Get out of the Kitchen, Mr Prime Minister. Noureddine Boutahar

When we reflect back on 2015 in Morocco and the news that topped front pages and dominated airwaves, the Prime Minister Benkirane’s policy emerges as one of the most notorious and contentious. It had been another year of distinction for the Islamist Justice and Development Party (JDP) boss who has taken unpopular and unfair decisions that squeezed the middle class and crippled the poor.
Benkirane’s stubbornness and dismissive attitude towards any opinions contrary to his own earned him the antipathy and disapproval of the people whose living standards have been deteriorated by his harmful so-called reforms. Each of these reform measures is another turn of the screw. Common examples of these uplifts include food staples price increases, Compensation Fund amateurish reform, and the retirement age hike.
People dislike this government because it has failed to fulfill its election promises. It promised the moon but gave them misery instead. For example, the prices reached unprecedented high levels; unemployment and under-employment worsened and reached troubling levels (9.9% versus 9.2% in 2013); corruption is still seeping into every crevice of society; the system of education is still wallowing in mediocrity; healthcare system continues to rank among the lowest in quality and efficiency. And the government just looks on.
Another reason for people’s constant condemnation of this government stems from the fact that it is led by a party with an Islamic reference point presumed to abstain from worldly pleasures, goods, and possessions. However, nothing has been done to abolish parliamentary salaries and pensions, stop rentier economy privileges, reduce exorbitant salaries, allowances, and perks (cars, gas, accommodation, toll-free highway tickets…).
Here are two glaring instances that illustrate the government’s lack of commitment to lead by example: The “Two Francs scandal”, and “22 hours-a-day-work claim”. The ministers’ declarations, in both cases, show the obstinacy and aggressive refusal of government officials themselves to give up their illegal and illogical exorbitant perks, pensions, and pay let alone enacting reforms and laws binding upon everyone. Harry Truman once said that "No man can get rich in politics unless he's a crook. It cannot be done." Unfortunately, getting elected to parliament and getting nominated minister is a surefire way of getting rich in Morocco. Our Ministers and MPs get astronomically high salaries and end up with - usually early - fat and generous pensions. They are oblivious, or perhaps do not care, of the fact that real reform begins with the self. As Harry Truman, 33rd president of the United States, once again, said, “In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves... self-discipline with all of them came first.” How long will it take official and senior position seekers in this country to understand that the office of a MP and Minister is a responsibility, not an honor or a high-paying job, which requires them to be selfless, and self-sacrificing?
This is not the government we voted for in 2011. The JDP has made a complete about-face and changed its ideals and goals. We voted for the ruling party because we wanted to spare our dear country instability and chaos and because its slogans were our dreams. Unfortunately, our dreams turned into a nightmare of continuous price hikes and unpopular decisions and ‘reforms’. We also discovered, too late, that the party had used religious rhetoric to win the sympathy of the general public so as to advance its agenda, which is no more than pleasing the deep state and staying in office for as long as possible. Were the JDP election promises mere Orwellian doublespeak?
I am steadfast in my belief that we will end up in the gutter if the party continues in office for a second term. If its unjust measures go on as planned by this government, we will work more and get paid less; we will pay more taxes, more fees, and higher bills; we will continue to get defective education and second rate healthcare; we will get poorer while the wealthy get wealthier. Even worse, the government will dig into our pockets every now and then to fix what the ‘untouchables’ messed up. Certainly, this government has reached a point where it does not care how the Moroccan people will find money to survive and pay their numerous bills as long as the elite bank accounts get fatter and their perks keep coming.
It seems to me that our political parties are mere proverbial “mouths” for the elite to eat garlic with. Meaning, our policy is engineered by people who view the citizens as nothing more than pieces on a board who must be controlled and manipulated; ergo, they should not eat their fill or live in comfort so as not to want more. This policy is in keeping with the proverbial “give them an inch and they'll take a mile”. The moneyed elite, who call the shots in this country, want the population to be poor and less educated so that they can better control and exploit it. The increase in the number of the poor and the underclass serves their interests at various levels.
In brief, this government is a far cry from our dreams and aspirations. It has cruelly disappointed us because, as Al Akhbar newspaper rightly said lately, it has fallen prey to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund structural adjustment ploys, and run roughshod over its election promises. So, I would like to give the Prime Minister an advice using Harry Truman’s words, “If you can’t stand the heat, gets out of the kitchen” because these so-called reforms do not augur well for the future wellbeing of the Moroccan poor and middle class.

