By Mounir Beniche
Morocco World News
Meknes, Morocco, February 11, 2013
After transcending the myth of fear, many Arab countries have revolted against undemocratic regimes calling for their freedom and rights. Such an awakening has lead to the fall of some regimes and major changes in others. However, has what is the so-called the Arab Spring reached its goals?
After two years, we still see more tensions, rivers of blood, daily protests and recently political assassinations. Our horizon of expectations is shocked when we still see violent demonstrations, states? and people?s security at stake.
The post-Arab Spring ,which is supposed to be an alternative and an era of building trust between the state and people signing a new contract based on democratic values, is losing its aura. What?s happening now looks like a nightmare. Young people?s dream of embracing a new horizon, in which there is the reign of law and responsive state institutions, is shaken when scenes of chaos and disorder are still the most dominant in media coverage.
Morocco, unlike other neighboring counties, has chosen another path: change within stability. Some political analysts have seen such path as the Moroccan exception and a wise choice to not jeopardize Moroccan stability. Such a perspective hasn?t been welcomed by other political activists who are calling for more radical changes.
After conducting a democratic election and the victory of the PJD, the Islamist party, most Moroccans were delighted to have such a choice that raised in its electoral campaign a slogan targeting despotism and corruption among those in power. However, after one year most Moroccans still see no real changes. Corruption is increasing despite the efforts in the media to raise public awareness about the problem, young people with college degrees calling for jobs are badly beaten daily near the parliament, the gap between the rich and the poor is getting larger, and no real reform has occurred in the educational system, etc.
The head of the government, Abdilah Benkirane, in his frequent discourses talks about crocodiles and ghosts without mentioning them by names. He considers them the resistors of change and democracy. Hence, is such discourse tenable and practical, especially from a man who is in power and he is elected democratically? If the head of the government can?t name the cat by its name, what about the lay men and women?
Benkirane should, rather, be bold and brave enough to speak the truth and to make Moroccans, who trust his party and voted for change and democracy, aware of who these people are. Democracy building is a task based on clarity, engagement and mutual trust. Better to face people with the bitter truth than to soothe them with unforgivable excuses. Political leadership requires responsibility and taking the right decisions in due time regardless of the possible consequences. The democratization of Morocco is a process that is in need of more sacrifice and courage.
This process should involve also the opposition which seems to be divided and scattered. Worse of all, some of it is not leading even a real internal democracy. We hear daily in local newspapers about undemocratic deeds in their internal elections, subdivisions, alliances and conspiracies amidst free-floating accusations. The so called historical parties whose ex-leaders sacrificed themselves for this nation challenging all the dire conditions are now running after their own benefits and egocentrism.
The rationale behind honing in on such a political landscape, that is framing Morocco after the democratic spring, is to put us under the microscope of the bitter reality; admitting that the real waves of change are still downloading. In a nutshell, we can state as the Ghanaian author Ayi Kwei Armah wrote in his novel THE BEAUTIFUL ONES ARE NOT YET BORN .
?Mounir Beniche is a contributor to Morocco World News from Meknes
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
Source: http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2013/02/77951/the-beautiful-ones-are-not-yet-born/
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