The Moroccan government has made the first step to follow through on its promise to combat graft.

By Siham Ali for Magharebia in Rabat – 22/03/12

[AFP/Chafik Arich] Moroccan Transportation Minister Abdelaziz Rebbah is taking steps to increase transparency and reduce corruption in the kingdom.

In a move to halt corruption, the new Moroccan government disclosed a list of beneficiaries of transportation licences.

The list, revealed by Public Works Minister Abdelaziz Rebbah on March 1st, includes athletes, politicians and artists who benefited from transport grants.

“Future issues of permits will involve calls for tenders. A new approach will be taken with regard to permits that have already been awarded, which must be managed by companies that will make profits for the state,” Rebbah said.

The step stems from the new provisions of the constitution that guarantee the right of citizens to access information, the minister explained. Other lists relating to other sectors will be published in due course, according to Rebbah.

The Abdelilah Benkirane-led government vowed to crack down on nepotism and corruption, and some view the measure as the first step toward that goal.

The publication of the list of more than 4,000 transport permit-holders is an act of political bravery as this was a demand made by civil-society campaigners and members of the public who had called for transparency in the way this matter is handled, said political analyst Magid Ibrahimi.

The move, however, will achieve nothing unless concrete measures are taken to change the situation, he cautioned.

Bank employee Charif Senhaji said it is time to wipe out the corruption and vote-catching that are characteristic of the rent-based economy. Permits must earn profits for the state, which can use them to benefit society.

“This matter must be analysed in depth,” Senhaji said. “The rent-based economy covers not only transport, but also the operation of sand quarries and deep-sea fishing permits. It is the latter two that are the most coveted.”

Professionals are taking a more cautious approach.

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Abdelilah Hifdi, head of the Transport Federation at the General Confederation of Moroccan Business (CGEM), described the move as counterproductive which will stir up public condemnation of permit-holders. He said that it is time to reform the sector.

“What the government has done is fruitless and pointless,” said former MP and preacher Abdelbari Zemzemi. “Permits are rented for 20,000 dirhams, an amount that is barely enough to support a big family. The minister earns a salary that is treble this amount. If the government wants to be fair, ministers should share their salaries with the people.”

Zemzemi also alleged that the publication of this information impinged on personal freedoms.

Analyst Magidi, however, reminded that the award of permits is a measure taken by the state, and the government has the right to publish the list of beneficiaries as a first step toward change and transparency.

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