Jordan king calls for reform as opposition simmers

Jordan's King Abdullah II promised lawmakers today to speed up reforms slowed by unrest across the Middle East, though the kingdom's weakened opposition accused him of finding excuses to hold onto the monarchy's absolute power.
Abdullah told parliament's opening session that he will press ahead with plans to amend election laws the opposition says favour pro-palace candidates and overhaul a public sector widely seen as rife with corruption and nepotism.
The king called the reforms a "white revolution" a term royal aides say signifies a peaceful change rather than one of turmoil like those brought by the Arab Spring, which saw four regional leaders deposed in uprisings.

The plan, the king said, will restructure state agencies and improve the quality of education, health care and public transportation in a key US ally bordering Syria, Iraq, the Palestinian territories, Israel and Saudi Arabia.
"Jordan is continuing its quest to develop a regional reform model that is home-grown and based on a clear roadmap with specific reform milestones," the king said.
But the opposition met the king's speech, marking the start of parliament's winter session, with skepticism.

"The king is only buying time," said Mohammad Miteb, 19, an accounting sophomore and part of a pro-democracy youth movement. "We're sitting on a powder keg that will soon ignite from sparks, be it from domestic reasons or regional turbulences."

Jordanians fear a spillover of violence from neighbouring Syria, where al-Qaeda and other militant groups based and could take advantage of Jordan's growing calls for change to foment violence.
Yet Jordan so far has weathered nearly three years of street protests calling for a wider public say in politics. Abdullah is a close friend of the US and the country relies on donations from the US and oil-rich Gulf Arabs to keep its fragile economy afloat.
It is saddled by a multi-billion-dollar foreign debt, a record USD 2 billion budget deficit, high inflation and a rising energy bill.
So far, Abdullah largely has maintained control, partly by relinquishing some of his powers to parliament and amending the country's 60-year-old constitution.

His Western-trained security forces have been able to keep protests from getting out of hand. And most in the opposition remain loyal to the king, pressing for reforms but not his removal.