Rabat – The Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) has joined the parties of the government majority who have granted their support to the Ministry of Interior’s ban of the July 20 demonstration in Al Hoceima.
The PAM said in a statement that their decision “came after the party met El Othmani on Wednesday evening, July 19, to discuss developments in Al Hoceima.”
During the meeting, which was attended by members of the PAM’s spokesmen, including Muhammad al-Sheikh Baidullah, Aziz Benazuz, Abdullatif Wahbi, and Ibtissam lAzzawi, El Othmani invited the party to express support for the prohibition of the march.
El Othmani advocated “for stability, [working] positively with governmental actors to tackle the Rif [issue] and respond to the demands of the region as well as to follow development projects in Rif through field visits,” wrote the party in a communiqué.
The PAM said that it expressed its “appreciation for this initiative, even though it came late, as the prime minister should have communicated [with the party] before taking the decision to prevent the march and not after it.”
Having given support to the government’s decision, the PAM called on various social actors supporting the march of July 20 “to avoid any manifestation and cut the road to all those who threaten stability of the country in order to restore stability.”
The party also emphasized the need to speed up the implementation of development projects in Al Hoceima in order to engage with the demands of protesters and attend to the suffering of detainees and their families.
“Members of PAM are loyal in partaking in any national dynamic that adopts a participatory approach and puts the interest of the homeland and citizens above all odds,” concluded the statement.
