King Mohammed VI Urges Political Parties to Engage Young People in Political Life

King Mohammed VI has called on political parties to encourage young people to participate in the country’s political life and to revitalize their work methods.

In a speech addressed Sunday to the Nation on the occasion of Throne Day, commemorating this year the 19th anniversary of his enthronement, the King said political parties should attract new elites and mobilize young people to be involved in political life.

Political parties and institutions are “expected to respond on a permanent basis to the citizens’ demands and to react immediately to events and developments occurring in society, even anticipate them, instead of letting situations deteriorate, as if they are not concerned by what is happening”, underlined the Monarch.

“Citizens’ affairs cannot be put on hold for they do not relate to a specific period of time. Responsible political bodies are those that stand by the citizen, in good times and bad”, added the King, stressing the importance he grants to addressing social issues and to improving the citizens’ living conditions.

“We can take pride in what Morocco has achieved and what Moroccans have accomplished over the last two decades”, said the Monarch in his speech.

However, he pointed out, social deficit and inter-regional justice persist, requiring an overhaul of the national development model. In this connection, he urged the Government and all the stakeholders concerned to undertake an in-depth, thorough restructuring of national social welfare programs and policies and to submit proposals for their evaluation.

“This task requires a participatory approach, far-sightedness, perseverance as well as diligent implementation. We need to build on achievements and put successful experiences to good use”, said the Moroccan Sovereign.

He also deplored the lack of coordination between welfare programs, saying, “it does not make much sense to have more than a hundred social welfare programs of varying sizes spread out between several ministries and public agencies, with billions of dirhams earmarked for them. Moreover, these programs overlap, lack proper coordination and do not target the populations that actually deserve help”.

Given the current situation, how can these programs respond effectively to citizens’ needs? How can the people concerned feel their impact? he wondered before outlining several social and economic measures that need to be implemented as soon as possible to guarantee better living conditions for Moroccans in a climate of unity, security and stability.