With Egypt in Turmoil, Algeria and Morocco Put Forward Insufficient Measures to Quell Decent
The Jasmine Revolution of Tunisia and the mayhem that followed in Egypt are catching Arab governments by surprise and decisions have to come soon. Yet Algeria and Morocco’s popular grievances, generally about all aspects of life, from economic opportunity, to civil liberties and the endemic corruption, are not new and have been a permanent factor in the domestic political landscape.
While the level of protest has generally been lower in Morocco, the Kingdom suffers from similar issues than Algeria, from chronic unemployment and poverty, to rigid economic structures and a political system that seems to be challenged by many. Although most Moroccan endorse the Monarchy and avoid challenging it head on, many are questioning the amount of power the King holds. Some 3,000 people have joined an Internet group to call for reforms, starting with enacting a constitutional monarchy, in addition to demanding for substantial changes in the executive branch with the direct challenge to Prime Minister Al Fassi. Many are calling for his sacking and for the dissolving of the Parliament. Note that the Moroccan constitutional monarchy system is vastly different than for example the British monarchy. In Morocco, the King plays a substantial role in the designation of a Prime Minister and therefore of the government cabinet as a whole, while having the ability to dissolve the parliament and impose the state of emergency. Meanwhile, the economic reforms that meant to improve the standards of living of the population have been bogged down by government inefficiencies, bureaucracies, and corruption. Press freedom has also been heavily controlled, preventing citizens from discussing their issues.
Neighboring Algeria may be in an even more precarious position, with unrest seen on the continuous basis. Despite having a healthy source of revenue, oil and gas, the government there has been absent for the past decade, creating an atmosphere of complete laisser-faire. This vacuum of the public domain meant a continuous deterioration of standards of living and economic prospects for millions of young people, while channels of communications between government and the public have evaporated. The country has been rocked by unrest over grievances that range from housing distribution to labor and from food prices to unemployment.
Fearing a contagion from Tunisia and Egypt, Algeria and Morocco are working hard to pre-empt events to escalate as many young men in both countries have followed the same path of immolation that started the domino effect in Tunisia. In Morocco, food subsidies are being maintained to at least avoid protest over price increases. Prices of butane will continue to be supported by the government. But apart from that, the Moroccan authorities are playing down any public reaction following calls for demonstrations. Internet groups, but also groups of unemployed have been warning that demonstrations could take place in coming days.
In Algeria, where demonstrations have been banned, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was quoted by stated news agency as saying that the state of emergency will be lifted, without mentioning a date. The state of emergency was established nearly two decades ago essentially as a tool to fight terrorism, but that is something NGOs, opposition parties and various types of activists have been calling for its lifting. However, the measure is likely to be insufficient considering that marches and demonstrations will remain banned in the capital city, where all the political institutions are based.
The country’s media landscape may also be revisited since state owned radio and TV stations do not allow even legal opposition party leaders to discuss the country’s problems.
Meanwhile, rumors of a pending reshuffle in the Algerian government led by Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia continue to be heard in the capital. Neither confirming nor denying the rumors, Prime Minister Ouyahia took part to the closing of the autumn session of the parliament in the assembly building packed with reporters.
Outlook: In our assessment, the steps made by Algeria and Morocco at this stage are irrelevant and will not go far in addressing the structural issues crippling those countries. Announcements of subsidizing food and easing some of the rules governing demonstrations are seen by the public as insufficient measure considering that the sources of grievances are broader and of a more complex political nature. The announced measures are just band-aid actions and are not solutions to political discrepancies. As a result, we expect tension will remain palpable until more meaningful decisions are announced.
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Comments (2 posted):
With all due respect I am afraid you make too abrupt short-cuts to reach conclusions for a professional researcher.
For instance, you say that “3,000 people have joined an Internet group to call for reforms…” Well, we all know that many people join groups by curiosity (e.g., journalists, yourself, myself, etc.) or by necessity (e.g. police and other state agents for obvious reasons). I know for a fact that some members are not even located in morocco and many are not even potential demonstrators if they were there.
Another important point in my view is that example is that you forget the most important drivers of popular upraising in general – despair. It is not about the current situation as much as it is about the prospects of future improvements. Although most Moroccans (including the King) are not satisfied with the overall/current situation in Morocco, the majority of people do recognize that the country has come long way in the last decade of so. I don’t think there are many Moroccans (regardless of their political views) who would not recognize the significant improvements that occurred in the last decade. Much still has to be done but relatively speaking the change is underway.
Some people may make a different assessment but that’s the beauty about democracy which I hope we all believe in. The most fundamental human right in my view is a descent job, and every government owes its population to make the best effort to curb unemployment.
Cheers!
There is no doubt that progress has been made of the decades, no one can deny that. Our publication uses some of the smarter correspondents who happen to be based in Morocco and are the product of a Moroccan eduction and culture. But for a long time, we thought Tunisia had the biggest achievements in the Arab world, only to realize that much more needed to be achieved. Also, I can tell you that we also hear similar arguments from Algeria as well. At the end, we have to rely on the statistics our governments agree to share, and in the areas of economic development, the pace of growth is not fast enough to deal with the broad social and economic problems. I am not suggesting that Morocco will face an Egyptian style rebelion, but it popular protests tend to only solidifies civil liberties and progress. The Moroccan people are no different than the Westerns and now other Arab people who legitimate means to express their grievances.
Best regards
Redouane
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