to be scrapped and replaced, then an approval is issued. Our role is to regulate the process and ensure that there is no abuse," Otoum explained.

A government official, who preferred to remain anonymous, told The Jordan Times that the decision is in the hands of municipalities themselves as they have to pay for it using their own budgets.

"The role of the minister is to endorse it in line with certain standards and specifications," the official said.

Social media users have voiced their opposition to the decision, with Ziad Ababneh
(@ZiadAbabneh) tweeting on Sunday saying that the priority should be focused on fixing roads and improving public services instead of buying "luxurious" cars.

Ali Baraiseh echoed similar remarks on his Twitter account. "Purchasing such cars in light of a difficult economic situation and rising public debt and increasing burdens on Jordanians is a sort of corruption," he tweeted.

"Why buy Mercedes cars… can they not buy cheaper cars… this is shameful," Dena Maaytah wrote on Facebook.