Being Held Accountable

I have difficulty understanding the logic of certain regulations in Jordan. I think many of them exist in order to confuse lines of responsibility because the judicial system is underdeveloped and unable to cope with minor violations. For instance, the chicken Shawarma affair last summer happened because one restaurant violated health regulations and sold tainted food making many people ill. The reaction of the government was to close all the restaurants in the entire country that sold chicken Shawarma! This caused unnecessary and unbearable financial loss to many small businesses. What should have happened was that the restaurant responsible for the initial violation should have been the only one shut down and made to pay a fine or whatever. Publicizing the affair would have been sufficient warning to others to review the health standards in their kitchens.

A few years ago I remember an incident where a travel agent put an advertisement in the newspaper that was fraudulent. The ad promised something that it did not deliver or had no intention of delivering. Instead of prosecuting the agency, all travel agents were required to have prior approval from the Ministry of Tourism before they could place ads. This was a ridiculous requirement which produced nothing but unnecessary busy work for the travel agents and the ministry, not to mention lost revenue for legitimate agents who were planning to sell tours that summer.

The article in today’s paper about a controversial law that restricts the work of over 3,000 civil societies in Jordan is a current example of pointless micro management going nowhere and producing nothing. I quote Asma Khader: “The common procedure is to refer any violations supposedly committed by any organization to the courts and not impose laws that restrict their freedom on the basis that these organizations MIGHT violate the law.” I don’t see how the government can pass a law to prevent people from breaking the law. If someone breaks a law, prosecute.

ASH