Amman, Nov. 2 (Petra) -- Newly elected First Deputy Speaker of the Lower House Ayatollah Freihat said on Monday that the key messages of the Speech from the Throne had provided Parliament with "guiding lights, landmarks to follow, and responsibilities that brook no complacency or delay." In his first address after being elected to the post, during a House session chaired by Speaker Ibrahim Tarawneh on Monday evening, Freihat said the speech called on lawmakers to raise their performance to meet national aspirations and work as one team, putting aside narrow calculations and transient considerations.
He stressed that serving Jordan and Jordanians should guide their positions and unite their efforts.
Freihat said the political modernization process envisioned by His Majesty King Abdullah II was not merely about developing tools and structures but a national undertaking requiring advanced political thinking, mature parliamentary practice, effective political parties, and the ability to translate programs into legislation, positions, and policies that respond to Jordanians’ aspirations and safeguard their interests.
On relations with the government, Freihat said they would continue to be guided by the national interest and performance standards.
"We will support the government where support serves the country's interests and hold it accountable where duty requires scrutiny. We will not compromise on Jordanians’ right to clear answers, responsible policies, and tangible results," he said.
"Cooperation does not mean suspending oversight, just as oversight does not mean obstructing government work. Rather, the roles complement each other when the country is their shared objective and citizens are the measure of their impact." He added that the strength of the House did not lie in uniformity of opinion but in the richness of differing views, nor in excluding disagreement but in managing it wisely and responsibly under the umbrella of the national interest.
Freihat pledged to uphold every lawmaker’s right to express views, participate, and exercise independent judgment.
"The contest for the position has ended, and the test of honoring the trust has begun. Positions are fleeting moments, but one's stance endures. Responsibility is not measured by the privileges it offers but by the impact it leaves behind," he said.
He stressed that the consensus Parliament sought was not about dividing positions or distributing gains but about agreeing on national priorities, work programs, and the interests of Jordanians.
Positions alone, however numerous, could neither build a strong House nor restore lost public trust or ease the burdens facing citizens, he said.
Freihat said he would work with the speaker and his colleagues in the Permanent Office to establish a parliamentary environment befitting the House's standing, safeguard lawmakers’ rights, facilitate the fulfillment of their constitutional duties, and strengthen their tools for following up on citizens’ concerns and holding state institutions accountable.
Such efforts, he said, would preserve the House's stature, protect the independence of its decisions, and reinforce its legislative and oversight role.
Freihat also called on lawmakers to direct their competition towards what they deliver rather than the positions they occupy and towards their achievements rather than the titles they hold.
"Colleagues’ votes may grant a position, but one's standing is built through actions. Public trust is not sustained by words but strengthened by work and demonstrated through achievement," he said.
He expressed his deep gratitude for the confidence placed in him, praised every colleague who had contested the position, and said he respected their choices and decisions. He also voiced appreciation for the support and confidence of the Labour Party.
Freihat secured 88 votes, while his rival, MP Ahmad Al-Hmeisat, received 46.
//Petra// AF
