Rabat – The government appears to have taken back its decision to deny civil society a position in the National Anti-Corruption Commission, instead giving two Moroccan NGOs seats in the commission for a two-year term as full members.
Having reviewed the executive text of the composition of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the head of the commission, El Othmani said during a meeting of the Governing Council on September 21 that two seats will be reserved for the NGOs.
“In principle, it is the most representative NGO in this field [anti-corruption] that will be given the seats. However, it will be up to the head of government, the president of the commission, to decide by decree,” reported Telquel.
The executive draft setting out the hierarchy of power within the commission had sparked controversy, as it stated that NGOs would not have the status of full members.
The director of Transparency Maroc, Fouad Zirari, said to the same source on June 5 that he had learned “by rumor” that civil society organiations would not be invited to the new National Anti-Corruption Commission.
“We were involved in the preparation of the national anti-corruption strategy adopted two years ago, which would systematically be followed by the creation of an anti-corruption commission. We learned that the government has finally decided to create a commission alone, without the participation of NGOS and civil society,” said Zirari.
The president claimed that “the government does not really have the will to fight against corruption, otherwise it would have integrated the civil society without which nothing could be possible in this fight. The commission would only become a is only a showcase to make a good impression on the international scene.”