The challenges Facing 9/4 Elections in Morocco Noureddine Boutahar

The king of Morocco Mohammed VI's intervention in his last speech to remind both

political parties and the voters of the purpose and spirit of elections is a clear and solid proof of the failure of our political parties and our system of education in the formation of ‘good’ Moroccan citizens. For decades now, both – parties and education – have been wasting taxpayer money and time without achieving the desired results. So, here we are again, preparing to start from scratch, with the big question in mind, “can we make it this time?”
I, personally, don’t think so because of the poor educational and cultural level of the people who vote. Bear in mind that the well-educated, the elite class, and the intelligentsia do not usually make it to the polls. So, the remaining poor and less educated who cast their ballots are prone to be deceived, cheated, or even bought because they often lack the protection and power of good education and knowledge to save them from the trickery and intrigues of politicians to make the right and best choice in the election of their representatives.
It's noteworthy that this section of society includes two subdivisions: one population is completely and hopelessly illiterate and the other population is in unenviable semi-illiteracy. The semi-illiterate has received a low-quality education that has made it ‘neither fish nor fowl’. However, both are vulnerable politically and economically because they suffer from a basic knowledge deficit to improve their political awareness in areas like democracy and the workings of political institutions. This is because our Moroccan Makhzen (ruling elite) doesn’t want quality education for all as it is a dangerous force for change which puts its interests at stake. Sadly, a couple of ministers in this government recently blamed the Moroccan people – who are the real victims in our political system - for the problems we have at present instead of the real original obstacles.
The severest and most pressing of these obstacles is education. All the education reforms in this country since independence have been a flop and have produced the kind of people that policy makers and officials are blaming and complaining about. Our education system has hit the skids because there is no real, strong political will to reform it. Reforming it would hurt the advantages and interests of the ruling elite. Consequently, our schools are sending out into the world a generation of young men and women whose majority can ‘neither fly nor walk’ for themselves but who can only follow the crowd. It should be no surprise, then, that people are more selfish than ever before; that our moral standards are rock bottom; that foul language and swear words are filling our streets; that sword-wielding thugs are roaming our streets and raiding people’s homes; and that good manners and right conduct are things of the past. Therefore, it will come as no surprise to anyone that the 9/4 elections, under such circumstances, will fail to achieve their purpose and will fail to have the desired results.
The second contributor in this puzzle is the political parties themselves. They are in a real crisis and cannot activate the citizens or train the candidates. People have grown increasingly frustrated with them because they are too weak to tackle their own perennial internal party problems, let alone the country’s. The major factor that fritters away their credibility is their exaggerated and unrealistic promises in the run-up to the elections: These soon break and decay when they hit the brick wall of reality and Makhzen resistance. Also, people are fed up with political parties bickering and never ending battles. Many of our political parties waste their time - and ours - calling each other names instead of focusing on our priorities. In addition, political parties, admittedly, “base their political action and election program on an ideology”, however, many of our political parties do not have a unifying ideology or principles or ideals; they emerged or were made from a vacuum to serve individual or a group of individual interests.

Let’s not forget also that people are tired of seeing political parties who make it to power spend most of their time wooing the Makhzen and trying to please the deep state. They dare not initiate any kind of real reform or approach the big corruption files lest they get their fingers burned. And because there are too many political parties - more that 30 – means that no one party ever wins an outright majority, and the ‘winning’ one always needs the help of small parties who have their own interests and agendas. This way, the government always ends up with too many spokes in the wheel, which renders it inefficient and impotent to effect any fundamental reform.

