Khaberni - Tomorrow, Friday, marks the fifty-fourth anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Wasfi al-Tal, after he was struck by a treacherous hand in Cairo while participating in a meeting of the Joint Arab Defense Council on November 28, 1971.
The martyr Wasfi al-Tal is one of the most prominent political figures in Jordan. His Majesty King Hussein bin Talal - may God bless his soul - entrusted him with forming the government on January 27, 1962, which included eleven ministers. His Majesty’s trust was renewed in him again in 1965, and a third time in 1970. Al-Tal was known for his dedication and loyalty to the Hashemite leadership, his love for his homeland, his Arab nation, and its unity.
The late Wasfi al-Tal was born in 1920, the son of the renowned Jordanian poet Mustafa Wahbi al-Tal. He received his elementary education in the schools of Irbid and Salt Secondary School, then left to study Science and Philosophy at the American University of Beirut. He worked as a teacher at Karak Secondary School and held several official positions and roles in Amman, Jerusalem, Jericho, and London, and served diplomatically in the Jordanian embassies in Moscow, Tehran, and Baghdad.
He also worked as a professor at Salt College in 1941, an employee at the General Statistics Department, an assistant to the director of income tax, the director of publications in 1955, the chief of royal protocols in 1957, the head of moral guidance in 1959, a member of the House of Notables between 1963 and 1971, and ambassador to the Jordanian capital Baghdad and Iran.
During his presidency, Al-Tal issued several decisions to support the agricultural, educational, health, and economic sectors, most notably the establishment of the Jordan University, the Seven Year Economic Development Plan of 1964 -1970, the creation of the Ministries of Municipal and Rural Affairs, and Transportation, the implementation of the health insurance system, and support for municipal and rural councils, and expansion in afforestation.
The late Al-Tal defended national unity, placed it above all considerations, emphasized that the rule of law is what allows Jordan to progress and move towards production phases, and that services would be provided according to available financial capabilities and within a fair planning of priorities.
