By Hani Hazaimeh

AMMAN - The new government will do its best to enhance press freedoms and facilitate access to information, said a senior official, adding that the new Cabinet “will be open to constructive criticism”.

Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Taher Odwan told The Jordan Times on Thursday that positive criticism is important to draw officials’ attention to loopholes that need to be addressed.

He added in a telephone interview that the media should be a “window for all and should not be exclusive to a specific group. Rather, it should be a podium for all to express their views and ideas as long as we all bear in mind the interests of the country”.

The 65-year-old veteran journalist highlighted the need to create the proper environment to boost freedom of the press, “within the framework of relevant legislation and the country’s culture and traditions”.

Odwan, first time minister and former editor-in-chief of the left-leaning Al Arab Al Yawm daily, said media reforms should also include official media outlets, which include Jordan Radio and TV and the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

He said that these outlets should not only be tools that defend the government.

“Official media should give space for others to express their views. We are in the same boat, private and public media, and we should all focus on one objective, that is, defending the country’s interests,” he added.

The government “should not see the opposition as an adversary but rather as a partner concerned with overseeing the public sector’s performance”.

Known for his pan-Arabist stands and outright criticism of government policies, Odwan’s appointment was welcomed in media circles Thursday.

He told The Jordan Times that his decision to join the government was taken on the backdrop of the current situation that calls upon all citizens to safeguard the country’s interests.

“I will always defend the people and the country’s interests. Joining the government does not mean that I am changing positions. In fact, the dialogue and talks Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit has held [ahead of forming his Cabinet] were an indication of his seriousness to make tangible progress in the political reform process and I think the government should be given enough time before it is judged,” Odwan said.