Khaberni - Written by Hossam Mudayyan
Fuhais, this tranquil and peaceful city, is today facing an existential battle against Lafarge company, which aims to sell cement lands piece by piece to any party, completely disregarding the opinion of the city residents, who have suffered from destruction and environmental pollution for seven decades due to the cement industry. This industry has caused severe damage to the city and its inhabitants, turning grape vineyards into rubble and solid waste, and excavations that are mostly uninhabitable.
Insolvency Law... a cover for the sale?
Lafarge is now trying to sell the remaining habitable lands, under the pretext of needing liquidity to rescue itself from ongoing losses. The company did not suffice with the previous sale of 320 dunams under the insolvency law umbrella, but announced a few days ago its intention to sell an additional 110 dunams in the heart of Fuhais city to the highest bidder, completely ignoring the potentially disastrous impact on the social and architectural fabric of the city.
Fuhais is not for sale
It is concerning that the lands offered for sale are among the few remaining habitable cement lands, which opens the appetite of some land merchants and brokers to benefit from this valuable catch, threatening to transform the city into soulless, identity-lacking cement complexes. It is no surprise that this foreign company might leave the remaining uninhabitable lands to the Fuhais residents, as a reward for their patience and endurance of decades of pollution and destruction, then turn its back on them and the entire homeland.
Where is the government?
Isn't Fuhais an integral part of this dear homeland? Isn't it the same city that we praise as a model of culture, love, and harmony? Isn't it the city that raises the Jordanian flag high with its festivals and cultural, sports, and social institutions? Many questions haunt the residents of Fuhais, among them: Why does the government stand by, watching this battle unfold between a peaceful city and a giant foreign company. The absence of a firm official stance raises doubts about intertwined interests and heightens the feeling that citizens' rights can be sold cheaply in the absence of transparency and accountability.
Calling the Prime Minister
Finally, the residents of Fuhais invite His Excellency Prime Minister, Dr. Jafar Hassan, who continues tirelessly and has not left a city or village in Jordan unvisited during his field tours, to visit Fuhais and listen to its residents and institutions, and see firsthand the damage that will be inflicted on the city if Lafarge proceeds with its plans. Today, Fuhais, united in its stance and understanding of the importance of land regulation, leaves no excuse for anyone to claim that the community is divided on its main issue. Fuhais is not demanding the impossible but its right to determine the fate of its lands, preserve its identity, and ensure the future of its children.
Is there an answer?
