“Jasmine Revolution” Spreads to Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

The wave of protest provoked by the people rioting in the streets of Tunis and other cities of Tunisia and the success of the “Jasmine revolution” which toppled former dictator Ben Ali seems to be inspirational for other people in the Arab world.

The first reactions to it was the series of self-immolations that occurred in front of official buildings in Egypt and Algeria, neighboring countries where the social conditions of life are similar to those in Tunisia.

Then, one of the opposition leaders in Sudan said that a similar movement is possible in Sudan, especially after the partition of the country following the referendum for independence that happened in Southern Sudan.

Some analysts went as far as to say that what happened in Tunisia is similar to what happened in Poland in the 1980s, when the union trade Solidarity set things in motion that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union and its satellite states.

They think Tunisia set a trend for Arab people, who have grown accustomed to allow their leaders to do pretty much everything.

Now, that one of the most repressive dictators was deposed so easily, many may see that such regimes are not unshakable and may wish to do the same.

It is believed that except for some countries in the Persian Gulf, where the social problems are dealt with because of oil resources which provide the money to make their lives easier, all other Arab countries may go through this process.

One of the countries that somehow responded to the revolutionary mood of Tunisia was small Kingdom of Jordan, a country known as an ally of the Western world and a moderate state in relation to neighboring Israel.

Jordan’s economy had been knowing a downturn long before the demonstrations began in Tunisia. The first protests were also staged before those in Tunisia, and still continue.

Only this time, when they gathered in front of the parliament last Sunday, a new slogan was shouted, as a salute to honor the great achievement in Tunis: “From Amman to the proud Tunis!”

The “spirit of Tunisia” seems to be contagious given that many Jordanians contemplate the question “Why don’t we do in Jordan what they’ve done in Tunisia?”

Many people living in Jordan identify the problems that drove the Tunisians to the streets with their own, with the Egyptians’ and other Arab nations’ in the neighborhood.

They also identify the cause of their poverty and predicament as the same type of ruthless dictator as the one that made the lives of Tunisians impossible to live.

However, Jordanian high officials are attempting to play down the scope and the importance of the Jordanian demonstrations by saying that comparing what went down in Tunisia to what is happening in Jordan is like comparing “apples to oranges.”

Deputy Prime Minister Ayman al Safadi said that what happened in Tunisia is enormous, historical, whereas what is going on in Jordan is minor. The situations cannot be compared, he added.

The government attempted to address some of the needs of the frustrated people by announcing a slash of taxes, creation of new jobs and lower commodity prices.

The opposition in Jordan took the opportunity to ask the current PM to step down. The Islamic Action Front remembered that the elections in November were tempered with, and produced an alleged proof to back up the claim.

The prime minister has denied the charges in an interview to the American press.

So far, the fury of the Jordanians had been channeled against the prime minister, given that in Jordan it is a crime to criticize the monarch.

The kings of Jordan are accustomed to sacrifice the highest officials of the country in dire times, and it is possible that King Abdullah will do the same.

Since people have already criticized the king during recent demonstrations, it is expectable that the Tunisian example may challenge Jordanian status quo.