LATEST RELEASE – Order The Man of Middling Height by Syracuse University Press

Fadi Zaghmout

Govenrment offices and public smoking!

Excuse me, isn’t smoking forbidden in public governmental departments in Jordan? I really have no official answer for this question, but from a personal experience, I can guarantee you that the answer is a big NO!

This is seriously pissing me off. While the Great Amman Municipality is gaining global prizes for what they present as an excellent plan for the future of Amman, I HAVE to get cancer for the dozen of times I have to visit their offices for the damn vocational license for my ice cream shop.

I have always been an optimistic person. I read the achievements, enhancements and promises of the government officials to improve things in Jordan and accept it with an open heart. I can ever see and feel how things are really improving at the high level of things. But when it comes to the government low-end employees, who are very important in the cycle of improving the lives of the Jordanian citizens, the picture is not as rosey as you read in the newspaper.

Those people are really depressed. Seriously, it is like there is “an agreed upon code” to mistreat their clients (the jordanian citizens). They put a grumpy face, a negative attitude without any intention to help explaining things out. When you ask them, they react as if you cursed them! They only stick to beraucratic rules that give them joy in tortunring people at hand! In addition to all of that, they barely let their cigarette off their hands!

The other day, I was thinking that as a tax payer, I would agree to pay those people their salaries and let them stay at home while bringing new ones to serve intead of them. For god’s sake, they don’t only do nothing, but they also help slowing down the working process.

And guess what, the e-government is just adding more hassle. When technology and beraucracy is a bad combination. When a person’s brain can’t see behind 1+1=2, technology can’t help. He would be spending more time figuring out how to work out the software rather than doing the task at hand. Today for instance they were searching for my name in their software, and instead of searching through the number of my file which is more credible, he kept of writing my name and family name and trying and trying without any result, at the end he figured out that they entered my name wrong in the first place.

I am a patient person, and can manage to keep my nerves down till whatever it takes, but can anyone do something about the smoking part?! It is really hurting our citizens!

Recent blog posts

Responses

  1. KJ Avatar
    KJ

    That’s just sad, but it is the same everywhere across the Levant

    Like

  2. Dave Avatar
    Dave

    < HREF="http://www.american-in-jordan.com/index.php/2007/12/24/government-laziness-or-paid-to-do-nothing/" REL="nofollow">My additions<>.

    Like

  3. Onzlo Avatar
    Onzlo

    The same goes for the supposedly much improved passport office in Jabal Amman. I was there yesterday waiting for more than an hour for my number to come up (it didn’t even come close so I just left)to submit the application, everyone was smoking including the officials dealing with the public right under the no smoking rules, and including the officials who are talking to the police officers while smoking.

    Like

  4. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Well observer,When you have 10 people doing the job of one they have nothing better to do but to smoke to let the time pass quickly.Nasser

    Like

  5. Nad Avatar
    Nad

    Unfortunately, smoking is very much related to being ” a man” in Jordan. People feel offended if you ask them not to smoke. Even in your own house, its inappropriate to ask guests not to smoke. It pisses me off a lot. I think that smoking is an aggressive behavior specially if one was indifferent about smoking around pregnant women, which is an act that happens all over Jordan. Workers may (for some reason) get into your car or inside your house to fix something and they light up a cigarette with no permission. Smoking is NOT FORBBIDEN IN PUBLIC PLACES IN JPORDAN. Example, there is one public university near Zarqa, students smoke inside the buildings’ corridors. In the corridors, it is written that “eating and drinking are forbidden” and everybody smoke but they donโ€™t eat or drink. Inside the classrooms, however, it is written that “eating, drinking, and smoking are forbidden” No one smokes (because itโ€™s forbidden.) If smoking was forbidden people will not smoke.As for how people in charge treat citizens. There is a fatal misconception of public services in Jordan. They think that the higher your position is, the more number of people will serve you, when itโ€™s totally the opposite; the higher your position was the greater the number of people you have to serve QUALITATIVVERLY. As for smoking, I donโ€™t mind publicizing and participating in an activity to make our point heard (letter, meeting people in charge, demonstration, etc)

    Like

  6. The Observer Avatar
    The Observer

    kj, yeah it is sad man, and frustrating and annoying!Dave, thank you for adding to it. Appreciated ๐Ÿ™‚Onzlo, that is anothe bad news! I thought that they improved the passport office! :S:SNasser, that is right, and those 10 people do care more about chatting with each other, having their breakfast and playing solitaire on their pcs rather than doing their work!Nad, you are right, unfortunatly that is true. Young men start smoking to prove their manhood to their peers! That is just ridiculous! I created a cartoon that we can use in an online campaign. I would like to work on this issue and raise my voice. Do you have any suggestions?

    Like

  7. Ostaz-Mazika Avatar
    Ostaz-Mazika

    Hiif you wanna things Move to stop smoking. you better talk to this lady…..she is the ” enemy No# 1 of smoking in Jordan “her email is : 911Lfg@gmail.comJust mention that Ostaz – Mazika recommended contacting her.Ma3 Ta7yati

    Like

  8. Ostaz - Mazika Avatar
    Ostaz – Mazika

    I am a heavey smoker my self….I do demand my right to smoke BUT without hurting Other people.I never smoke while children / Kids / Oldies are around me.Long flights Kills me….Amman-Dubai is 3 hours flight….to me…I feel Like a tiny turtle growing up until I become a dinasur ( this is how Long the flight seems to be….to me without smoking ) ๐Ÿ˜ฆ

    Like

  9. Hareega Avatar
    Hareega

    I think a good start should be banning docotors and nurses from smoking inside public hospitals

    Like

  10. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Hi, if you really serious about fighting this habit lets take a move toward pressuring the government to enforce the laws banning smoking in public places, visit our website http://www.lcdtobaccofree.com we are collecting signatures for (My Right) document stating that, have been working for the past couple of years on this issue, we will march to the parliaments headquarter on May 31st inshallah, please contact me at 911lcd@gmail.com or mawyazh@yahoo for shared effort and ideas, lets work together toward “Jordan smoke free milestone”.thanks ostaz mazika ๐Ÿ™‚

    Like

  11. The Observer Avatar
    The Observer

    Thank you Ostaz Mazzika and anonymous, I will visit the site and definatly participate. I will send an email to the address you provided and look what we can do to make a change. Hareega, you are right, that should be addressed too.

    Like

Do you have something to say?