Tired of politics, Moroccans take direct action

RABAT – Decades of unfulfilled promises have left Moroccans sceptical about the power of the ballot box to improve their lives and caused them to turn instead to local groups and aid organisations for basic services and reform.

In only a few years, the number of local associations and support groups in the North African country has quadrupled to 100 000, providing health care, teaching women to read, building rural infrastructure or giving slum children seaside holidays. “Non-government organisations are not just filling the gaps but are managing state-funded projects,” said Abdelhai Moudden, political science professor at Mohamed V University.”Some even run state schools more efficiently than the system.”On September 7, voters go to the polls to cast ballots in the second parliamentary elections under King Mohammed, who arrived in power in 1999 on a wave of popularity after the iron-fisted rule of his father, and has pushed gradual reform while keeping tight control over the levers of power.The royal palace’s appointees have formed a coalition with once rebellious left-wing opposition figures in a government that has striven to prove it can be responsible.Now, the ruling coalition will be hoping voters reward it for five years of reforms that included a campaign to eradicate slum housing, improved rights for married women, ambitious road and port projects, and a rural electrification scheme.CORRUPTION But rural Morocco is still backward and lacking basic services, insecurity stalks its teeming cities and the perception remains that politicians are more interested in power than the people.”Even when the state pours in lots of money, there is often all kinds of corruption, a lack of ambition, a lack of motivation by officials which creates waste,” said Moudden.Nour-Eddine Ghramdan set up an association to help deprived schoolchildren with difficult backgrounds in the capital Rabat.”Many state schools had nothing, they turned into public tips,” he said.His group offers better school meals, psychological support and lessons on nature and the environment, and has worked to integrate handicapped children into regular classes.”In one school, many of the children were aggressive and abandoned their lessons.We set up a small farm and began animal therapy and we now have a zero drop-out rate.”Though they remain on the sidelines of politics, associations are teaching young people in deprived areas about citizenship and pressuring old-style party politicians to assume their responsibilities to voters.”It is civil society groups that called loudest for constitutional reform,” said Moroccan constitutional law professor Amina el-Messaoudi.”Then the political parties came along and said: ‘It’s we who should be doing that’.”The NGOs’ efficiency contrasts with the political parties’ unwieldy organisations, which lack transparency and internal democracy.Many are led by ageing politicians whose heyday was during the reign of the young king’s father.Islamist groups have been more successful in building civic associations.The moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD), which is tipped to outperform most of the 32 other parties in next month’s elections, is backed by Tawhid wal Islah Movement, grassroots Islamic civic associations providing the party with activists, top officials and voter support.DEVOLVE POWER But analysts say even well-functioning associations can never replace party politics as an agent of change.”The NGOs can play a very positive role but it is the political parties that must determine the broad orientation of society,” said Moudden.Democracy campaigners urging more people to vote have an uphill task because of widespread illiteracy and the difficulty of getting the message through when only 3 per cent of Moroccans read a newspaper.Critics of the system say politics is doomed to irrelevance until the palace devolves more power and abandons an outdated paternalism in which the king does good by his loyal subjects.After the elections, it is he who will choose ministers and draft laws will be initiated by the palace, not parliament.The powerful Interior Ministry stands apart from democratic institutions and keeps a close check over local life with unelected agents in every town and village.Local associations pushing for young people to vote say their biggest obstacle is a perception elected officials are not the real bosses.They say vote buying is still a problem because of scepticism that the elections will change anything.”Votes can be bought easily because of the poverty of the population and the idea that the vote serves no long-term purpose, but it least it can have an immediate value,” said Mehdi Lahlou of the opposition Unified Socialist Party.Nampa-Reuters”Non-government organisations are not just filling the gaps but are managing state-funded projects,” said Abdelhai Moudden, political science professor at Mohamed V University.”Some even run state schools more efficiently than the system.”On September 7, voters go to the polls to cast ballots in the second parliamentary elections under King Mohammed, who arrived in power in 1999 on a wave of popularity after the iron-fisted rule of his father, and has pushed gradual reform while keeping tight control over the levers of power.The royal palace’s appointees have formed a coalition with once rebellious left-wing opposition figures in a government that has striven to prove it can be responsible.Now, the ruling coalition will be hoping voters reward it for five years of reforms that included a campaign to eradicate slum housing, improved rights for married women, ambitious road and port projects, and a rural electrification scheme.CORRUPTION But rural Morocco is still backward and lacking basic services, insecurity stalks its teeming cities and the perception remains that politicians are more interested in power than the people.”Even when the state pours in lots of money, there is often all kinds of corruption, a lack of ambition, a lack of motivation by officials which creates waste,” said Moudden.Nour-Eddine Ghramdan set up an association to help deprived schoolchildren with difficult backgrounds in the capital Rabat.”Many state schools had nothing, they turned into public tips,” he said.His group offers better school meals, psychological support and lessons on nature and the environment, and has worked to integrate handicapped children into regular classes.”In one school, many of the children were aggressive and abandoned their lessons.We set up a small farm and began animal therapy and we now have a zero drop-out rate.”Though they remain on the sidelines of politics, associations are teaching young people in deprived areas about citizenship and pressuring old-style party politicians to assume their responsibilities to voters.”It is civil society groups that called loudest for constitutional reform,” said Moroccan constitutional law professor Amina el-Messaoudi.”Then the political parties came along and said: ‘It’s we who should be doing that’.”The NGOs’ efficiency contrasts with the political parties’ unwieldy organisations, which lack transparency and internal democracy.Many are led by ageing politicians whose heyday was during the reign of the young king’s father.Islamist groups have been more successful in building civic associations.The moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD), which is tipped to outperform most of the 32 other parties in next month’s elections, is backed by Tawhid wal Islah Movement, grassroots Islamic civic associations providing the party with activists, top officials and voter support.DEVOLVE POWER But analysts say even well-functioning associations can never replace party politics as an agent of change.”The NGOs can play a very positive role but it is the political parties that must determine the broad orientation of society,” said Moudden.Democracy campaigners urging more people to vote have an uphill task because of widespread illiteracy and the difficulty of getting the message through when only 3 per cent of Moroccans read a newspaper.Critics of the system say politics is doomed to irrelevance until the palace devolves more power and abandons an outdated paternalism in which the king does good by his loyal subjects.After the elections, it is he who will choose ministers and draft laws will be initiated by the palace, not parliament.The powerful Interior Ministry stands apart from democratic institutions and keeps a close check over local life with unelected agents in every town and village.Local associations pushing for young people to vote say their biggest obstacle is a perception elected officials are not the real bosses.They say vote buying is still a problem because of scepticism that the elections will change anything.”Votes can be bought easily because of the poverty of the population and the idea that the vote serves no long-term purpose, but it least it can have an immediate value,” said Mehdi Lahlou of the opposition Unified Socialist Party.Nampa-Reuters