Review of Moroccan editorials, June 10

Rabat – June 10, 2013 (MAP)

The crisis of the ruling coalition, the membership of figures of the Salafist movement in the Renaissance and Virtue party, the situation of private investment in the kingdom and the management of public affairs in Casablanca, are the main subjects addressed by the editorials of the Moroccan dailies issued on Monday.

The editorial of L’Economiste and Assabah writes that “the dispute between the Istiqlal and the PJD parties has not paralyzed the country even if concerns were great because it was the first time such a situation has occurred.

However, “the issue is not over: the handling of the crisis is incumbent on political actors alone,” who “must understand that the political system of the new Constitution does not work with old habits and standards.”

Rissalat Al Oumma wonders about the “disruptive” parties seeking to prevent any action and those who spare no effort to confuse the situation.

It further wonders whether it is the opposition that uses these acts of disturbance or it is the Benkirane government itself, due to its internal conflicts, contradiction positions of its components, endless differences between its parties and the race to garner political points over one another.

For the editorialist, Abdelilah Benkirane seems determined to swim against the current of the views of the national public opinion and to make the same mistakes both in the management of political, economic and social issues, and in the speech to opposition parties and other political, economic and social actors.

The real disruptive parties, the editorial believes, are those who believe that their taking of power entitles them guardianship over the Moroccan people and forces, which constitutes a flagrant violation of the Constitution that stipulates that Moroccans are all free, have equal rights and duties and are equal before the law.

Regarding the membership of figures of the Salafist movement in the Renaissance and Virtue party (PRV), Akhbar Al Yaoum Al Maghribia, which choses the title “the Salafiia puts the first step in the field of politics,” writes that several figures of the Salafist current at their head Sheikh Abou Hafs decided to join the PRV.

It adds that the Secretary-General of the party would not have opened the doors of his party to the released Salafists without consultation with the authorities which used to show some sensitivity to the idea of the participation of the members of this trend in politics.

“This is a positive indicator of the adoption by the authority of the policy consisting of taming the Salafist current instead of the security approach,” the editorial says.

Under the title “Small actions, big impact”, Aujourd’hui le Maroc writes that when the head of a body such as the state fund Caisse de Dépôt et de Gestion (CDG) says that private investment is virtually at a standstill, “these are not words to be taken lightly, “because the Fund is one of the largest investors in the country and is involved in virtually every major infrastructure projects.

According to the editorial, “when business leaders ask the government to show visibility, they do not necessarily talk about big announcements. The example of import-export operators is very telling. Their daily concern is not so much whether or not the government has a policy but simply to know and to see that the public authorities handle malfunctions in procedures and control with a real will to improve.”

As regards the management of local affairs in Casablanca city council, Bayane Al Yaoum highlights the exchange of accusations between the vice-president of the council and the mayor regarding irregularities in bids for the construction of the wastewater pretreatment station of Sidi Bernoussi.

It indicates that several elected officials of the city now express positions and seal alliances to achieve personal, electioneering or partisan goals, with these goals leading them to change positions and alignments overnight.

In this context, the editorial insists that Casablanca needs new elected officials with competences in knowledge and management, experience and political maturity, credibility and ethical values.