(MENAFN- Alghad Newspaper)
The events in Rusaifa over the last few days is worthy of at least some official reflection. What happened there goes beyond the murder of Fadi Khalaileh and the riots which followed over the disappearance of the killers. It goes even further, way beyond the tribal unrest, which led to some of the perpetrators turning themselves in, and other getting arrested.
Decision and policy makers need to reconsider their approach.
These events shed light on two main points.
First, which was widely deliberated, is the spread of racketeering and unlawful, criminal behaviours, in most of the Kingdom's governorates.
More so, some areas in Jordan are almost beyond the reach of law. They fall under the reign and code of crime. Many of the criminals there gain social status and become business owners, forming strong and influential networks, based on their reputation.
Those enjoy a level of unofficial protection, in many cases, derived from their relations and their resourceful manipulation of the legislative and executive device.
Noticeably, they are becoming a growing threat, especially small business owners who succumb to racketeering for their own safeties.
As for the bigger corporations, some of them hire these criminal to avoid 'unnecessary consequences.
The official response to this is that the legal mechanisms to addressing this problem is not enough.
Of course, this can easily be debated, since legislation can also be amended on the basis of urgency, to formulate special legislation to addressing criminals and convicted criminals.
Moreover, there are numerous instruments to be devised, with the political will to do so, in order to formalise an integrated bundle of legal procedures and authorities to handle similar cases until legislation is addressed.
Hopefully, the government and police will begin to address this phenomenon, decisively, to reinforce the equal rule of law and authority of state.
The police already have a list of most of those criminals, and many of them can be stopped by strict legal, administrative, security procedures.
So, what's stopping them?!
It is crucial that we stop protecting the criminals; that we stop justifying their behaviours morally and socially. We need to expose them in the media, politically, and legally, as well as pull the influence carpet from under their feet.
We need to sever the ties they built with politicians and corporations, which has given many of the criminals a wiggle space to operate freely, outside the law, culture, and morality.
The second issue, unveiled by the Rusaifa Incidents, again, is the shortcoming political will to address the issue, not to mention the absence of the state and law enforcement.
Not long after the riots broke out, the Bani Hasan tribe announced the suspects names and gave them a deadline before the tribe seeks revenge.
These are terrorising indications to the absence of the state, and it cannot go on!
In fact, the state could have easily and quickly made a political or police statement, the moment the crime took place; strike the iron while it's hot, by arresting the killer.
This could have reinforced the consolidated power of the state, as the sole and exclusive authority.
Not to mention it could have saved us much of the misery we saw in the news.
More or less, it seems like the government is always struggling to keep up with the current events, and are the last to get it.
When the Karak terrorist attacks took place, as well as in Irbid before it, the authorities made vast arrests, detaining hundreds of those belonging to the Salafi-Jihadist current.
It was a state of emergency, back then.
What the government may not understand is that the criminals and outlaws we're talking about here are no less dangerous.
The Rusaifa events should suffice to prove it.
It is crucial that the state coveys a strong, decisive message, but launching similar campaigns related to this line of crimes against society and our security.
The state needs to make its stand clear and reiterate the equality of justice and the supremacy of law!
This article is an edited translation of the Arabic version, published by AlGhad.
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