The speech given by the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, at the opening of the first session of the fifth legislative year of the 11th Legislature on 10 October in Rabat included a general assessment of the government’s work, calling on the political elite, as representatives of the Moroccan people, to prioritise citizens’ issues and pay more attention to local development as a reflection of the progress of a united Morocco.
Taking a critical stance, the monarch’s speech emphasised the role of institutions, parties and elected officials in realising the royal vision that advocates for the dignity of citizens and social and territorial justice for the development of the entire country and the improvement of Moroccans’ living conditions.
From Rabat, the Alawite king also praised the efforts made by partisan and parliamentary diplomacy in the service of the country’s priority causes, urging greater diligence and efficiency, within a framework of cooperation and integration with official diplomacy.
Health, education and employment
In a clear response to the demands of Generation Z, King Mohammed VI calls for a faster pace of improvement in employability, health and education as three essential levers of local development in the different regions of the Moroccan kingdom.
Within the framework of a win-win relationship between urban and rural areas, the King calls for a greater impact from the new generation of territorial development programmes to support Morocco’s growing trend towards achieving social and territorial justice, by mobilising all the energies of political actors and civil society.
In this vein, he identified the main priority issues:
- Encourage local initiatives and economic activities.
- Provide employment opportunities for young people, promote the education and health sectors, and rehabilitate the territory.
- Pay special attention to the most fragile areas, taking into account their specificities and the nature of their needs, especially mountain areas and oases.
- Activate in an optimal and serious manner the mechanisms for sustainable development on the national coastline in order to achieve the necessary balance between the accelerated development of these areas and the requirements for their protection, within the framework of a national maritime economy that creates wealth and job opportunities.
- Expand the scope of rural centres as suitable spaces for managing urban expansion, bringing administrative, social and economic services closer to citizens in rural areas.
Mohammed VI called on parliamentarians to defend citizens’ issues, emphasising that there should be no contradiction between the major projects undertaken by the Kingdom and the unacceptable reality of remote and mountainous areas, which represent 30% of the national territory, as the ultimate goal is to develop the country as a whole and improve the living conditions of its citizens.
For this reason, the Moroccan monarch stressed the need to advise citizens and inform them about the initiatives taken by the authorities and political decisions, especially those related to their freedoms and rights, so that everyone can benefit from the fruits of growth.
Local development for a ‘solidary Morocco’
‘Local development is the mirror that reflects the progress of an emerging and solidary Morocco,’ said Mohammed VI, highlighting the importance of accelerating the implementation of territorial development programmes in terms of job creation, improving the health and education sectors, and caring for the most vulnerable areas of the country.
In fact, according to royal guidelines, harmonious territorial development cannot be achieved without effective integration and solidarity between the regions of the Moroccan kingdom, which is achieved by combating territorial disparities as a strategic priority to which all actors must adhere.
According to the royal speech, the North African country has launched promising initiatives to achieve greater social and territorial justice, ensuring that everyone enjoys equal opportunities within a united Morocco.
‘The issue is not only the responsibility of the government, but of everyone, especially parliamentarians and elected officials because they represent the citizens,’ King Mohammed VI pointed out, asking them to work responsibly, complete legislative plans, implement programmes and projects, and remain committed to defending the causes of the nation and its citizens.
Direct criticism and change of mindset
In the context of guiding and monitoring the political actions of institutions and parties, Mohammed VI addressed the entire political class, including representatives of political parties and members of the government, both majority and opposition, in critical terms, urging them to translate his directives into realistic policies and tangible results.
The monarch warned against practices that waste time and effort without achieving the vision of a Morocco with the rule of law, where social and territorial justice and the dignity of citizens are ensured, rejecting any complacency in the effectiveness and return on public investment.
In this regard, Mohammed VI stressed the need for a real change in mentalities and working methods, as well as a genuine consolidation of a results-oriented culture, based on accurate field data thanks to optimal investment in digital technology, in order to achieve the desired prosperity for all Moroccans.
The Moroccan king called on parliamentarians to live up to the trust placed in them, inviting them to fulfil their mission with honesty, integrity, commitment and self-sacrifice. In this context, the Alawite sovereign insisted on renewing the political elites and strengthening the participation of young people and women in political action.
In short, the Moroccan political class is invited to take the content of the royal speech seriously, interact with its guidelines and prepare to accelerate the pace of implementation by actively listening to young people and implementing urgent reforms in key sectors that protect the dignity of citizens.
Full text of King Mohammed VI’s speech:
“Praise be to God, prayers and greetings be upon our Lord, the Messenger of God, his family and companions.
