Bouncing billies in the Jordanian Parliament

The Lower house of the Jordanian Parliament suspended operations yesterday briefly after a debate over "money laundry" legislation broke down into a bitter argument that could have been escalated to a fist fight between deputies Abdul Karim Dughmi (Mafraq) and Abdul Hafiz Breizat (Madaba, Second District), who disagreed over whether the anti-money laundering bill should be referred to the Financial Committee or the Legal Committee for review. Al-Dugmi backed by Rwabda suggested referring the money laundry act to the Environment Committee. Al-Dugmi joked that since money launderers typically contaminate the Environment then it was very natural to refer the act to the Environment committee. Any how the joke was not received well by Breizat.

According to the Jordan Times, "the two elected officials exchanged insults before Breizat hurled a bottle of water at Dughmi, ignoring repeated calls for composure from Lower House Speaker Abdul Hadi Majali. The tussle escalated as both deputies attempted to hit each other, but were stopped by colleagues."

Personally and "I am not joking here" since that I am afraid that my joke might not be received well by others, I wonder if physical fitness should become a requirement for all those Jordanians who consider running for the upcoming Parliamentary election. If a deputy wants to prove his/her point, then he/she must show muscles not a bouncing billy. It is really embarrassing to look at the photos of the fight. Finally, there was one positive outcome of the fight as indicated by the sudden increase of PMs' attendance from an average 56 to 75 deputies. This is interesting also becuasue it shows the "human" side of those elected officials. People live and thrive on testosterone. Way to go.