Stirrings beneath

If you can judge a people's anger by the volume of their shouting, then the people of Amman must be rather angry today. As almost every Friday over the past months, demonstrations were held today after Friday prayers in the relatively small downtown area of Amman, where several hundreds (thousands? - I wasn't there) gathered to voice their anger, or just to voice their voices, about the ever-more incredible corruption cases that are coming out, proof of the elite's greed and disregard for justice, not to mention their lack of concern for the well-being of the average Jordanian.

Till yesterday I always answered the question "How about the situation in Jordan?" with comments like "Jordan is an island of peace in the middle of a storm", or "the grievances of Jordanians are nothing compared to those of their neighbours" or other such comments, pointing to how the secret service, police or other state institutions here are much less oppressive than they had been and still are in Syria or Egypt, for example and that overall, the situation was not so overtly dissatisfying for the masses.

But it seems things are changing. Not that the government or the Royal Court is becoming oppressive like Asad's regime all of a sudden, but the corruption that has reached new heights during the last decade of Abdallah II's rule, can now no longer be blamed just on prime ministers, military chiefs, high-ups in the Royal Court or other big shots in politics or business - it is becoming ever-more apparent that the King himself is deeply involved in many issues that have been raised by protesters both on the street and online over the last months. The King himself has pushed the Anti-Corruption Commission to pursue the two most recent prime ministers and the only-recently-stepped-down mayor of Amman, the Kingdom's capital, on a range of corruption charges. How can anyone believe that the Throne itself was not involved or had no knowledge of the dirty deals of its most senior servants?
A good friend of mine, who my girlfriend and I saw over dinner last night, told me that he had recently told the few dozen staff of his small company that he expects there might come months in 2012, where he will not know how to pay them their salaries, if they cannot come to work because they are afraid to leave their houses.

The demonstrations today, that were noticeably louder than in previous weeks, seem to confirm my friend's fear, though a total breakdown of authority and security is far off for now. But a growing wariness is undeniable, even within myself.
And in the midst of all this, I'm planning to finally start my own full-time project, which I've been preparing for months now. Its aim is to work with Jordanian youth and to improve their lives. Much needed, for sure, but whether what my project has to offer is anywhere near what they want, remains to be seen.

Cats and dogs

There are few things cuter than when a dog and a cat get along and cuddle on your favourite chair. :)