Mourad Beni-ich- Washington- One can only be amazed by how the political scene in Morocco is always full of surprises--some are funny, but more are worrying.
There is always someone making headlines, popping out of his box unexpectedly like Jack-in-the-box. There is no better “Jack-in-the-box” in Morocco these days than the leader of the oldest political party in the country, Istiqlal, Mr. Hamid Chabat, who is determined to surprise Moroccans with his immature decisions, which will only drag the country to a disastrous uncertainty.
News coming from Morocco indicates that the controversial leader called for a daylong protest against, what he considers, the “incompetency” of the current government due to the latest decision to increase gas prices. Mr. Chabat claims that the second increase in the prices of fuels would have a major impact on the purchasing power of citizens and inciting to destabilize the country.
There is no doubt that increases in prices will affect the vast majority of the population; however, calling for what may be considered “civil disobedience” from his constituents is an unprecedented call from a political leader in Morocco’s modern history. This decision proves, once again, that the party’s leader is carrying a vendetta against his political foe, PM Abdellah Benkirane, which is mainly due to ideological differences between Istiqlal and ruling party PJD, and the inability of the party to accept its defeat in the general elections. Its as if the party owns Morocco!
Mr. Hamid Chabat strongly believes that Moroccans are suffering from permanent memory loss, and they have already forgotten how officials from his party took the country down the hill, through corruption, opportunism and lack of political maturity. It has not been that long since the “Jack-in-the-box” of the previous government, which was led by Istiqlal, was considered by many, one of the worst Moroccan governments ever.
Moreover, doesn’t this “Jack-in-the-box” realize that calling for such an action at these crucial times is playing with fire? Doesn’t he realize what is going on in neighboring countries and how sabotaging governments can lead to opposite results? Didn’t he learn any lesson from the Egyptian scenario?
I think the trend now in the Arab political realm is to overthrow governments, and our friend “Jack-in-the-box” is clearly a fan of some Generals in the Pharaohs’ land. The controversial leader has a lot to learn before being considered for any new political leadership position. Chabat is a political disaster waiting to happen, and I still wonder how on earth he won the party’s leadership elections!
Morocco has been experiencing capricious politics for some months now, but how long will the current situation last? It appears that the current government’s failures are facing fierce opposition, and no matter what the government does, it will always be opposed. Therefore, one can only conclude that none of the political parties are actually concerned about the well-being of Moroccans. They keep looking for any arena to put up a fight in public. They have no shame!
This decision, if it takes place, has the potential to spark a social disturbance and additional political turmoil in the country. The Moroccan economy is on its way to recovery from the global financial crisis, and all social, political and economic components of the country are putting their efforts together to save what is left. Ill-conceived actions like these can bring all involving parties back to point zero.
Emulating the Egyptian model to overthrow a legitimate government and democratically elected leader may contribute to regressing the country and sending the country back to the medieval age, nothing positive will come from such a decision. Egypt, and soon Tunisia, will be dragged to a very blurry future--instability, and lack of security; bare minimum economic investments and growth. So why gamble with what you already have for uncertainty?
It is clear that there is love lost between the current government and the rest of the political parties, and it is down to ideological differences; however, it is crucial for the sake of the nation’s security and stability to find ways to coexist, and give them a chance to perform. Any attempt to sabotage the government and call for an early general election can only exhaust the already exhausted economy and there is always a chance that sympathizers from all parties will clash, and we will welcome with open arms the Egyptian model unnecessarily. Everyone deserves a chance, this government deserves one as well, and these immature statements by Mr. Hamid Chabat only enforce the idea that his party is a dying one and its credibility was lost a very long time ago, maybe since he was still fixing bikes!
One thing many tend to ignore and turn the blind eye on politicians, is the fact that Morocco is run by proxies, it does not matter which party wins the general elections, the whole world knows who is actually in charge, and anyone thinks otherwise ought to think again.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Morocco World News’ editorial policy
© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed