(Siham Ali) Morocco's parliament will face scrutiny from a just-launched citizen group.
The new movement plans “to align with modernising forces to build a civil state where law and social justice prevail”, according to members. The group, which met for the first time August 3rd in Rabat, also hopes to promote democracy while serving in an oversight capacity.
Since the adoption of the new constitution, some major issues that require civic monitoring have arisen, necessitating research and studies as well as advocacy and suitable proposals for institutions such as parliament and the government, professor and movement member Nadir Moumni said.
He told Magharebia that the aim was to participate in public discussions about government policy, institutional development and identify failings in governance and rule of law.
“In my view, we need to begin by looking at the laws governing elections,” he asserted.
Sociologist Jamil Narouti lauded the initiative, saying it will lead to lobbying that could rectify failings. He said that the fact that this discussion was happening was beneficial to reform efforts. Many members of the movement, such as Khadija Rouissi, the president of Bayt Al Hikma, and Amazigh campaigner Ahmed Assid, oppose conservative ideas, he noted.
Narouti also pointed out that this difference in opinions could lead to heated debates with other schools of thought, endangering an environment of healthy dialogue.
Vice-president of the Party of Justice and Development Lahcen Daoudi told Magharebia that it was too early to have preconceived ideas about the movement.
“We judge actions and proposals, not people. All organisations are positive as long as they are created in a transparent way,” he said. Lecturer Nadir Moumni said that the organisation was entirely independent of all partisan and civic institutions, created pursuant to the royal decree of 1958 on civil liberties.
As for the general public, many people have hailed the creation of this new civil-society framework, which satisfies the public demand for a neutral movement that can identify failings in public policy and ask tough questions.
“From now on, civil society must play a monitoring and spotlighting role,” commented Sara El Menouer, a 21-year-old politics student. “By creating a movement, especially during this period of numerous political challenges, citizens can have faith in the ideas that will arise out of the discussions that will be had.”
Hamza El Ouardi, a sales executive, hopes that the group’s advocacy will bear fruit and not have its calls fall on deaf ears.
“If the movement receives support from several civil-society organisations and actors, it will be a major force capable of achieving many things. The next few weeks will show us whether this movement will actually be able to achieve its goals,” he said.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/08/22/feature-03
