AMMAN – Popular discontent took a new turn with unprecedented public criticism of King Abdullah II’s wife, Queen Rania, who stands accused of “corruption” by large tribes, the bedrock of Jordan’s regime.
“We call on the king to return to the treasury land and farms given to the Yassin family (of the queen). The land belongs to the Jordanian people,” 36 tribal leaders said this week in a joint statement. By so doing, they have broken a taboo in the desert kingdom, where criticism of the royal family is punishable by a three-year imprisonment.
The palace has not been available for comment on the accusation. “The events in Tunisia and Egypt have given courage to Jordanians to publicly say what they have been whispering about for a while,” a political analyst told AFP on condition of anonymity. “Arab peoples used to fear their authoritarian regimes. Things have changed and now Arab leaders fear their peoples.” A member of a large tribe said Jordanian authorities had “pressured some tribes for several days and told them to be careful in what they say to the international press.”
“We still have loyalty to the Hashemite throne, but we believe that King Abdullah should stop his wife and her family from abuse. Otherwise, the throne might be in danger,” he said, also without wanting to be named. Tribal leaders have warned that Jordan suffers from a “crisis of authority,” and growing influence of “corrupt businessmen in the entourage of the executive power, affecting political decisions and ignoring national interest.”
They urged the “trial of the corrupt who have looted the country and public funds, regardless of who they are and irrespective of their rank and importance. “Jordan will sooner or later be the target of an uprising similar to the ones in Tunisia and Egypt due to suppression of freedoms and looting of public funds,” the group warned.
