Rabat- King Mohammed VI gave a speech on Friday in the capital Rabat before members of both houses of the Parliament on the occasion of the inauguration of the first session of the third legislative year of the ninth legislature.
The speech focused mainly on the problems of Casablanca and the Sahara issue. But, the remarkable thing about the King’s speech is the new tone and the precise manner in telling things. The speech was somehow a continuation of the 20th of August speech in which the King criticized in an unprecedented manner Morocco’s education woes.
The king was firm in addressing the nation’s representatives about the problems facing the city of Casablanca, Morocco’s economic hub and its engine for economic development.
The sovereign pointed out that the problems of Casablanca are not about a funding shortage. But, in fact the problems are the direct result of ineffective policies and a governance deficit.
“There is a strong will to turn the city into an international financial hub. Such transformation requires first of all basic infrastructure and services that meet international standards, fostering the rules of good governance, setting up an adequate legal framework, training qualified human resources and adopting modern management methods”, the king said.
The monarch went on to say that Casablanca’s budget is three or four times that of Fez or Marrakech. But, the quality of basic services in these two cities is “better than those of Casablanca.”
The king gave the example of wastewater purification which stands at 45% in Casablanca against 100% in Fez and Marrakech.
“This complex situation calls for an urgent diagnosis to identify the roots of the problem and ways to remedy it”, the king underscored.
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