In response to continuous media demands, the Greater Amman Municipality began Tuesday broadcasting live sessions of its monthly council meetings.

The broadcast carried on GAM’s own two-year old radio station Hawa Amman came in response to demands that began six years by Jordan’s leading community radio station Radio al Balad.

Daoud Kuttab, GM of Radio al Balad welcomed the decision. “ We have been waiting for this day for six years. This decision is a response to a yearning from the general public for transparency in the activities of the municipality and allows citizens to be more aware of how decisions affecting their lives are taken.”

Six years ago Kuttab made the request to the previous mayor, Nedal Hadid but failed to get a response. Mayor Maani promised to allow the broadcasts but didn’t deliver until Tuesday, despite numerous appeals by the radio station. In 1996 Maani promised a delegation of the Federation of Community Radio stations holding its global meeting in Amman to allow the broadcasts once new municipal elections were held but failed to do so after the 1997 elections.

It is not clear what moved the mayor Tuesday. Public criticism of the way the capital is managed has been on the increase as of late and the mayor mentioned that in Tuesday’s session. The mayor asked back on the 18th of June 2009, the 67 person city council for their opinion and councilors were split on the subject even though the mayor publicly said he was in favor. Some councilors asked why they should allow the broadcast to a station while the city has its own radio station. The mayor responded that he was handling a request from Radio al Balad and that no such a request had come from the city’s own station. One councilor Lina Tal suggested that a taped version of the monthly session be given to radio stations afterwards. No vote was taken at the time.

Radio al Balad had renewed Monday its request in writing with copies of the request sent to the minister of state in charge of media Taher Udwan and to the head of the Audio Visual Commission Amjad Qadi. The request quoted the city’s own by laws (clause 39) which specify that sessions of the council should be open to the public. The request of Radio al Balad said that they would be satisfied if the city’s own radio station would be the main broadcaster.

This is what happened on Tuesday. Radio al Balad rebroadcast the session using the signal transmitted by Hawa Amman Radio. The decision to allow the broadcast was done without a vote of the council.