In brief, I am steadfast in my belief that the outcome of the September 4th elections will not, once again, yield desired results because our education is bastardized and plagued by failed policies and shortsighted decisions. Our political parties are weak, disorganized, lack strong roots in society and fail to get the support of thinkers, theoreticians, and influential academicians. However, the main takeaway for me is that if the ruling elite do not get off their high horse and make necessary concessions, both political parties and education will remain mired in their problems, which is not in the interests of the country as a whole.

I Will not Vote Tomorrow Noureddine Boutahar

I have no connections with the leftists or Islamists. I am just a simple and lawful Moroccan citizen who dreams of a real and sustainable democracy in this country. However, I will not go to the polls tomorrow for the following reasons.
First, I have washed my hands of the Moroccan political parties, from extreme left to extreme right and all points in between. Many of them have had the opportunity to ‘rule’ but gave poor account of themselves. They only served as a mouth for the Makhzen (Ruling Elite) to eat garlic with. For decades now, Moroccan people have been sending clear messages to this Makhzen and to these political parties by refusing to go to the polls, by taking to the streets, and by other means of protest. However, no one wanted to read the silent majority's messages. They, instead, have always thrown caution to the wind and chosen the salmon’s attitude and have swum upstream against the current.
Second, elections or no elections Morocco will not advance one iota as long as the same mentality which has led us here continues adamantly in our politics. Ask any Moroccan citizen about the motivation of our political parties and the odds are that they will answer: “self-interest rather than public interest.” This self-interest runs the gamut from immunity, to power to money, and positions. It’s also all about pushing small group and/or family agenda. So, for me, going to the election polls at the moment is a waste of everything; a waste of time, a waste of money, and a waste of energy, and only serves the Makhzen agenda of keeping the status quo intact.
Third, the murky old electoral practices of the past still persist and most of its practitioners refuse to admit that they have expired or outlived their times. Such methods include gerrymandering, disenfranchisement, turning a blind eye and a deaf ear, and other unfair and undemocratic electoral practices that we see, read about and hear people utter sotto voce and fortissimo all around. These practices favor certain individuals and parties.
Fourth, the rhetoric and the soi-disant programs have remained almost the same over the decades. Every electoral campaign is an opportunity for the ‘runners’ to condemn previous elections as rigged, unfair, and unjust though they ate the proverbial fat tail with the wolf. Every electoral campaign is the time to promise ‘jam tomorrow’ and a bunch of other promises they know they can’t keep. Every electoral campaign is the time for Moroccan people to get lost, baffled and confused by the number of political parties all looking the same like the eggs of one hen and Xeroxed programs with tissue-thin differences.
Fifth, there are opinion and pen prisoners and persecutees in this country. I do not agree with most of them one hundred per cent, but as Voltaire, the great French philosopher said, “I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” That has to be the motto of the democracy that I and many Moroccans aspire to build and hold to their hearts. There can be no real democracy without respect for free speech, acceptance of different opinions, and protection of minority right.
Sixth, the Makhzen, which holds the whip hand, is not serious about change and reform. The ruling elite and its think-tank have thrown people’s demands for real democracy into the trashcan and have satisfied themselves with cosmetic make-up. They have resorted to the wooden rhetoric of the past that tells people what they wish to hear - words and no deeds. They support the old political party dinosaurs and drumbeaters, while the youth who are behind all this movement and premature elections are totally ignored, intimidated, persecuted, vilified, and demonized.
I love my country with every fiber of my heart and being. I am a pacifist and I don’t recommend violence as a solution. However, I will not go to the election booths so as to have the right to complain when things don’t work out right. I am certain all the campaign promises being thrown right and left today will end up forgotten between elections as it has always been the case.