AMMAN // It has been an unprecedented political campaign by King Abdullah II of Jordan - and today he will find out if it worked.
The king has spent the past few weeks touting a reform agenda in meetings with the secular opposition, in interviews with the media and in newspaper editorials under his own name. The aim is to turn out the vote in today's parliamentary elections and redirect some of the angry demands for change that have fuelled regular street protests.
The campaign by the 50-year-old leader, whose late father King Hussein was renowned for his political acumen, appears to be having some success. In contrast, the Muslim Brotherhood and other opponents of the government look disjointed and weak.
The king's strategy of appealing to the non-Islamist opposition to marginalise political forces he regards as damaging to Jordan's interests - the Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist allies - has benefited from the turmoil lapping at the country's border, analysts say.
"The king is a keen reader of regional developments, and he has been able to see those and use them to his advantage at home, and we have to grant him that," said Osama Al Sharif, a columnist and analyst in Amman.
Turmoil in the region - the bloody civil war in Syria, the flight of Syrian refugees into Jordan and the political ascent of Islamists in Egypt - has bolstered the king by fuelling the fear of instability among Jordanians.
In turn, that has scared away potential support for the Muslim Brotherhood and its calls for change, despite Jordan's languishing economy and recent price rises, Mr Sharif said.
The Islamist group is boycotting today's vote in protest at a recently amended election law that it says heavily favours the monarchy's traditional support base. A pro-boycott rally called by the Brotherhood last week drew few demonstrators.
That lag in support may yet prove temporary. In the meantime, however, the king has deftly exploited the political opening to court other opponents and critics of the government.
The king's aggressive campaign has not gone unnoticed by the public, who still hold King Hussein in high esteem for his skilful navigation of the country's fractious tribes and majority Palestinian population.
Since he ascended to the throne with the death of King Hussein in 1999, King Abdullah has rarely been credited with sharing his father's political finesse, at least until recently.
Amer Tubeishat, an activist from the northern city of Irbid, met King Abdullah on December 10 with a number of leftist activists at the Amman residence of a former deputy prime minister.
The king listened to their suggestions for political reform and for tackling corruption as they ate mensaf, a Bedouin dish, says Mr Tubeishat, who described the encounter as "surprising" but also a "genuine and a serious dialogue".
More significantly, Mr Tubeishat said, the king expressed regret for the detentions a month earlier of Mr Tubeishat and dozens of other activists who had participated in protests against the lifting of fuel subsidies.
That sign of remorse led Mr Tubeishat and some activists to drop their opposition to today's vote.
During the gathering, the king also voiced concern about the Muslim Brotherhood opposition and urged the activists to repudiate the Brotherhood by defying its call for an election boycott. He also warned that Islamists in Jordan would try to seize control in the country and "do what they did in Egypt" under the Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi, Mr Tubeishat said.
The Muslim Brotherhood is infuriated by suggestions that its aim is to monopolise power in Jordan. If anything, it says, it is the government that does not want to share power.
"There isn't any dialogue between us and the government," said Hamza Mansour, secretary general of the Brotherhood's political wing, the Islamic Action Front. "And it's clear from the government's statements and practices they are trying to keep us from holding positions."
How to handle the Islamists was also the focus of a December 9 meeting between King Abdullah and secular activists. Khalid Kalaldeh, a leftist opposition activist, said the king asked for suggestions on how stop the election boycott.
Mr Kalaldeh recommended imposing emergency rule, which would allow the king to suspend the polls and formulate an election law acceptable to the Islamists and other boycotting groups.
"But because imposing such an emergency situation is not good for the country's image both locally and internationally, the king decided against that recommendation," Mr Kalaldeh said.
Besides his unusual campaign to reach out to his critics, King Abdullah has also signalled an eventual change in the monarchy's relationship with the Jordanian people.
In an interview published this month with the French newspaper Le Nouvel Observateur, he suggested restricting his family's powers.
"The monarchy my son will inherit will not be the same monarchy I inherited," he told the newspaper.
In a paper published on his website in December, the king described moving towards "key, practical milestones in that journey towards democracy". In another paper published this month, he promised the next prime minister would be selected through "consultation with the majority coalition".
Yet what will happen after today's vote, which is expected to produce another ineffective, stalemate parliament, is far from clear.
Turnout among the 2.3 million registered voters could be a key measure of how much trust or enthusiasm the public feels for the reform programme the king has been keen to sell. About 1,425 candidates, including 191 women and about 139 former members, are vying for seats in the new, 150-member lower house of parliament.
Mr Sharif said the king, his security forces and tribal loyalists are hoping an economic recovery would quiet demands for major political reforms. For that recovery, he said, the king was counting on the Gulf Cooperation Council, which has pledged about Dh18 billion in Jordanian development projects.
Yet even some positive economic news and highly publicised anti-corruption cases launched by authorities will not replace the need for substantive reform. Tension is likely to flare, especially among unemployed youth, said Labib Kamhawi, an independent political analyst in Amman.
"These young guys, they talk crazy. They are so angry, and that anger is shared between the leftists and the Islamists."
hnaylor@thenational.ae
* Additional reporting by Suha Philip Ma'ayeh
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
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If you go
The flights
The closest international airport for those travelling from the UAE is Denver, Colorado. British Airways (www.ba.com) flies from the UAE via London from Dh3,700 return, including taxes. From there, transfers can be arranged to the ranch or it’s a seven-hour drive. Alternatively, take an internal flight to the counties of Cody, Casper, or Billings
The stay
Red Reflet offers a series of packages, with prices varying depending on season. All meals and activities are included, with prices starting from US$2,218 (Dh7,150) per person for a minimum stay of three nights, including taxes. For more information, visit red-reflet-ranch.net.
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make
When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.
“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.
This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).
|
Age
|
$250 a month
|
$500 a month
|
$1,000 a month
|
|
25
|
$640,829
|
$1,281,657
|
$2,563,315
|
|
35
|
$303,219
|
$606,439
|
$1,212,877
|
|
45
|
$131,596
|
$263,191
|
$526,382
|
|
55
|
$44,351
|
$88,702
|
$177,403
|
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
THE SPECS
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Transmission: 8-speed automatic
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Specs
Price, base: Dhs850,000
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 591bhp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.3L / 100km
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%20specs
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
More on Quran memorisation:
The winners
Fiction
- ‘Amreekiya’ by Lena Mahmoud
- ‘As Good As True’ by Cheryl Reid
The Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award
- ‘Syrian and Lebanese Patricios in Sao Paulo’ by Oswaldo Truzzi; translated by Ramon J Stern
- ‘The Sound of Listening’ by Philip Metres
The George Ellenbogen Poetry Award
- ‘Footnotes in the Order of Disappearance’ by Fady Joudah
Children/Young Adult
- ‘I’ve Loved You Since Forever’ by Hoda Kotb
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
