jordan pulse -

Opinion by Nidal Majali

Gov visits to provinces impression of development surge: convoys of SUVs, cameras pointed at officials, strong statements and promises that fade quickly. Comparing official provincial-capital budgets for 2025 and 2026 shows well-staged performance missing only one element: spending.

While visits highlight investment promotion, provincial revival and strict royal directives, budget table states plainly: capital budgets cut by 35.5m dinars while field follow-up continues. Message to provinces: regular visits, no real spending.

Zarqa, long suffering congestion, pollution and weak infrastructure, sees nearly 2m dinars cut.
Karak: visits, demands, photo sessions followed by 1.5m dinar cut.
Aqaba: country’s developmental and tourism hub loses about 3m.
Ma’an and Tafileh: neediest and most heavily reduced.

Total: 35.5m dinars cut, signalling support for development through reductions.

Majali questions purpose of visits if they do not raise budgets: inspection or entertainment? Official comments praise decentralisation and gov support for provinces, while budget shows opposite, running decentralisation on principle: more projects, less money.

Large negative gap between years presented calmly, with no alternatives, justification or compensatory vision—only reductions. Provinces rise, but in direction of financial decline.

Public asks whether development lies between minister’s statement and the budget figure, or in widening gap between frequent visits and shrinking spending. Budget for 2025–2026 reveals simple truth: more field visits, lower budgets. Citizen left to accept that development is not expenditure but general impression, echoing engineer Amer Al-Habashneh’s remark to writer: engineering is impression.