By Loubna Flah
By Loubna Flah
Morocco World News
Casablanca, January 4, 2012
Just when Moroccans started to harbor a feeling of disquietude over the government formation, especially with all those pending issues, the palace finally lifts the curtain on the post Moroccan spring government. The list of ministers, a wonder box, left those acquainted with political deals astonished. The labor was painful to the whole nation, as it resulted in a dismantlement of alliances, unexpected resignations and political storms within parties.
This new government mirrors a harmony between its different factions. The PJD agenda is less likely to be hindered from within, since it was granted many strategic portfolios, namely the ministry of higher education, scientific training and executive training and the ministry of justice and liberties. The Party of Justice and Development (PJD) had announced at the beginning of consultations that it intended to shrink the size of the government in order to enhance its delivery and reduce expenses.
Yet, some features of the old schemes still persist, such as the title of ministry of state granted to a PJD member and Benkirane’s close adviser, Abdellah Baha. In fact, the minister of state is an honorific title bestowed to a minister, who is ranked in the protocol after the head of government, without enjoying any specific prerogatives. This appointment seems incongruent with the PJD promise for a total rupture with past practices.
While the PJD taught the political parties a lesson in democratic management by electing its nominees to ministerial positions, the Istiqlal Party lack of transparency raised a storm within the party.
The IP members are disgruntled over the way Abbas Al Fassi handled the negotiations with the head of the government. The IP executive committee members, especially Mohammed Shabat and Abdellah al Bekkali, denounced the lack of transparency and communication within the party over the candidates approved by the Palace and those who were ruled out.
The appointment of the IP secretary general’s relatives, namely Nizar Baraka and Fouad Douiri cast doubts on Al Fassi’s impartiality. According to the daily “Al Massae”, the mounting tension between Al Fassi and Shabat heightened when Al Fassi refused to hold a meeting requested by Shabat and Al Bakkali to debate over the IP secretary general’s missteps.
On the other hand, the absence of female ministers in the government was not welcomed by analysts. The PJD parliamentary deputy Bassima Haqaoui is the only woman among a masculine government. This situation may invoke a sexist attitude towards women. Yet, in this critical conjuncture, the only criterion that counts the most is competency.
The compliments and kinship transactions are no longer tolerated by Moroccans. However, parties are to be blamed for this lack of female representation. The secret negotiations within parties revealed the persistence of nepotism where relatives are granted favors regardless of their merit, while true militants are sidelined.
Nevertheless, the access of the PJD to power has reshaped Moroccan politics in many respects. Needless to say, it had dismantled traditional alliances such as the Koutla and pushed the USFP to assume the role of opposition in what looks like an unprecedented polarization of the Moroccan political scene. Now that the partisan deals are sealed, the new ministers are expected to roll up their sleeves, for 35 Million Moroccans are waiting for the “promised” change.
Edited by Adane Bennis
Loubna Flah is a Moroccan national. She earned a master degree in Biochemistry from the Mohammedia faculty of science and technologies. She obtained also a bachelor degree in English studies from Ain Chok University after writing a dissertation about the aspects of sexism in Moroccan Arabic. She graduated from the Ecole Normale Superieure in Rabat as a high school teacher of English.
© Morocco World News
