May 25th 2021
Ambassador Lina Annab Message for The Japan Times Special Supplement for the National Day of Jordan
Jordan’s Centenary Highlights Progress And Promises Bright Future
May 25 marks the Independence Day of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. This year we celebrate Jordan’s 75th Independence Day along with the centennial of the kingdom’s foundation in 1921.
One hundred years ago the first government of Jordan was sworn in on April 11, proclaiming the establishment of the Emirate of Transjordan under the leadership of our Hashemite founding father King Abdullah I. After independence was ratified in May 1946, ending the 1921 British mandate, it became known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in 1949. The centenary is an important milestone to reflect on the challenges surmounted and gains achieved since Jordan’s foundation. It is also a sobering reminder of how Jordan thrived while maintaining a continuous and stable political regime free of the upheavals brought about by revolutions, military coups, foreign occupation and other unrest witnessed elsewhere.
Jordan’s foundation is a testament to the perseverance and wisdom of its founders, especially in view of the unfavorable reality facing the nascent Transjordan such as the lack of the key endowments of natural resources and adequate infrastructure necessary to run the affairs of the newly founded state. Against all these odds, Jordan not only prospered, but also proved its resilience and stability while consolidating and institutionalizing its political rule. The ideals and vision espoused by the founding Hashemites in creating the emirate embodied the deeply entrenched values and principles of justice, compassion, inclusion, and representation in the political process. As early as 1929 a constitution was promulgated, and elections held, bringing about the first parliament, then known as the Legislative Council. Today, 100 years later, Jordan proudly looks back and celebrates standing the test of a time that often cast doubt on its viability and brought with it countless trials and tribulations.
From its modest beginnings as a polity with a mere 400,000 inhabitants to a full-fledged modern state of over 10 million, Jordan, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II, who is building on the legacy of his late father King Hussein, is playing a pivotal role in maintaining stability and peace in the world, and in a region rife with tensions and conflicts. It has done so by cultivating and building friendly relations with like-minded countries like Japan. Jordan has also remained steadfast in staying true to its values and unwavering commitment to promoting peace, diversity, human rights, interfaith harmony, and to fighting terrorism and extremism.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Jordan continues to shoulder its humanitarian responsibility and provide safe haven to millions of refugees and other people in need. Moreover, under the Hashemite custodianship, Jordan is assiduously safeguarding and maintaining Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem while striving toward achieving a just and comprehensive peace for the Palestinians in accordance with international law and U.N. resolutions, and on the basis of the two-state solution.
Inspired by Jordan’s first centenary, Jordanians are set for a great second one.