Many people in Jordan have questioned the wisdom of King Abdullah in appointing Marouf Bakhit to head the country's new government.The appointment of the ex-army general and former ambassador to Israel follows three weeks of street protests over rising prices, inflation and unemployment.Labib Kamhawi, an independent Jordanian analyst, said it showed the lack of intention on the part of the king, or ill-council by his advisers, "to initiate real substantial changes".
"This move has created great disappointment in the street," he said.
On Tuesday, the king dismissed Prime Minister Samir Rifai from his post along with his cabinet.
Thousands of protesters from all political stripes, including the Muslim Brotherhood and leftist unionists had demanded his departure. They blamed Mr Rifai for economic hardship and a lack of democratic reforms in the absolute monarchy.
Mr Kamhawi said it was important for King Abdullah to replace Mr Rifai with a "new face in whom there is general trust," because people have lost confidence in the old guard.
'Backfire'
He and others consider Mr Bakhit to be part of an establishment that has not seriously tackled Jordan's promised economic and political reforms.
"He should have appointed someone who actually has a platform for change," said Mr Kamhawi.
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“Start Quote
This is what has led people to protest in the streets, because they don't have avenues for venting how they feel through legal means”
End Quote Ibrahim Alloush Professor
"This has created a shock which will backfire more than help the current situation."
Mr Bakhit served as Jordan's prime minister once before in 2005, after the triple hotel blasts in Amman that November that killed 60 Jordanians, mainly Muslim women and children.
Jordan's powerful Muslim Brotherhood and its political wing, the Islamic Action Front - the country's largest opposition - have also expressed its dissatisfaction with the choice of Mr Bakhit.
Other critics point out that he did not achieve many of the reforms he promised during his last tenure and they wonder what he will accomplish this time around.
Leftist university professor Ibrahim Alloush said it was not a question of changing faces or replacing one prime minister with another in Jordan.
"We're demanding changes on how the country is now run," he said.
Mr Alloush, who has been among the thousands who have staged protests here, accused the government of impoverishing the working class with regressive tax codes. This, he claimed, forced the poor to pay a higher proportion of their income as tax.
"This is what has led people to protest in the streets, because they don't have avenues for venting how they feel through legal means," Mr Alloush said, again repeating calls for genuine democratic changes to Jordan's system of government and economic reforms.
It's unclear what the red marks are on Charlie's hands, neck and eyes.
"This move has created great disappointment in the street," he said.
On Tuesday, the king dismissed Prime Minister Samir Rifai from his post along with his cabinet.
Thousands of protesters from all political stripes, including the Muslim Brotherhood and leftist unionists had demanded his departure. They blamed Mr Rifai for economic hardship and a lack of democratic reforms in the absolute monarchy.
Mr Kamhawi said it was important for King Abdullah to replace Mr Rifai with a "new face in whom there is general trust," because people have lost confidence in the old guard.
'Backfire'
He and others consider Mr Bakhit to be part of an establishment that has not seriously tackled Jordan's promised economic and political reforms.
"He should have appointed someone who actually has a platform for change," said Mr Kamhawi.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
This is what has led people to protest in the streets, because they don't have avenues for venting how they feel through legal means”
End Quote Ibrahim Alloush Professor
"This has created a shock which will backfire more than help the current situation."
Mr Bakhit served as Jordan's prime minister once before in 2005, after the triple hotel blasts in Amman that November that killed 60 Jordanians, mainly Muslim women and children.
Jordan's powerful Muslim Brotherhood and its political wing, the Islamic Action Front - the country's largest opposition - have also expressed its dissatisfaction with the choice of Mr Bakhit.
Other critics point out that he did not achieve many of the reforms he promised during his last tenure and they wonder what he will accomplish this time around.
Leftist university professor Ibrahim Alloush said it was not a question of changing faces or replacing one prime minister with another in Jordan.
"We're demanding changes on how the country is now run," he said.
Mr Alloush, who has been among the thousands who have staged protests here, accused the government of impoverishing the working class with regressive tax codes. This, he claimed, forced the poor to pay a higher proportion of their income as tax.
"This is what has led people to protest in the streets, because they don't have avenues for venting how they feel through legal means," Mr Alloush said, again repeating calls for genuine democratic changes to Jordan's system of government and economic reforms.
It's unclear what the red marks are on Charlie's hands, neck and eyes.
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