AMMAN — Two key House members traded verbal attacks on Monday on the backdrop of remarks made by one them over the role of tribalism.
Deputy Abdul Karim Dughmi (Mafraq, 1st District) criticised MP Mustafa Hamarneh (Madaba, 1st District) for ideas he discussed during a recent lecture, warning that tribes might evolve into “unarmed militias” if no proper political environment is created for political activism based on platforms.
Dughmi accused Hamarneh of humiliating tribes and when the discussion evolved into a heated argument, he charged that the Madaba deputy is a “collaborator with the Americans”.
Hamarneh leads the House-based Mubadara (initiative) group, which has engaged with the government in efforts to find solutions to deep-rooted problems, including human rights and education.
The group, which has attracted over 20 House members, has agreed with the government to grant husbands and children of Jordanian women married to non-Jordanians full civil rights. The move triggered criticism among tribal figures and other critics, who charged that it constitutes a prelude to settling Palestinian refugees permanently in Jordan.
According to members of “Mubadara”, the initiative represents “new blood and a new reality” in Parliament, where the old guard with established interests resists modernists.
They noted that they already have achieved progress, having developed novel, result-oriented tools to interact with governments as legislators.
In his response to Dughmi’s allegations, the Mubadara leader explained that he believes building a civil and modern state should be based on citizenship rather than any other affiliation.
For the past months, Hamarneh has been leading his group seeking to partner with the government and pave the way for a shadow government, a practice not familiar in county’s parliamentary history.
