I heard the idea from a seasoned Jordanian party politician, who said it in response to a question from the Prime Minister: How do we find a solution to the crowding of demands for quotas and alleged rights, especially before any cabinet reshuffle?
His answer was immediate, announcing a discovery that would change the shape of the world: "We want a wide bus."
He did not raise his voice, nor did he need a long explanation, so I grasped the idea with a political smile after a genius look at his words, to the point that it needs no explanation.
A wide bus... simply means solving all our problems and the president's chronic problem all at once.
The idea is clear: instead of arguing about who sits in the front and who sits in the back, we make a bus where everyone sits in the front.
No back rows, no embarrassment, no discrimination. Everyone in the front row, everyone is important, and everyone is satisfied. And so, we have eliminated competition in a very civilized way… completely eliminated it.
I sat thinking about it, and I began to believe that the seasoned politician wasn't joking. On the contrary, it seems he saved us and his country years of unnecessary headaches and resentment.
Why set standards, make distinctions, and upset people? Just make room on the bus, and that's the end of it. Everyone who wants a place, we'll give them space. Everyone looking for an opportunity, we'll open a door for them… or rather, add a new door to the bus.
But the wide bus doesn't come alone. We can't put it on narrow roads designed for outdated ideas like boundaries, capacity, and efficiency. No, we need roads that match the scale of our ambition.
Special, wide paths, and perhaps some minor obstacles such as logic and planning need to be removed.
And here comes the question that well-intentioned people always ask: the cost? Of course, the cost. As if we're not used to this question. The answer is ready and simple: we increase borrowing. What's the problem? The debt already exists, so let's give it some companionship. Besides, we have the Social Security Investment Fund, and this is a national treasure that shouldn't remain idle. We invest it in the bus system and its routes, and we ensure that everyone participates… even those who don't ride the bus at all.
The best part is that the project is incredibly profitable. Yes, extremely profitable, perhaps even more so than suspension bridges, toll roads, and railway agreements with a 7% return—banks are more trustworthy and offer you higher returns! Because here, we're not selling mere passage, we're selling a feeling.
The feeling that you are always ahead, even if everyone around you thinks the same thing. This in itself is a significant economic and psychological achievement.
As time goes on, the bus gets bigger. Whenever a new person appears wanting to sit in the front, we expand even further.
As the noise gets louder, we add a new front row. Until we reach a point where the bus is wider than the city itself, and perhaps needs a satellite to track its edges.
Despite all this beauty, there is one small detail that bothers me.
If everyone is in the front seat… who is driving? Do we even need a driver? Or has driving become an outdated idea like the back seats? Because the problem is that even everyone who has the opportunity to sit in the front seat sees himself as more deserving of leadership than the president.
The politician didn't delve into these details. For him, the important thing, judging by the crowd gathered around the president's table, was that the bus was full of contentment, not passengers. As for the destination… that was a luxury that could be postponed. The important thing was that the journey continued, even if we were going around in circles, on a very wide, very expensive bus, and everyone on it was happy… or at least, no one admitted to being lost. Otherwise, the headache created by the entourage of the poorly chosen administration would persist.