Khaberni - Once again we pay the price for delayed oversight: Streets closed after the depression and the sale of heaters halted after the suffocation and death of more than 14 people. This opens a painful question: Why does oversight only react after the disaster has occurred?
Oversight is not a reactive measure but a constitutional and legal duty of the government. It falls under its commitment to protect the lives and public safety of citizens, an obligation that predates any damage and not one that follows it. Just as the Public Security Directorate conducts preventative campaigns before the winter, the government should implement comprehensive preventive and oversight measures at the start of every season, especially regarding dangerous products that directly affect the right to life.
Where was the Standards and Metrology Institution before these heaters entered the market? If today's decision is to close a factory or ban a product for not meeting the standards, this is an explicit acknowledgment of a previous oversight flaw and a neglect of legal duty. More dangerously, the results of this negligence extended not only to material losses but also to the irretrievable loss of human lives.
From a constitutional and legal perspective, the government bears direct responsibility for this negligence because the Constitution enshrines the principle that the executive authority is subject to accountability and holds it responsible for safeguarding fundamental rights, foremost among them the right to life and public safety. Also, general principles of tort law in Jordanian law dictate that any fault causing harm necessitates compensation, and if the fault stems from regulatory negligence or failure to take required actions, legal liability arises for the injured parties without the need for discretion.
Therefore, the government is legally obliged to compensate anyone harmed by this negligence, whether for material or moral damages, considering the harm resulted from a breach of a established legal duty. It is not acceptable to rely on belated decisions as an alternative to repairing the damage and bearing its consequences.
In addition to legal responsibility, political accountability also emerges as the essence of public service in the constitutional system. The government is accountable to the public for its actions and inactions, and public trust can only be restored by taking this responsibility seriously through clear apologies or by holding the directly responsible officials accountable, leading to their resignation when negligence is proven. Political accountability is not an option but a mandate imposed by respect for the Constitution and the protection of citizens’ lives.
At the same time, the role of the citizen in the public safety system cannot be overlooked as the responsibility does not rest on the government alone but also extends to every head of the family as the primary responsible for protecting his family members and children's lives. This responsibility entails caution, adherence to safety procedures, and avoiding the use of any heating means or products whose safety is in doubt because protecting life starts with awareness just as it starts with the law.
Prevention is a constitutional and legal duty because oversight before a disaster protects lives, whereas after it, it only documents the failure.
