By Mounir Beniche
By Mounir Beniche
Meknes – Both the creation of the new government after the deadlock and the belatedness of its formation clearly displays that the people’s voices are meaningless and have no power in the political scene.
An ideologically confused coalition government emerged despite the hopes of the Moroccan citizen who naively believed the propaganda in the media during the electoral campaign that claimed voting would build democracy. The Moroccan citizen is shocked to realize that what was communicated about the true meaning of citizenship and responsibility is no more than hocus pocus and the path to democracy is still a dream.
The poor citizen is puzzled by the fact that the historically nationalist parties whose leaders sacrificed their lives for the country and fought against colonialism and undemocratic dealings now have leaders that are begging for political participation by any means. The slogans of social justice, democracy, dignity and freedom are no more than discourses for consumption and manipulation. The Moroccan citizen will come to realize that the political scene is a play being put on. It aims to control the Moroccan citizen’s future and the coming generation. The political leaders are a bundle of opportunists — they only seek their own benefits.
What is happing in the Moroccan political scene with this new government can be decoded as a real political absurdity. Parties lose all sense of nationality and responsibility in order to keep running after their political whims. They are plotting against the important issues of poor citizens who are struggling for survival and decent living. They are dividing the political cake among themselves and looking for flimsy excuses to dupe the public and justify their greed.
But the blame doesn’t just fall on the irresponsible and opportunistic politicians. The so-called elites also share in this conspiracy to silence the voices of the underground. They just sit in their cultural salons far from the daily suffering of most Moroccans and theorize about the ideal modernist democratic society using buzzwords and highfalutin discourses that cite Plato’s “Republic.” They even find excuses and justification for what is currently occurring under the pretense that Moroccans are not mature enough to have full-fledged democracy and equal rights.
The civil society that must be the backbone of any societal change — and through which many developed counties have obtained democracy and human rights — is muzzled as well. If NGOs and associations interested in civic education and engagement are not raising awareness about the attacks on democracy that occur during the formation of such new governments, then what is the rationale behind their existence? Democracy-building is a process that needs real nationalists, regardless of their ideological views, to speak the language of truth to people and call a spade a spade.
Civil society, in this sense, is not a refuge for the wealthy or a network through which to make personal gains. It is rather a horizon for voluntarism and sacrifice for social change and the rehabilitation of human resources. Morocco, as a developing country, is in the clutches of many challenges — such as illiteracy, social inequality, poverty and joblessness — and cannot flourish without the engagement of all its citizens in democracy-building. The emergence of this new government is a real failure in terms of democracy, and we have to look for new solutions to transcend this new handicap and validate Moroccan democracy because without it there is no success or progress.
Morocco, with its strategic location, glorious history, human resources, security and stability, deserves a better position among democratic countries. It is not that they are all geniuses and we are not; they are humans like us who believe in themselves and reached the conclusion that their county and its prosperity should come before their egotism. This is the spirit that should be part and parcel of the everyday lives of all members of our particular society as we seek to join the club of democratic and developed countries.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent any institution or entity.
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