Those who know the brotherly Kingdom of Morocco, under the leadership of His Majesty Mohammed VI, realize that the transparency and disclosure approach is one of the basics, pillars and principles of national, development and political action in the Kingdom. This approach is one of the engines and incentives of this great Arab country’s ability to navigate and move forward successfully, efficiently, with security and stability within the strategic storms our Arab region is witnessing in general. Wisdom has always been the motto of the policies of the Kingdom of Morocco in all situations and occasions, and the awareness of the Moroccan people has always given many lessons to others.
We, as observers, see in the Moroccan policies that His Majesty King Mohammed VI expresses, internally and externally, an approach that distinguishes this Arab country and corresponds to its history and its principles that were implanted in the collective consciousness of the ancient Moroccan people, until Morocco became a role model and example to follow in the love of nations and the strong affiliation to the homeland. And because the Moroccan national experience leans, since its beginnings, on the loyalty and strong ties that link the people with their wise leadership, it is a strong and inseparable relationship, that has been, and still is and will be, God willing, a strong protective wall to Morocco and its people from the plots of plotters and the greed of the greedy.
Additionally, I see this introduction as a necessary analytical entrance to present my view, as an observer, on the content of the lofty speech His Majesty Mohamed VI addressed to the nation on the occasion of the glorious throne day, which coincided with the twenty-first anniversary of his majesty’s arrival to the throne of the brotherly kingdom. We notice that this historical speech has been keen to consolidate the foundations of the relationship between the leader and the people, and the national unity His Majesty described as the relationship of “one same body” and “the compact architecture set for better or worse”. The speech also stressed the importance of some authentic values and principles that represent a deep historical heritage for the Moroccan people, and foremost among them the values of sacrifice, loyalty and steadfastness on what are right. Therefore, I find myself attracted to the remarkable political entrance by which His Majesty started his lofty speech, when he linked with great patriotic awareness between His Majesty’s care for the health of the Moroccan citizen and the safety of his family, indicating that His Majesty is concern for his people and his large national family “is the same as I my concern for my children and my little family”.
It is a frank and revealing speech that determines the level of danger without exaggeration or understatement, crosses the T’s and dots the I’s regarding the challenge of the Covid 19 outbreak in the whole world. We find a correlation between anxiety and fear on the one hand, with trust and hope on the other hand, expressing great national pride at the level of awareness, discipline, and responsiveness revealed by the crisis in the Moroccan people’s handling of this health threat, which is a wonderful accomplishment by the wise leadership that shows deep understanding and appreciates the value of popular awareness in overcoming such ordeals, which no official effort can overcome without solidarity, public awareness and a sense of overall national responsibility by citizens.
There is no doubt that highlighting the level of popular cooperation, awareness and solidarity in His Majesty’s speech is a very important issue that not only reflects the leadership’s appreciation for the people’s role in such tribulations and crises, but also reflects the leadership’s keenness to show the unique qualities of the brotherly Moroccan people at a time when some countries suffer due to an outbreak of this epidemic, due to the absence or limited cooperation between the official and popular levels and the absence or loss of trust between the two parties, which has resulted in high levels of negative effects and fatal losses because of the epidemic.
His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s speech made me feel carefully the follow-up of His Majesty to what is happening in the Moroccan street during the height of the crisis of the epidemic of Covid 19, day by day, hour by hour, as His Majesty touched on “unforgettable scenes of cooperation and volunteer work between neighbors, with elderly people and needy families, through the distribution of aid and the provision of support and guidance”. He also made sure to record “with much pride” what he emphasized as “moving moments, embodying the spirit of high patriotism, especially during the playing of the national anthem from the windows of homes, and the exchanging of greetings between Security men and Citizens” All these are details that may seem simple to some, but they mean a lot to a leadership that lives with its people every detail of life and is aware of these details accurately and with a great interest driven by strong national feelings and awareness of the value of this great people and the imperative to undertake all aspects of leadership responsibility in such exceptional circumstances .
I liked, as an observer, also that His Majesty’s speech was not a festive occasion to show pride in achievements and to list successes, but rather was governed by an approach of transparency, frankness and disclosure, which I see as one of the most prominent features of good governance for the Kingdom during the reign of His Majesty Mohammed VI. In his speech, the king showed an assurance not without a sense of national responsibility that “the consequences of this health crisis will be severe, despite the efforts we are making to mitigate its severity.” There is a call to mobilize and prepare for a second wave of this epidemic, God forbid, and there is an invitation to draw lessons from this stage and benefit from them, and most importantly, a recognition of the existence of a number of deficiencies, especially in the social sphere, among which is the size of the informal sector; the weak social protection networks, especially for the most vulnerable groups, and the dependency of a number of sectors on external fluctuations”. His Majesty promised to make this stage “an opportunity to redefining priorities, building the bases of a strong and competitive economy, and a more integrated social model”, directing the government to focus on challenges and redefining priorities based on the outputs of this crisis, defining road parameters such as “launching an ambitious plan for economic recovery that enables the productive sectors to recover and increase their ability to provide jobs and maintain sources of income”. He promised to pump about 120 billion dirhams into the arteries of the national economy, and to create a strategic investment fund whose mission is to support productive activities and “launch a firm process to generalize social coverage for all Moroccans during the next five years, and “generalize compulsory health coverage and family compensation, before expanding it, to include retirement and compensation for job loss”; and other precise measures that reflect a high level of awareness, proactive strategic thinking, and familiarity with the details necessary for the development planning that the Kingdom needs in the current circumstances.
It is a speech of frankness, disclosure, a deep patriotic sense of responsibility, keenness to unite resolve, strengthen wills and national alignment and provoke the ancient spirit of Morocco in the souls of its loyal sons in order to overcome this test and come out of it with strength, cohesion, and “concerted efforts of all Moroccans without exception”, through a road map that draws from “the gains achieved in this short circumstances a critical turning point, to reinforce the strengths that Moroccans have demonstrated, to accelerate the reforms required by the stage, and to invest in the opportunities it provides.”
It is also a comprehensive national discourse that includes the ingredients that States need in the face of difficult challenges suffered by all economies, so openness, disclosure, and putting everyone before their responsibilities and duties and raising national concerns in such circumstances is a matter that raises appreciation and admiration, and the certainty that the brotherly Kingdom of Morocco is on the path of stability and progress and security in all its aspects, which now include public health challenges and addressing the threat of epidemics and diseases.
