Morocco Needs a Serious, Responsible Government
King Mohammed VI has pointed out that Morocco needs a serious, responsible government, up to the challenges facing the country and that the future cabinet should not be the result of calculations aimed at fulfilling political parties’ wishes.
This came in the speech the Monarch addressed to the nation Sunday evening on the occasion of the 41st anniversary of the Green March that enabled Morocco to retrieve its southern provinces from the Spanish colonizers peacefully.
In the speech he delivered from Dakar, in an unprecedented move translating his keen interest in Africa and appreciation for the unique symbiosis existing between the Moroccan and Senegalese countries and peoples, King Mohammed VI outlined the main qualities and criteria that should characterize the next government to be formed by the outgoing ruling Justice and Development Party (PJD), which won the parliamentary elections held on October 7.
“Morocco needs a serious, responsible government. The future cabinet should not be the result of calculations aimed at fulfilling political parties’ wishes, based on electoral arithmetic, as if there were spoils to be shared out,” the Monarch said, alluding to the PJD’s lengthy negotiations with the other political parties represented in the Parliament to form a coalition government and the parties’ focus primarily on the number of portfolios they wish to get.
In this strong-worded part of the speech that analysts have already described as a roadmap for the coming government, the King insisted that a “government should have a clear program and well-defined priorities, both for home and foreign affairs, particularly as far as Africa is concerned.”
Underscoring the criteria he deems necessary in the government, King Mohammed VI mentioned “the ability to deal with the difficulties inherited from past years, with respect to Morocco’s obligations towards its partners.”
“The government should involve an efficient, coherent structuring effort, consonant with programs and priorities. It also requires qualified, skilled resources, with specific sectoral attributions,” he said.
“These are the criteria I will ensure are respected when the next government is formed, in compliance with a strict methodology. I will not tolerate any attempts to deviate from it,” he said, insisting that Moroccans expect the coming government to be up to the challenge of this crucial phase.
Also, King Mohammed VI urged the coming government to adopt a comprehensive, integrated policy towards Africa and deal with the continent as one bloc, and pressed the cabinet members “to grant as much importance to Africa as to their missions and trips to western countries.”
“I am sure that a stronger democratic, development process and a consolidated African policy will contribute to safeguarding our national and territorial unity,” he said.
The Monarch further underlined the commitment of the populations of the southern provinces to their Moroccan nationality and to the nation’s political system, as evidenced by their massive participation in local and national elections and “their voluntary, responsible involvement in the management of their local affairs.”
Thanks to the specific development model and projects launched in these southern provinces, the King pointed out that “they have the potential, in terms of security, stability and infrastructure, to become an integrated development hub, at both regional and continental levels, as well as a platform for economic cooperation between Morocco and Africa.”
“The development and stability of our southern provinces are a historic, national responsibility we should all strive to fulfill, through dedicated joint action,” insisted the Moroccan King.
