Jordan's southern town of Karak was the beginning last Friday of
militant demonstrations denouncing the doubling of the price of
bread. The revolt of the people spread from Karak throughout the
south of Jordan as far as Hay al-Tafailah, a poor neighborhood of
the capital Amman. Karak residents said the protests stemmed from
growing economic hardship. Bread is a staple food for the poor who
form a majority of Jordan's 4.2 million people. The price of bread
rose from around 12 cents to 26 cents after the government sharply
reduced wheat subsidies. The hike in the price of bread is part of
a forced agreement with the International Monetary Fund to reduce
Jordan's deficit. The last upheaval against the Jordanian
government was in 1989 against an IMF sponsored rise in the price
of fuel.
The response from King Hussein was to vow "to hit with an iron
fist any hand of any demented person and anyone who challenges
security and instigates dissent." He sent army units to Karak and
other regions arresting over three hundred residents, began a
curfew and sealed off the area. King Hussein was supported by
Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy who said, "I hope that King
Hussein will not only stand guard but will be the guard of order
despite others exploiting a certain economic or social situation."
A local official in Karak said the army has "broken into many
homes in the night and the roundups are continuing." Karak's Mayor
Ahmed al-Mahadin told reporters: "If the government continues its
iron fist policies there will be an explosion 1,000 times more
powerful than the one which already took place."
The response of the Jordanian government and the Israeli
support are in the style of those who turn political and economic
issues into questions of law and order such as in the U.S. The
government imposed a new law effectively doubling the price of
bread. The people responded by denouncing this economic act
inspired by the imperialist IMF. The government gives itself the
right to pass a law damaging the interests of the people, but the
people have no right to disagree with the law except within very
controlled bounds dictated by the government. If the people go
beyond what is allowed by the very government that passed the
harmful law in the first place, the "iron fist" comes crashing down
on their heads. Reactionary societies such as these are incapable
of finding any solutions to the problems they face; they must be
completely renovated and modernized in order to meet the demands of
the people and open the door to progress.
Shawgi Tell
University at Buffalo
Graduate School of Education
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
