Abdullah: Work on my birthday
Photo: AP
Jordan king: Celebrate my birthday with work
King Abdullah removes his own and his father’s birthdays from Jordan’s official holiday calendar, saying: ‘Serious work and dedication are the key to economic prosperity. I hope Jordanians will celebrate the two days with increased creativity’
Party’s over: Jordanian King Abdullah II found a creative way to increase his kingdom’s productivity: By reducing the number of holidays celebrated by his nation’s citizens.
The Jordanian news agency Petra reported that two days ago, King Abdullah sent a letter to Jordan’s Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit, instructing the removal of his own and his father’s birthdays from the Jordan’s official holiday calendar.
In the letter, Abdullah wrote: “Serious work and dedication are the key to economic prosperity. Every day we work brings with it new opportunities for additional achievements and renewed investments, and opens up new horizons for creativity and development.”
“Therefore,” he summed up, “I have decided that my birthday, on the 30th of January, and my father’s birthday, on the 14th of November, will be declared as two regular work days.”
Abdullah expressed hope in his letter that “the Jordanians will celebrate the two days with increased creativity.”
Recently, economists criticized the Jordanian government’s economic policy, including the 16 official holidays on the Jordanian calendar, in which citizens are exempted from working.
