Royal appointment sparks debate in Morocco

Some Moroccans see a new royal appointment as removing an obstacle to reform while others are sharply critical of the decision.

By Hassan Benmehdi in Casablanca and Naoufel Cherkaoui in Rabat for Magharebia – 14/12/11

In an unexpected and controversial move, King Mohammed VI last week appointed his friend and former classmate Fouad Ali El Himma as royal adviser.

The December 7th announcement raised questions among activists and political observers over how much desire there was for real and lasting change within the Moroccan establishment.

El Himma was appointed Secretary of State in the Ministry of the Interior when King Mohammed VI assumed the throne in 1999, before later being named delegate minister. He resigned in 2007 to run for parliament from his own town of Ibn Jarir.

He founded the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) a year later, triggering concerns among activists who claimed the move was aimed at creating a new regime party to counter the growing influence of the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD).

But Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane has described El Himma's appointment to the Royal Diwan as a positive move because it will remove El Himma from the political arena. The prime minister added that El Himma's new position does not raise fears concerning the functioning of the next government.

In a statement to the press, Benkirane said there was no question of co-operating with El Himma, and that his party will not hesitate to speak out against him and turn against him should he return to his "dubious practices and political maneuvering".

February 20 Movement member Najib Chawki alleged that appointment was part of completing the formation of a shadow government that will oversee major projects above the supervision of the government and the Parliament.

However, others believe El Himma's appointment to the Royal Diwan is a positive sign for the new government led by the PJD's Benkirane.

Mostafa Moâtassim, the secretary-general of al-Badil al-Hadari, an Islamist party which was dissolved after the Belliraj affair in 2009, sees El Himma's selection as adviser as the best way of removing him from direct involvement in politics and the political scene nationally.

A Casablanca student calling himself Belkhair told Magharebia the appointment simply marked the end of El Himma's political career. "The king had been waiting for a suitable moment to respond to one of the people's main demands, namely El Himma's departure," he said.

Belkhair claimed that the work of the royal adviser had no political connotations. "Kings have always had advisers, in accordance with the traditions of the Moroccan monarchy, so that they can seek their input on the nation's big issues," he said.

The Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) issued a statement saying it "accepted El Himma's resignation following his appointment by King Mohammed VI as adviser in the Royal Cabinet".

Others have played down the appointment given recent constitutional reforms that give the head of government additional powers. Political observers noted that Benkirane will have wide-ranging freedom to manage affairs. It is up to Benkirane himself, they say, to defend his rights and prerogatives.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/12/14/feature-03.