Royal speech: Development goes hand in hand with social needs

Ministers, M.P.s, and the entire political class had their eyes set on the royal speech as Parliament resumed its session on Friday, October 10.

The opening of the fall session is a constitutional act marked by a speech considered to be the roadmap for the year.
The central idea that emerged is that development and social needs go hand in hand. The launch of major projects such as airports, ports, the LGV (High Speed Line), stadiums, etc. must not be put in contradiction with social aspects such as health, education and employment. While continuing major projects, it is imperative to offer better services to citizens in the areas of health, education, and the fight against social and spatial disparities. In other words, the social dimension must not be an empty slogan but a concrete and operational reality.
In the same vein as the Speech from the Throne, the Sovereign called for emphasis on three points.

Balance

Firstly, it is a question of paying particular attention to territories suffering from significant delays , particularly mountainous areas and oases, taking into account their specificities and the nature of their needs. In fact, harmonious territorial development may not be achieved without complementarity and effective solidarity between the different areas and regions, noted HM the King. In this regard, it is essential to reconsider the development of mountainous areas, which cover 30% of the national territory. Indeed, these areas must be provided with an integrated public policy that takes into consideration their particularities and their numerous potentialities.
Second: seriously pursue the optimal operationalization of the levers for sustainable development of the national coastline, including the Coastal Law and the National Coastal Plan. The goal is to contribute to ensuring the necessary balance between the accelerated development of these areas and the requirements for their protection and enhancement of their major assets, within the framework of a national maritime economy, generating wealth and jobs.
Third: expand the national program for the development of emerging rural centers, as a suitable lever for managing urbanization and reducing its negative impacts. In addition, these emerging centers are likely to become an effective link in the momentum aimed at providing citizens in rural areas with local administrative, social, and economic services.

Greater impact

Still in terms of territorial development, the major transformation expected lies in the urgent need to make a significant change in mentalities and working methods. This must be accompanied by the introduction of and adherence to a results-oriented culture. This approach must be based on the collection of precise field data and the use of digital technologies.
Moreover, the new generation of territorial development programs must be characterized by greater speed and produce a stronger impact. This work must be carried out in accordance with the win-win logic between urban and rural areas. These include key issues defined as priorities. At the top of the list are the encouragement of local initiatives and economic activities, the creation of jobs for young people, the concrete promotion of the education and health sectors, as well as territorial levelling up.

Everyone’s responsibility

Regarding the supervision of citizens, the Sovereign specified that this is a responsibility of different actors, because « this mission is not the sole responsibility of the Government. It is everyone’s business, and you, the parliamentarians, are on the front line, because you are the representatives of the citizens. It is also the responsibility of the political parties and the representatives sitting within the various elected councils, at all levels of the territorial organization. The parties have failed to assume their political role which consists of supervising citizens and communicating with them. Moreover, they receive public funds to assume this mission. In addition, the media and civil society actors are involved in it and, overall, all the vital forces of the Nation».

Lack of communication

In his speech, HM the King did not mince His words. Thus, the Sovereign recommended that everyone pay particular attention to the supervision of citizens and to communication around the initiatives undertaken by the public authorities and around the various decisions and laws, particularly those directly related to the rights and freedoms of citizens. Communication around government action and the projects being prepared is the soft underbelly of this Executive. All observers noted the absence of meetings with ministers to explain the ins and outs of their projects and action plans. It is not with the current communication approach that a government could make its action intelligible, raise awareness and convince citizens of the merits of its projects.

Election year

The deputies are entering the final year of their mandate. The Sovereign has invited them to work seriously and responsibly to successfully complete « the legislative processes, to implement the programs and projects under way, to remain alert and committed to pleading the cause of citizens .» This recommendation is timely because, traditionally, as legislative elections approach, parliamentarians have become accustomed to abandoning legislative work and government oversight to return to their constituencies.
Their primary concern is to ensure good preparation well in advance for the next election, with a view to winning their seat and returning to the House of Representatives. This is how we have observed a relaxation of the parliamentarians. It is for this reason that HM the King has invited them to persevere to complete the projects on the program .

Mohamed CHAOUI