COURTYARD, AL-QARAWIYYIN UNIVERSITY, FES. MOROCCO, PHOTO BY KHONSALI
By Said Temsamani
July 28, 2013
Wherever legitimacy was lacking, demonstrations quickly transformed into uprisings, if not into revolutions. To the contrary, in the countries where the rulers had some kind of legitimacy, be it religious or traditional, demonstrations simply inaugurated a peaceful reform process or a new course of change.
Morocco provides a path forward for those who seek to advance reform in the Arab world while at the same time preserving the institutional stability needed to implement it effectively. This week King Mohammed VI marked 13 years on the throne with a speech calling for continuation of reforms that were accelerated a year ago when Morocco adopted a new constitution which transfered new authorities to the parliament and paved the way for elections last fall that ushered in a moderate islamic government coalition. In Morocco, the monarchic regime had a strong legitimacy. Deeply rooted in the “Commander of the Faithful” status of the king, this legitimacy had been consolidated by the role played by the monarchy, first, in the fight for independence, and then in the semi-democratic system established after independence.
Why is this important? With a Middle East in transition struggling to keep pace with the expectations of people and an unfolding political drama, it is more vital than ever to have some anchors in the region that demonstrate that political and social reform can be advanced without breaking the system and that strong political, economic and trade relations with the United States are not a liability.
During one of her last visits to Morocco Secretary Clinton stated “Morocco stands as an example, as a model of what can be achieved. Moroccans are strengthening their own democracy. Young people are having a say in their own future.”
While Morocco has long enjoyed a good relationship with the U.S. gaining a trifecta of non-NATO ally status, a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and a Millennium Challenge compact, it is this reform process which could prove to be the biggest boon in the relationship. By fighting corruption, strengthening the rights of women and shifting power to local and regional governments, Morocco can show that tolerance
and economic development can help meet the expectations of a people who might otherwise turn to more radical and destabilizing paths.
A major challenge to Morocco’s economic development will be to focus on education and the role of youth. Youth unemployment and school attendance are real looming issues that must be addressed. This will require the kind of dialogue and inclusion that will allow this increasingly large and important demographic group to be heard and have a true stake in their future. This fall tens of thousands of Moroccan youth will participate in Youth Council which will define an ongoing platform for the government to engage youth in a grassroots political process. Unlike in Egypt, US NGO’s have worked long side civil society to support youth initiatives.
Another move that underscores the important role that Morocco can play in the region is the proposed resurrection of the Arab Maghreb Union which includes Algeria, Libya, Mauritania and Tunisia. When the trade and economic cooperation framework was formed in 1989, it was greeted with skepticism by the U.S. which was still in open conflict with Libya under the Qadafi regime. Difficulties with Algeria over the Western Sahara issue also undermined cooperation within the Maghreb Union. Today, the North African political landscape is quite different and in some ways less certain as a result of the Arab Spring. Morocco could play a potential catalytic role in the kind of economic cooperation that will be needed to weather the storms coming south across the Mediterranean from Europe.
In terms of human rights, another year rich in social movements. Advances are significant that we can’t ignore. The new Constitution is in itself an undeniable evolution, but still more needs to be done. A year after the massive vote in favour of the new Constitution in 2011, which, for the first time gives primacy to the universal law on the domestic one. Injustice, insecurity, rentier economy and discrimination are no longer appropriate.
The image of the human rights situation in Morocco is relatively mixed. Significant progress, but concerns remain. The first observation, is the solow pace of the implementation of organic laws, meant to convey the spirit of the Constitution. We are facing a legal literature inapplicable on the ground. Hence the sense of a kind of reluctance towards the promotion of the culture of human rights on the ground.
New cases of mistreatment of prisoners were identified in CNDH (National Council of Human Rights). “The government persists in its equivocation not to implement the recommendations of the IER (Equity and Reconciliation Commission).
Concerning judicial reform, everybody recognizes the fact that a lot needs to be done. The Moroccan civil society is working hard to attract the government attention to this sensitive issue. At the instruction of King Mohammed the Moroccan Ministry of Justice has launched a series of forums on the importance of judicial reform. Scholars, NGO and political leaders are contributing to those national debates in order to elaborate a new judicial system that will reinforce the rule of law in Morocco.
On the social level, we cannot say that things have improved. Women in rural areas continue to deliver in unacceptable conditions. Fortunately, Mohammed V foundation took the initiative to develop an ambitious program in those villages to improve the living standards of the Moroccans living there by creating vocational training schools to benefit th youth, boarding schools for rural girls and small clinics.
Finally, the list is far from exhaustive. This means that the road is still long and the battle is not over yet. The fight continues. Morocco has voiced its firm determination to tackle all sensitive issues that in the past were taboo. This is the real will of change and reform that has been initiated over the last 12 years. Morocco pledged to go ahead with key reforms not forgetting economic growth. Morocco has put forward an ambitious road map to attract more world investments. Highways, high speed trains, new ports and airports all are built and some are still under construction in order to boost investments and make Morocco an attractive investment hub.
Undoubtedly, there are still some challenges to overcome but the most important is this will to move forward and respond to Moroccans expectations and aspirations. This reality reflects Morocco’s exceptionality in North Africa. The recent progress toward greater political and economic reform in Morocco should not be underestimated.
The King is supported by a group of close advisors, many of whom he grew up and was educated with who developed technocratic expertise and a willingness to adapt to new realities. It is this flexibility which can continue to balance the myriad interests that reside in a multi-ethnic arab country situated in Africa with historic ties to Europe and the West.
While it has become popular to say that the United States has become “less relevant” in the Middle East, it is precisely through the encouragement of the process of reform in countries like Morocco that we can reaffirm
our values while preserving a strategic relationship that has lasted for well over two centuries.
