The View from the boxes.

The ‘electoral’ campaign, al 7amla, started… it is the fever (!) all over the place.

If you are a national bourgeois, a ‘nouvaux riche’, or an arrivist who wants to secure a spot in the crowd among the big ones, this is your chance. You can also be a ‘good soul’ who wants to do something great for your country.. a dreamer of democracy.. good luck with that. you will have to struggle a lot… it is a mess and you do not want to touch it… ttisa3 rbi3.

Many events took place in a short period of time. Mayor of Rabat arrested for corruption and pre-election campaign. A huge caliber minister in the Department of interior, Fouad Ali Alhema, one of the closest friends of the king Mohamed 6 ‘quits’ his job to become a barlamani (MP) of Skhour Rhamna; maybe something bigger later. This gentleman does not seem to want any affiliation with political parties. Maybe, he likes to stand above and beyond. Many political parties are tossing accusations to each other about transgressions and corruption. The election race has began.

However, young Moroccans did not stop thinking and reflecting about it all.

In Amazigh Blog, Amanar illustrates the last scenes by posing the question:

“what is new in 2007? Personally, if is have to sum it all in one word, I would say Nothing… democracy? Since long time ago, I have stopped trusting the Moroccan politics especially when it comes to ballot boxes.. to vote or not to vote; what difference is that going to make since it is always the same people who get elected”

Amanar states that morocco is a workshop for democracy . “We are on the right track” he says. “ it is better to criticize than stay quit”

I think a lot of young Moroccans are convinced that voting is not the right way to engage in politics. Many have a different ways of looking at this game. The general approach is “be33ed men lebla la yeblik” ( get away ).

There is also a long list of politicians who have always been there and many young Moroccans are a little fed up to say the least. Ange Bleu posts pictures of some old famous politicians.

“these men have occupied the political scene since the independence. The youngest of them is…76 years old. They are real dinosaurs… these guys have done nothing for morocco during all the period of its independence. Now they are coming back. Gentelmen: Yazghi, Osman, Aherdane, Yassine, Fassi, rradi, Amsil El Alaoui: ouffffff we are tired of you… go away. We need educated young people with new ideas and new project”

Ditti with Ange Bleu…

Most of these senior politicians lived during the independence movement times (40s-50s) and think they have the historical legitimacy to act as politicians and run the country.

they would not trust the country to “kids”. Now things have changed, I hope, and Moroccan “pprocess of democracy” has been hanging out to dry for a long time. Nothing has changed, I guess. Who does not know Mahoubi Aherdan. The big one at the MNP and the transhumant politician. He occupied all kinds of jobs and used Tamazight for his own politics. Now his son is in the same part doing the same things. In the parliament and beyond. He even moved a little ahead to become some sort of president for a shadow World Amazigh Congress, that did not survive the real AWC.

It is time for all the political parties to try their skills in selling and buying votes. This is a situation that did not please the king (read speech). He said what sounded like people should not sell their votes and should not sell themselves.

This democracy is a little joke. I noticed there are many illusions about some western democracies as being a dream for our country. people say we are not yet there. we have to work hard to get democracy that we want. And this is a very one sided approach to democracy which otherwise looks like a drop by drop system where Moroccans have to deserve it to get it. We have to graduate to that level where we can be handed democracy by some power. And this is what some people in morocco are angry about. These views are perpetuated by politicians, schools, some journalists, instititions, some bloggers,
Democracy is not just voting for people who promise you things. Democracy is not an end in itself and it should not be. it is a way, a means, makina dyal lbolitika , a plural approach to socioeconomics where people decide what is good for them. all people regardless their differences (the verbiage for a definition should be longer and more precise but is do not care about deffinitins now)
altought our friend Youssef “cuts 100 words” by sharing a quote by M. Soubhi, (Egyptian comedian)

“la démocratie c’ est te permettre de choisir le moyen qui te plait pour réaliser ce dont j’ai envi” (Democracy is to allow you the choice of the means you like to do what I want).

Wa Kul intikhab wa antum bekhir.