VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHRB #0711/01 2141126
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 011126Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY RABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8917
INFO RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 4859
RUEHNK/AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT 3792
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 9689
RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA 4230

UNCLAS RABAT 000711 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/MAG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KDEM PREL MO
SUBJECT: DEMOCRACY IN TRANSITION: MOROCCAN YOUTH SPEAKS OUT 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: Educated Moroccan youths are concerned about 
Parliamentary dysfunction, constitutional imbalances, and 
corruption among elected officials.  During a conference 
attended by young academics and opinionmakers, debate focused 
on problems related to the mismanagement of public resources 
and the need for constitutional reform and devolution of 
central authority.  Private conversations held with students 
and other participants for the most part echoed the 
sentiments of panelists: life is becoming tougher for 
ordinary Moroccans while their elected officials and those 
with connections become richer and more powerful.  End 
Summary. 
 
If You Have Power, You Have Everything 
-------------------------------------- 
¶2.  (U) On July 10, about 100 young researchers, academics, 
and journalists gathered in the northern city of Tangiers for 
a four-day conference to discuss the state of Morocco's 
social, political, economic and democratic transitions.  The 
event was sponsored by the Center for the Study and Research 
in the Social Sciences, a Rabat-based academic organization 
founded by a group of universities, researchers, and social 
science practitioners to promote a better understanding of 
Moroccan society at the regional and international levels. 
Ali Karimi, a panelist from the University of Casablanca, 
spoke about the links between constitutional reform and its 
connection to the economy.  He said the style of government 
influenced the economy, and that in Morocco, the Government 
needs to reassert control over the private sector. 
Currently, he said, private interests subvert the 
Government's oversight function through influence peddling 
and bribery. 
 
¶3. (U) Although he did not mention specific members, Karimi 
spoke of those who profited from their position in 
Parliament.  "If you have power, you have everything," he 
said.  Karimi criticized elected officials for being out of 
touch with the people.  He lamented that Morocco is a state 
where "everything is for sale," and complained of how some 
people were using government connections to purchase public 
property for below-market prices.  He bemoaned the weakness 
and lack of credibility of the Government, which he believes 
has become a "slave" to the private sector. 
 
¶4. (U) According to Karimi, democracy should be used to spur 
economic progress, and constitutional reform should be given 
priority to enable both.  (Note: In the Moroccan context, 
"constitutional reform" is code for taking formal legal steps 
to limit the king's almost absolute power over the running of 
the nation.  End Note.) 
 
¶5. (U) One female participant, who disagreed with the need 
for constitutional reform, commented that too much time had 
been wasted on fruitless debates and fighting among political 
parties.   She said that in order for Morocco to move forward 
in its democratic transition, people needed to encourage 
elected representatives to participate constructively within 
existing political space rather than discussing esoteric 
constitutional issues. 
 
¶6. (U) Said Saadi, a panelist from the University of 
Casablanca, disagreed.  "We don't debate enough in our 
country," he said.  Saadi said the lack of political 
participation by the general population has contributed to 
the weakening of NGOs and civil society, and has hampered 
overall national development efforts.  He questioned the 
credibility of the National Initiative for Human Development 
(INDH), an anti-poverty program touted as the king's most 
important social legacy.  He said that a new social movement 
is emerging, born of the unemployed yet highly-educated and 
organized college graduates who hold daily protests in front 
of the Parliament.  Youth are rebelling against 
globalization, he said.  Good governance and reforms are 
needed to ease its attendant pressures and frustrations, but 
the Moroccan state does not have the resources to meet 
societal needs, he complained.  Saadi added that there is a 
growing frustration with civil society, as it too seems 
unable to effectively address or ameliorate broader societal 
ills. 
 
¶7. (U) Ali Bouabid, a panelist from the Abderrahim Bouabid 
Foundation of Rabat, said that Morocco is not a liberal 
country, either politically or economically.  He disagreed 
with the concept of a state for sale.  He believes that the 
government is interested in citizens' interests, but that it 
lacks the technological and material resources to realize its 
objectives.  He bemoaned the lack of transparency in the sale 
of public services, and advocated a more successful process 
of economic liberalization, though not necessarily 
privatization. 
 
A Car with Two Drivers 
---------------------- 
¶8. (U) One participant described the Moroccan government as a 
car with two drivers: the King and the Parliament.  To which 
one student wryly replied, "A car like that doesn't work." 
 
¶10. (U) One married female student said that daily life is 
becoming harder. "The rich are becoming richer and the poor 
are becoming poorer.  It is difficult for young people to get 
married, because there are not enough jobs for the men to 
make a living and raise a family. Those in power are only 
concerned about their own interests." 
 
¶11. (U) She said that young couples find it difficult to 
start families because affordable housing is difficult to 
find.  "There is much construction going on, but it only 
benefits the elite.  What good is it for society if some 
people own five apartments and others have none?" 
 
Not Our Fight 
------------- 
¶12. (U) When asked what the United States could do strengthen 
the democratic process in Morocco, two students said the U.S. 
should not intervene.  "The U.S. should let other countries 
find their own democracy.  Morocco has yet to solidify its 
democratic identity," one female student said. 
 
Decentralization 
---------------- 
¶13. (U) During a workshop on decentralization, facilitators 
discussed social mobilization and the growing tension in the 
country.  One facilitator spoke of the importance of 
including more women in the national assembly.  Many 
complained that the central government has been slow to 
devolve significant decisionmaking powers, and management 
functions, to local governments (away from Rabat and 
ultimately, the monarchy).  Both the Government and King have 
made decentralization a centerpiece of Morocco's broader 
democratization strategy. 
 
¶14. (U) During the discussion phase, one female participant 
said that the political parties must open and lead the debate 
on decentralization, the success of which rested upon 
political will.  She said that unfortunately, the parties 
were weak because their internal processes remained opaque 
and as a result they could not garner broad support. 
 
¶15. (U) One participant advocated for the development of a 
new culture in which democracy springs from the bottom (the 
citizens) towards the top (the elites in power).  Another 
participant bemoaned, "The elected officials will not give 
away their real powers." 
 
¶16. (SBU) Comment: The sentiments expressed at this event 
mirror the broader complaints we continue to hear: the 
Government is ineffective, and its members lack credibility. 
Constitutional reform is a sensitive issue among the people. 
There are tensions between a strong and reform-minded 
monarchy and the evolving parliamentary governmental system. 
There is a need to devolve power, but the elected and 
executive governmental arms are weak and riven by infighting 
and graft.  Additionally, people are loathe to criticize the 
monarch (even constructively), who is still revered as both a 
person and as an institution, thus precluding true debate on 
the subject of devolution of authority.  Yet, without 
meaningful discussion of reforms that increase transparency 
in political and economic processes, and give more power to 
national and local elected governments, frustration will 
continue to simmer.  End Comment. 
 
 
***************************************** 
Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat 
***************************************** 
 
Riley