PJD popularity faces tough test

Eight months after being elected, Morocco’s ruling Islamist party faces disappointment at the slow pace of change.

By Siham Ali in Rabat and Imrane Binoual in Casablanca for Magharebia – 11/09/12

[AFP/Azzouz Boukallouch] Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane’s administration faces criticism as observers evaluate his time in office.

As Morocco’s latest government works through its mandate, questions about the team led by Abdelilah Benkirane are being raised on all sides.

Driss Abbadi, a political analyst and chairman of the Moroccan Governance Observatory, remains very confident about the government’s performance, which he has linked to the government’s leadership by the Justice and Development Party (PJD).

“There are many lessons to be learnt after this short term in office by the PJD with its coalition partners,” he said. He noted that the current situation has been the first opportunity to experience a genuine head of government, with real constitutionally-defined powers being exercised by their holder.

After seven months in office, Abbadi said that the ministers in the present government have proven to be “dedicated to the work of their departments, completely fulfilling their tasks even if that may be inconvenient for some people”.

But when it comes to the issue of popularity, this view is not shared by everyone. Take the reaction of Ichrak Tawafi, a young doctoral student: “We were really happy to see Mr Abdelilah Benkirane elected to head the Moroccan government, and we followed his steps closely, unlike previous governments. Because he has constantly expressed his desire to reform what needs reform and, most of all, because we were expecting a radical positive change!”

“Unfortunately, the latest declarations from the head of government have been very disappointing! We were expecting justice to be done by this government, and that anyone who had taken advantage of their links to government to steal the country’s wealth would be punished!” she continued.

She also expressed disappointment with Benkirane’s recent statement that it was difficult to pursue embezzlers.

“As a Moroccan citizen, I’m keen for the government to press ahead with sanctions against any wrongdoing, alongside all the development work under way,” Tawafi said. “Now we’re still optimistic, and we’d like to remind Mr Benkirane that he must live up to the challenge he took up in front of millions of Moroccans. We expect action, not denunciations!”

The opposition parties have been more critical of the government. Nabila Mounib, the secretary-general of the Unified Socialist Party (PSU), said at a meeting organised by the Progressive Democratic Youth Movement that the government had no real plan for politics or society. “The government only seems to know how to go backwards, working against human rights and democracy,” she asserted.

Among PJD ministers, the view is that what matters most is the interest of the country, even if it costs them their popularity.

According to Minister Delegate Mohamed Najib Boulif, the reforms introduced thus far may have repercussions for the party’s popularity, but the most important thing is to have the political courage to deal with problems and move forward.

The Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister for General Affairs and Good Governance said it was quite possible that the PJD’s popularity will fall in the forthcoming elections because of how it has handled public issues.

Related Articles
Morocco to fight rentier economy
2012-02-03
New Morocco government brings fresh faces
2012-01-04
Morocco vote reveals changing electorate
2011-12-02
Royal appointment sparks debate in Morocco
2011-12-14
Moroccan ministers disclose assets
2012-01-29
“It is only natural that the party should lose its popularity. That’s all part and parcel of democracy. Some European parties which have been in government for 30 or 40 years have had to bow out to other political parties,” he said at the PJD’s national youth forum August 25th in Tangier.

Many members of the public are asking for election promises to be kept, criticising the PJD for choosing to go down the route of continuity in managing public affairs.

“The PJD was a vehement critic of government strategy when it was in opposition, but now it is chosen to continue along the same route as the parties who were in charge of the various different areas of government,” said Nouhad Sibari, a managerial assistant.

“We were expecting change and a break with the practices of the past,” she added.

.