Letter to Marouf Bakhit on the Military Housing Fund
In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Compassionate,
Your Excellency, the Prime Minister, Marouf Bakhit,
May God protect you,
Peace, God’s mercy and His blessings upon you,
As we celebrate the 91st anniversary of the Great Arab Revolt and the 86th anniversary of the founding of the Arab Army, two cherished anniversaries, it is our pleasure to convey to you and to your colleagues in the cabinet our congratulations, and to greet and congratulate our dear people and our gallant Arab Army and all the security institutions on this occasion which is imbued with the noblest of patriotic and historic meanings.
Our proud Arab Army, the homeland's shield and the symbol of its pride and free will, has earned – through its great history, meticulous effort, relentless will and continuous sacrifice and dedication – a special place in the heart and conscience of every Jordanian. This army was – and will always remain – an institution that represents the spirit of discipline, dedication and sacrifice for the sake of Jordan, putting Jordan first, always. With God's help, it will remain as it always has been – a paragon of excellence and efficiency, able to shoulder its great national duties and responsibilities.
While we note, with pride and appreciation, the distinguished role of our armed forces and security institutions in defending the homeland and preserving its security and stability, and their great contributions to our development, we also note that the performance, efficiency and good reputation of these forces and institutions have always been a source of pride. These institutions are a symbol of nobility and honour that illuminates the history of our homeland and that of the Arab nation. It is our duty to continue working to improve the conditions of enlisted men and women, in order to enable them to shoulder their immense national responsibility, and deliver their noble message, with utmost excellence and potency.
In the context of the responsibility which we are honoured to shoulder, we know of the economic difficulties and challenges facing many of our dear citizens. We also recognise, in our capacity as comrade-in-arms and field fellow, the social and familial responsibilities shouldered by a great number of personnel enlisted in the armed forces and security institutions. Over the past few weeks, we have considered, with those concerned in the general headquarters of the armed forces, many ideas and suggestions to improve the standard of living for armed forces and security services personnel. Primary among them was providing decent housing for them, compatible with their role and sacrifices.
Hence, we request that financial support be provided to the military housing funds that serve the enlisted men and women of the armed forces and security institutions so that they may own appropriate homes. As an indicator of our belief in the importance of fulfilling this request quickly, we have directed the housing units that will be finished in the Princess Salma suburb in the Governorate of Zarqa to be donated for this purpose.
As for retired military and security services personnel who are not covered by the military housing law, and who have not benefited from the military housing funds, we hereby instruct the government to act immediately to raise the salaries of this important segment of our society, in recognition of their dedication, giving and tremendous sacrifice. We also require that support be channelled to military retirees' cooperatives, to enable them to implement productive projects and programmes that would generate employment opportunities for the military retirees and their children.
Since we have thorough knowledge of the social conditions of retired officers, the economic conditions they face and the inability of a good number of them to own a means of transport, we emphasise that they should enjoy the same incentives and privileges granted to serving officers.
We also realise the difficult circumstances faced by those enlisted in the Palestinian Liberation Army in Jordan as a result of the Israeli siege imposed on the Palestinian people, which has prevented the Palestinian National Authority from paying their salaries. Hence, we direct the government to pay part of their salaries, to alleviate their suffering.
We ask God the Sublime, may He be exalted, to preserve dear Jordan, and to grant our dear people the blessings of continued security and stability; He is our gracious Lord and our exalted Protector.
Peace, God's mercy and blessings upon you,
Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein
Amman, 9 June 2007
