The First Secretary of the USFP, Driss Lachguar, affirmed, during the opening session of the work of the National Council of Chabiba ittihadia, held last Saturday at the party’s central headquarters in Rabat under the slogan “La Chabiba ittihadia, a new contract and a continued commitment to Moroccan youth”, that Morocco faces three essential challenges.
Responsible, serious and wise management of the National Cause
According to the Ittihadi leader, the first challenge relates to the National Cause. In this context, Driss Lachguar welcomed the content of the Royal Speech on the occasion of the opening of the 1st session of the 4th legislative year of the 11th legislature in which the Sovereign indicated that the Kingdom intends to move from the management phase strictly speaking to a dynamic of change, while recalling the progress made by Morocco in the Moroccan Sahara issue, in particular the recognition of the Moroccan nature of the Sahara by France, which knows perfectly the underside of this file.
“Today, we are facing a fundamental change which means that there is no discussion or solution except within the framework of the autonomy plan (proposed by Morocco since 2007) and sovereignty national,” recalled Driss Lachguar. And to address the members of the National Council of Chabiba ittihadia by saying: “From now on, Chabiba will no longer agree to sit in international organizations alongside the so-called youth of the Polisario, or to speak with them outside within the framework of the autonomy plan.
Driss Lachguar calls for facing institutional imbalance and fighting government hegemonism
He also called for “changing our practices and our working methods in the context of our treatment of the National Cause. This is not only the responsibility of Chabiba, but rather the responsibility of the State, the parties and everyone to take our national Cause to another level.”
On the other hand, the First Secretary of the USFP emphasized the responsible, serious and wise management of this issue which has yielded many positive results, the latest of which is the French position. “When we talk about France, we are talking about a permanent member state of the Security Council which colonized us and knows the real map of Morocco and the borders of Algeria, and that the so-called SADR never existed, neither on the maps of France nor on those of Spain,” he assured before emphasizing that this file was created from scratch to blackmail the Moroccan state.
“Today, we are at the start of the last stage before putting an end to the Sahara issue to devote ourselves entirely to the great development project,” affirmed the Ittihadi leader.
He also welcomed the decision of HM King Mohammed VI concerning the restructuring of institutions dedicated to Moroccans living abroad (MRE) in order to strengthen their ties with the Kingdom. In his speech in commemoration of the 49th anniversary of the Green March, the Sovereign assured that “the matter of our territorial integrity is at a phase which requires the permanent mobilization of all” including the MRE.
“These measures announced by the Sovereign are essential to overcome the imbalances in the relationship between the institutions managing the affairs of MREs,” said the socialist leader before recalling that the USFP had called for the need to hear the voice of the MRE.
“This government must now promulgate the laws governing and supervising the institutions that we must put in place so that they are the mediator between the MRE and the state institutions, and so that we can integrate them into the decision-making process allowing them thus to contribute to public affairs in the countries where they reside, and create a framework to be the tool and the mediator,” he recommended.
Dealing with institutional imbalance
In his opening remarks, Driss Lachguar also spoke about the second challenge, which essentially consists of confronting institutional imbalance and fighting against government hegemonism.
“This institutional imbalance constitutes a danger for the Moroccan State itself and undermines plurality, democracy and rights and freedoms,” he insisted.
The First Secretary of the USFP denounced a practice that perfectly reflected this government hegemonism. “In several municipalities, USFP candidates were opposed by taking legal action against them before the elections, and they were simply exonerated after the elections. But the die was already cast,” explained the socialist leader who calls for a sort of judicial truce during the electoral campaigns in order to guarantee equal opportunities between all candidates.
Furthermore, Driss Lachguar called on the government to make public the lists of beneficiaries of subsidies granted to several sectors such as trade, industry, agriculture and fishing. According to him, this request not only reflects a desire to strengthen transparency, but also carries with it a serious call to reconsider the mechanisms for distributing public resources and to guarantee their equitable use, far from any political or electoral exploitation.
Fadi Ouakili El Aassraoui
Chabiba ittihadia contributed to changing the positions of international organizations to support the sovereignty and stability of States
In this regard, he noted that some are granted land and funds under the pretext of supporting vital sectors, but the criteria on the basis of which these privileges are granted remain unknown. This ambiguity opens the door to questions such as whether these subsidies are linked to the public interest or whether they are used for political or electoral purposes.
