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Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 January 2000 Issue No. 463 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 January 2000 Issue No. 463
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Heritage Millennium Features Profile Living Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Royal reform in Morocco
By Dalal Abu GhazalehWhile the swift succession of Mohamed VI to the throne following the death of King Hassan II ensured that the ancient Alawite dynasty will continue to provide stability in the region, Morocco's extreme poverty, the wide gap between the rich and poor and rising unemployment weigh heavily on the new monarch. Mohamed VI has raised expectations of swift solutions being found to many of the country's problems, but these may yet prove intractable.
However, analysts say the young king has shown unexpected vigour in addressing these chronic problems, making extensive tours of areas never visited by his father, criticising bureaucratic red tape and the kind of obsolete regulation that in the past bred corruption.
Some even say he has pushed the government led by Socialist Prime Minister Abderrahmane Al-Youssoufi to move more quickly in delivering on promised economic and social reforms, one business leader observing that, "We are in a rather odd situation, where the king is pushing the government for reforms rather than the other way round."
Nevertheless, until 23 July, when the visibly shaken Crown Prince Mohamed Ibn Al-Hassan took to the airwaves to announce the passing of his father, the future Moroccan king had only been known for his social status and for his reputation as a man concerned to assist the underprivileged and the handicapped.
The new 36-year-old king was thus a mystery, and Western observers and the international press were at first sceptical of his ability to deal with elements of his political inheritance, most notably with the "Makhzen", or secretive network of conservative advisers that traditionally surrounds the Moroccan monarch.
But the new king stunned his subjects and the world by undertaking audacious steps towards reform soon after ascending the throne.
Days after the national 40-day period of mourning for his father had ended, King Mohamed started to dismantle the ugliest part of this legacy -- the state security apparatus that for years had sought to crush opposition and to force Hassan II's foes into exile.
The loss of Morocco's king Hassan and his succession by his son in July marked the beginning of a new era in the Arab world with changes in faces and generations (photo: AFP)
The first target was Idriss Basri, the much-feared interior minister, who had enjoyed a close relationship with King Hassan and whose influence pervaded key departments of state. Basri had woven a network of influence during his almost three decades in office that included allies carefully positioned in all sectors of government.
His dismissal was hailed by Moroccans who considered Basri to be a principal cause of their discontent under the previous regime, since he was linked to the so-called "Black Era" when hundreds of opposition figures disappeared or went into exile.
King Mohamed went on to give further evidence of his commitment to a new age of democratic debate and human rights by allowing his late father's opponent, Abraham Serfati, to return home after eight years in exile in France. Previous appeals from Western governments and human-rights activists had been turned down by King Hassan.
Soon afterwards he gave instructions allowing the return of the family of Mehdi Ben Baraka, Morocco's most famous opposition figure who had been kidnapped and later killed in the French capital more than 35 years before.
The new king also showed an interest early on in being in close touch with his people. For the first time in the history of the kingdom, a young palace spokesman was named, reversing a tradition that while the palace issued statements, it never answered questions.
He also went on an 11-day tour to the kingdom's northern and eastern provinces that had suffered from years of neglect. The trip highlighted a new strategy, as the king tried to stamp his authority on Morocco's domestic policy and show his subjects that he was determined to follow his words with deeds.
In major policy statements made in three brief but focused speeches since he succeeded his father in July, King Mohamed has spelt out plans for dealing with the economic and social hardships of a country crippled by a $18 billion dollar debt and by numbing levels of poverty, government red tape, the gap that separates urban and rural areas and the continued "marginalisation" of women who suffer from "injustice and violence".
Taken together these moves on the part of the new monarch have delivered the clear message that Mohamed VI intends to begin a new era for Morocco, but the broader picture nevertheless contains some worrying features.
Some observers are concerned about what they call the "young and inexperienced" team of new advisors the new king has assembled, and about the future relationship between the royal palace and the government.
Al-Youssoufi's Socialist government has been under attack from its coalition partners and from within party ranks at what critics describe as inaction in creating jobs as the rate of unemployment rises to nearly 20 per cent.
Despite these fears, officials are pinning their hopes on a six per cent growth rate in the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2000 following last year's economic stagnation due to a severe drought that devastated the important agriculture sector that employs nearly half the workforce.
