Rabat – Abdellah Bouanou, president of the Justice and Development Party (PJD) parliamentary group, has joined the growing chorus, criticizing the government for unresponsiveness to address challenges related to soaring prices of basic goods.
Bouanou listed a series of challenges that Moroccans have been facing, including the increase in food products like vegetables, fruits, meats, and energy products.
“The government says everything to say nothing,” Bouanou said in a press conference held on Tuesday.
Akhannouch’s net worth grows thanks to fuel price increases
One of the key members of the opposition party, Bouanou openly accused Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch and other ministers of practicing “conflict of interests.”
“How is it possible that Akhannouch’s net worth increased from $1 billion to $2 billion between 2020 and 2022,” Bouanou posed the question quoting data from Forbes.
He argued that Akhannouch’s wealth is attributable to the increased revenues that have been made off the backdrop of the energy sector.
Akhannouch owns Afriquia, the gas service branch of the giant, multi-billion dollar energy conglomerate Akwa Group.
The head of government has been in the spotlight of several online campaigns, calling for his resignation due to continuous increases in prices, including hydrocarbon products.
Fuel prices in Morocco are estimated at MAD 13 and MAD 14 showing a dramatic rise from previous prices that ranged between MAD 10 and MAD 11. The situation caused frustration and overwhelmed citizens’ purchasing power.
Bouanou also recalled the recent report of the Competition Council, acknowledging shortcomings and dysfunction in the energy sector.
The council’s report pointed fingers at the government, pushing the responsibility onto the government over its lack of reforms to help address the issue.
A similar report from the Government Work Observatory also pointed out the government’s unwillingness to “fight monopoly and speculation” despite strong evidence of the existence and persistence of several challenges that had been linked to the government.
The report accused the government of “refusing” to address the “probe of monopoly with regard to hydrocarbons and its disregard for official reports, especially the report issued by the Competition Council, which clearly emphasized that the fuel market is subject to a monopoly.”
Government normalizes corruption
Bouanou echoed the same sentiment, accusing the government of its direct involvement in “normalizing corruption.”
To back his argument, Bouanou quoted Morocco’s ranking in the latest corruption index. The 2022 ranking put Morocco in the 94th position out of 180 countries with a score of 38 out of 100.
The index shows 53% of people thought corruption increased in the past 12 months, while 31% of others in Morocco believed that public service users paid a bribe in the same period.
Commenting on the index, Bouanou suggested that Morocco has never had a negative ranking before, suggesting this unsatisfactory news is conveniently timed with Akhannouch’s position in power.
“We are the last one in Arab, MENA region, and Africa,” he said, referring to the ranking system.
Work on internal government challenges before targeting citizens
Bouanou also criticized Morocco’s government’s approach to tackle the recent pricing situation, stressing that reforms should be dealt with from its source, implying the issues within the government body.
“We are insisting on inspecting and monitoring citizens, merchants, butchers, among others while we aren’t taking care of the source of such challenges,” he said, stressing the existence of “conflict of interest” within the government.
Bouanou said that some of the measures, including the suspension of customs duties on imports of goods like meat are essential, however, he also stated that this measure must be generalized among other sectors – including the energy field.
“We also called for the same measure to tackle hydrocarbons, but the government continues to feed us with justification, like the Ukraine conflict, global context,” he said while noting the government also frequently shifts the blame on the country’s ongoing drought as a cause, further shirking its responsibilities.
“When we try to argue and discuss these issues, we end up being accused of targeting the head of government,” the politician said.
Bouanou also criticized the spokesperson of the government, Mustapha Baitas, whose recent statement created some controversies.
Onions sold at MAD 12 in Moroccan markets
In response to questions on soaring prices of goods, including meat, Baitas told reporters that he recently bought a kilogram of meat at MAD 75. The statement came as prices of meat at Moroccan markets are estimated at MAD 95 and MAD 100. The remarks angered Moroccans who have been long protesting the soaring food and fuel prices.
Price tags showing potatoes sold at MAD 9, while tomato prices sold at MAD 10.50 in Morocco
“You said tomato is sold at MAD 2, you mentioned onions as well and now you are talking about meat. I never heard of the market he mentioned. What was the name of the market where he bought a kilogram of meat at MAD 75 again?” Bouanou said, questioning the authenticity behind Baitas’ thoughtless remark.
Green Plan has “failed”
Speaking on the red meat supply challenges, Bouanou pointed fingers at the Green plan strategy, emphasizing it has failed as an approach to tackle the socio-economic crisis.
Morocco launched the plan in 2008 to place the agricultural sector as the country’s core driver of the economic sector.
One of its goals is to include investing in sustainable agricultural production as well as creating 1.5 million jobs and multiplying the value of exports of sectors where Morocco is competitive.
Bouanou shared a list of shortcomings surrounding the sector, including the import of breeding cattle.
He said that all issues affecting the socio-economic situation, including red meat supply, have nothing to do with COVID repercussions.
“It has to do with the Green Plan,” he said, suggesting that Morocco is not importing some cattle focusing on reproduction and breeding but not on cattle that can produce milk.
The situation of food price increases has triggered several other campaigns, including those calling for more protests on the situation.
The Democratic Confederation of Labor (CDT) has recently announced that a series of protests will take place on February 19 in several provinces to condemn the ongoing soaring prices of goods.