Driss Lachguar also denounced the exploitation by the components of the majority of public resources during electoral campaigns, thus emptying the democratic process of its content. “These practices taint the democratic process which should guarantee equal opportunities between candidates. They put obstacles in front of the opposition and contribute to excluding it from real political debate,” he said.
In the same vein, the Ittihadi leader accused the government of trying to distance the opposition from fundamental discussions concerning citizens, by instituting practices that restrict its role in Parliament, criticizing the absence of members of the Executive during important meetings within the parliamentary institution and the fact of ignoring the demands of the opposition, which reflects a desire to marginalize it and avoid initiating debate on the sensitive issues it raises.
Alarming figures
The third challenge facing Morocco is the social and economic situation. Driss Lachguar first mentioned the project of generalization of social protection, while criticizing the government management of this major social project.
“We supported the Royal project relating to social coverage, because it is at the heart of our social democratic project. But we fear that the current way of managing this vital project could lead to its bankruptcy,” he warned.
He also sounded the alarm on youth unemployment which has reached alarming figures, knowing that “the government has allocated significant funds to finance several programs to support the employment and integration of young people such as the Awrach program. However, the Executive has not carried out an evaluation of these programs” which apparently have not had an impact on the job market.
We supported the Royal project relating to social coverage, but we fear that the way in which this project is managed will lead to its bankruptcy, says the First Secretary of the USFP
In his speech, Driss Lachguar welcomed the choice of the slogan for the meeting of the National Council of Chabiba ittihadia. “This slogan imposes practical commitments on the management of Chabiba ittihadia that it must honor in order to expand its organizational structures at the local and regional levels,” underlined Driss Lachguar while addressing the management of Chabiba ittihadia.
The government lacks a strategic vision
During this opening session in which members of the Political Bureau took part (Abdelhamid Jmahri, Mehdi Mezouari, Abdellah Sibari), the secretary general of Chabiba ittihadia, Fadi Ouakili El Aassraoui, underlined the commitment of the usfpeist youth to defend major national issues, including the National Cause, and to strengthen its role and presence at the national and international levels.
“Allow me to begin my speech by reaffirming our firm positions on major national issues, notably that of the Moroccan Sahara, which will remain a priority as a Cause of national unity which accepts no compromise,” said Fadi Ouakili El Aassraoui. And added: “We, within Chabiba ittihadia, as well as at the USFP, are proud of the effective role that we play at the national and international levels to defend the National Cause, while drawing inspiration from Moroccan diplomacy wise, under the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, who has achieved unprecedented achievements.”
In this sense, he emphasized the role of Chabiba ittihadia in the fight against separatists within international organizations such as the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY). Indeed, Chabiba was able to thwart their maneuvers and obtain a historic decision recognizing the territorial integrity of the Kingdom.
“Thanks to the action of Chabiba, the so-called youth of the Polisario was expelled from the presidency of the IUSY, putting an end to decades of presence within this body,” he highlighted.
“The Chabiba ittihadia shelters, organizes and hosts international meetings in Morocco, thus strengthening its position within socialist and progressive organizations,” recalled Fadi Ouakili El Aassraoui, before specifying that the Chabiba “contributed to the evolution of positions international organizations with a view to supporting the sovereignty and stability of States.
The secretary general of Chabiba ittihadia addressed the economic and social challenges facing Moroccan youth, noting that unemployment, which exceeds 13.6%, constitutes a structural crisis reflecting the absence of a strategic vision on the part of the government.
He noted that current policies have marginalized young people and accentuated social disparities, prompting many to emigrate in search of a decent life. He called for the adoption of radical policies that value people, investing in education and health, and creating sustainable employment opportunities in productive sectors such as industry and renewable energy. , in addition to strengthening tax justice and fighting corruption.
Furthermore, Fadi Ouakili El Aassraoui praised the efforts made by the USFPEIST youth, both internally and on the international scene, urging all members of the Chabiba National Council to mobilize for the success of the next regional congresses and to put implement the recommendations of the 9th National Congress. “Chabiba ittihadia will remain a fighting force placing people at the center of its program,” added Fadi Ouakili El Aassraoui.
Concerning the Palestinian question, Chabiba Ittihadia reaffirmed its firm position on this subject, while calling for support for the right of the Palestinian people to create an independent state with Al Quds-East as its capital.
Mourad Tabet
