Khaberni - The Council of Ministers decided today, Wednesday, to refer the Director-General of the Standards and Metrology Institution, Abeer Barkat Al-Zuhair, to retirement, in a decision that triggered a wide controversy due to its timing, especially since it came days after escalating public and parliamentary controversy over what is media referred to as the "Al-Shamuseh" crisis – referring to home gas heaters that have caused deaths by asphyxiation.
Last week, according to Khaberni, the Public Security Directorate announced the death of 10 people at least, including whole families, in the provinces of Zarqa and the capital Amman, due to carbon monoxide poisoning leaked from "Shamuseh" heaters inside closed rooms, leading to a wave of public outrage and a comprehensive governmental investigation.
Under increasing pressure, the Standards and Metrology Institution, which was headed by Al-Zuhair according to Khaberni, announced holding over 5 thousand heaters and banning three local factories from selling this type of devices, awaiting the results of technical examinations conducted by the Royal Scientific Society.
The repercussions did not stop there, as the chairman of the National Guidance and Media Parliamentary Committee, Hussein Al-Amoush, announced to Khaberni his intention to submit a parliamentary memo demanding the dismissal of the Minister of Industry and Trade, along with the resignation of the director of the Standards and Metrology Institution, holding both parties responsible for the incident stating that "public safety cannot tolerate errors".
While the government has not issued an official clarification linking the retirement decision to the recent crisis, observers believe that Al-Zuhair paid the price for the repercussions of the file, or at least was one of its administrative victims, amid rising talks about accountability both ethically and institutionally.
