Rabat – Moroccan poet and politician Salah El Wadie has responded to a recent controversial statement made by Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Aziz Akhannouch.
Akhannouch stirred a backlash after he said that some Moroccans should be “disciplined” to respect the state and its institutions.
The statement generated anger and a range of reactions from citizens and public figures, including the poet.
On December 10, El Wadie published a post titled “Who really needs discipline is the one who stained 17 billions without even blinking an eye” to criticize Akhannouch.
The poet then started to explain the difference between the word “education” and “discipline.”
“There is certainly a huge difference between the concept of education and discipline.”
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He argued that education is a “peaceful word that expresses a positive action.” The poet added that the word discipline is “provocative, frightening, threatening and violent.”
The poet believes that such language should never have been used at a time when the state is working to ensure democracy and equality.
“When a politician utters such a word [discipline], no matter how elegant he is, the word takes us back like a storm to another era, and to another rule,” he said. The poet made a reference to the era of the late monarch Hassan II.
The poet was a political prisoner during the “years of lead,” a period described as the “worst years in the history of post-independence Morocco” in the 70s and 80s.
The poet concluded his post, saying that people in Morocco deserve another “dictionary of speech” and respect.
“We deserve to be Moroccans without anyone’s permission,” he added.