Honourable Members of Parliament:
Today, with God’s help and grace, we are inaugurating the last legislative year of the House of Representatives of the current legislature.
This is an opportunity to express our appreciation for the work you do, both in the field of legislation, the control of government work and the evaluation of public policies.
We would also like to commend the efforts made to promote party and parliamentary diplomacy in the service of the country’s supreme issues, inviting you to consent to greater efforts and efficiency within a framework of cooperation and integration with official diplomacy.
As this is the last year for the members of the House of Representatives, we call on you to devote it to serious and responsible work, in order to conclude legislative plans and implement the programmes and projects launched, with a vigilant spirit and a commitment to defending the issues that matter to citizens.
Furthermore, given that the objective is to develop the country and improve the living conditions of citizens, wherever they may be, there should be no contradiction or competition between major national projects and social programmes.
In the same context, special attention must be paid to the involvement of citizens and the clear presentation of initiatives taken by public authorities, and of the various laws and decisions, particularly those that directly affect the rights and freedoms of citizens.
This issue is not only the responsibility of the Government, but of everyone, especially you, the parliamentarians, in your capacity as representatives of the citizens.
It is also the responsibility of political parties and elected representatives in the various elected councils and at all territorial levels, as well as the media, civil society actors and all the nation’s active forces.
Honourable Members of Parliament,
In our last Throne Speech, we called for accelerating the march of emerging Morocco and launching a new generation of territorial development programmes.
As you well know, territorial development is a key issue that transcends government and parliamentary terms.
Thanks to God, our country is opening the door, through the dynamics we have launched, to the achievement of greater social and spatial justice.
We are also working to ensure that everyone benefits from the fruits of growth and equal opportunities among the children of a united Morocco, whether in terms of political, economic, social or other rights.
We therefore consider that the level of local development is the true reflection of the degree of progress made by an emerging and united Morocco, for whose consolidated position we are all working.
Indeed, social justice and the fight against spatial inequality are not mere empty slogans or a temporary priority, whose importance may diminish depending on circumstances, but rather a strategic orientation that all actors must embrace and a crucial commitment that should guide the various development policies.
Therefore, the emerging Morocco’s approach to achieving social and spatial justice requires, today, the mobilisation of all its energies.
The major change we want to bring about in the field of territorial development requires a tangible change in mindsets and working methods, truly consolidating a results-oriented culture based on accurate empirical data and the use of digital technologies.
We therefore hope to see a faster pace and greater impact from the new generation of territorial development programmes, for which we have provided our guidance to the Government, within the framework of a mutually beneficial relationship between urban and rural areas.
These are particularly important issues, for which we have established priorities, led by the stimulation of local initiatives and economic activities, as well as the creation of employment opportunities for young people, specifically promoting the education and health sectors within territorial rehabilitation.
In this regard, we invite everyone, from their respective positions, to combat all practices that waste time, effort and resources, as any neglect of the efficiency and profitability of public investment is unacceptable.
In addition to our guidelines contained in the Throne Speech on territorial development, we invite you to also emphasise the following issues:
– First: pay special attention to the most vulnerable regions, taking into account their specificities and the nature of their needs, especially in mountainous regions and oases.
Indeed, harmonious territorial development cannot be achieved without effective integration and solidarity between areas and regions.
In this regard, it is necessary to reconsider the issue of the development of mountainous areas, which cover 30% of the national territory, by providing them with an integrated public policy that takes into account their specific characteristics and multiple resources.
– Second: to carry out a genuine and exemplary implementation of the mechanisms for the sustainable development of national coastal areas, including the coastal law and the National Coastal Plan, in such a way as to contribute to achieving a balance between the rapid development of these areas and the requirements for the protection and enhancement of their enormous resources, within a national maritime economy that generates wealth and employment opportunities.
– Third: expand the framework of the emerging rural centres programme as an appropriate mechanism for managing urban expansion and mitigating its negative effects.
These emerging centres are also likely to be an effective link for bringing administrative, social and economic services closer to citizens in rural areas.
Ladies and gentlemen of Parliament:
The coming year is full of projects and challenges. We therefore hope that all of you, both in the Government and in Parliament, with your majority and opposition, will mobilise all your energies and capacities, giving priority to the supreme interests of the Nation and its citizens.
May God protect you, and may you live up to the trust placed in you and the responsibility entrusted to you, with the integrity, commitment and selflessness that serving the nation demands.
Almighty God said: ‘Whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.’ (Holy Quran).
Wassalamou alaikoum warahmatoullahi wabarakatouh”.
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