Jordan's dirty little secret
- By: Qwaider
- On:Monday, December 22, 2008 9:45:04 AM
- In:Thoughts
- Viewed: (8034) times
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Or perhaps, it's not that much of a secret... But in my personal view I find it to be the greatest threat to the prosperity of the Jordanian society and its progress.
This secret is called Wasta (nepotism), traditionally used to further draw wedges between Jordanians and Palestinians since Jordanians typically have Wasta and Jordanians of Palestinian origins didn't.
As the society grew, and intertwined, the clear distinction grew fainter and the society mingled to the point it became almost impossible to distinguish between the two. But, that didn't stop Wasta.
If you dig deeper, you'll discover that Wasta is rooted way deeper in the society, and the government in so many levels that for the new generations, it it's quite common to ask the "uncle" or the "cousin" for favors that often mean breaking the law, or bending the rules.
It's so common in fact that some people boast their ability to rally more influential people to their unworthy and undeserving cause.
It became quite common for many to gain seats in prominent universities in twisted ways based on the influence of people. Same goes for government sponsored scholarships.
But for the vast majority of people around Jordan. Wasta means a way to pursued our extremely inefficient workforce to just do their job. Since everyone appears to be handling public service as their own private goat.
In Jordan, we might be suffering from honor crimes, gender inequality and many other social problems. But none reaches epidemic levels more than Wasta and how it infiltrates the very fabric of Jordanian society.
Jordan is a developing country, struggling in the big world with legacy similar to that of most middle eastern countries. Affected by wars, a heterogeneous structure as bad as that of former Yugoslavia and a weird affinity to family name instead of real individual achievement. Even chances appear to be extra selective in the Jordanian society.
This cancer of our modern society needs a huge effort by All Jordanians, from all walks of life, but most notably from youth and younger generations to make sure this disgusting ailment doesn't propagate to one more generation. Let's all say NO to corruption.
No to Wasta, and Yes to a better Jordan
بلوجر بالعربي: looks very good
Noura: Different home, but same longing and nostalgia .. it seems we are chasing a mirage , Beirut of my dreams does not exist nor the people i miss .. i don't know if my gains were worth the losses ? I 
price waves repeat: The other day, while I was at work, my sister stole my iphone and tested to see if it can survive a 25 foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My iPad is now broken 
Sara: You can say that again!God Bless🕊
ياسمين حميد: كما هي طبيعتنا نحن العرب، عند الانتقال بين منصة وأخرى لا نحتفظ بالأولى بل نتركها ونهجرها. الأمور عندنا خاضعة ل
Qwaider: These possessions are meaningless as you said, but it's still painful to let go :( May Allah grant you all you wish for and unite you with your loved ones
Nicolas: The rapid increase in intelligence within this generation is responsible for completely unforeseen phenomena that academicians are not prepared for.Some of these classic TV shows remained 
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بلوجر بالعربي:looks very good
Noura:Different home, but same longing and nostalgia .. it seems we are chasing a mirage , Beirut of my dreams does not exist nor the people i miss .. i don't know if my gains were worth the losses ? I
price waves repeat:The other day, while I was at work, my sister stole my iphone and tested to see if it can survive a 25 foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My iPad is now broken
Sara:You can say that again!God Bless🕊
ياسمين حميد:كما هي طبيعتنا نحن العرب، عند الانتقال بين منصة وأخرى لا نحت%
Qwaider:These possessions are meaningless as you said, but it's still painful to let go :( May Allah grant you all you wish for and unite you with your loved ones
Nicolas:The rapid increase in intelligence within this generation is responsible for completely unforeseen phenomena that academicians are not prepared for.Some of these classic TV shows remained
Session=
Memories....
A good resume doesn't do a lot of things these days, and that is a sad reality that needs to be changed, because there are a lot of talented individuals who can really make a difference in the market but don't have the "gift" of being well connected.
I think it wouldn't be so bad if you could actually get things done without it, when we sold our old apartment next to Jordan university I went with the buyer to the water company to get our old deactivated account transferred to him. You can't imagine how many people he had to beg, bribe, and kneel to get a simple transaction like this completed.
I think there's a basic lack of a healthy work ethic at all levels of society regardless how educated. A sense of entitlement and dishonesty which is very strange considering this is supposed to be a relatively conservative muslim nation. It goes to our previous discussion where you insisted on equating religion with morality. The link just isn't there in reality.