Moroccan PJD Criticizes New Cabinet Lineup

Moroccan Islamic Justice and Development Party (PJD) denounced the cabinet lineup approved by the King of Morocco last Monday, after a series of rows among parties in taking portfolios without presenting the government program for the next stage, said a statement issued by the party”s General Secretariat, the highest executive body in the party.
 
The statement, a copy of which was obtained by Ikhwanweb, said that cabinet line-up is below” popular aspirations, and it establishes a state of dissatisfaction and distrust in the political process and institution emerging from it among Moroccan people. It saw the current cabinet line-up as ” A new ring in the chain of corruption that characterized the former government of the legislative elections. This appeared in using ill-gotten money in election campaigns in addition to rigging votes and election fraud with the participation of some members of political parties and aides of the government.”
 
After knowing and studying the new cabinet line-up and its political nature, the party statement said:” Contrary to democratic traditions and principles, the new government is a minority government. This is because the parties forming it have no majority in the House of Representatives and they also lack the popular support, given the weak turnout in the elections”.
 
The statement denounced:” The huge number of portfolios although the government is a minority government”. It expressed its disappointment towards “Maintaining the policy of favoritism and distributing rewards instead of establishing an more effective less in number government based on a clear political program to address Moroccan people”s aspiration and reinforce their hope for the future”.
 
It added that the new government ” consists of some political powers that the people punished during the last elections and they were imposed on these people through the cabinet line-up, making it lack the factors of strength and viability”, in reference to the Socialist Union Party, that led the former government and was fifth seeded in the latest elections.
 
The party raised its eyebrows at the strong return of ” the ministers who have no political affiliation- a third of the government members- and giving some of them a political affiliation to which they aren”t related, in a way that establishes lacking political and moral commitment towards citizens and it undermines parties” credibility among people.”
 
 
And the new cabinet line-up included 10 out of the 33 ministers and a deputy PM without any political affiliation. Also, other names have been included to the Socialist Union and the National Gathering in the new government although they don”t belong to both of them.
 
The statement said that although the Prime Minister post is given to the Independence Party- that garnered the biggest number of seats (52 seats)- which may considered a positive indication that there is a respect to the election process. However, the following stages were against this trend. This is because it took place in the context of incorrect political atmosphere which was exposed by the statement of the Justice and Development Party dated October, 11th, 2007 .
 
The statement concluded that the Justice and Development Party and its parliamentary bloc will do its best and carry out its political duty and exercise a strong constructive opposition.
 
It is worth mentioning that, after more than a month of deliberations and consultations and various statements among previous and new majority parties (the independence, the socialist union, the national gathering of freemen, the progress and socialism), and sudden retreat of the Popular Movement from the majority, the King of Morocco intervened through his advisors Mohamed Al Mutasem and Abdul Aziz Muzyan Bilfaqih, to settle the final cabinet line-up.
 
The statement of the Justice and Development Party shows, with its clear and bold wording, that there will be a different shift in its opposition to the new government. Some leaders call this opposition a strong one that will embarrass the next government”.
 
The Moroccan elections – held last September, 7th- witnessed the lowest turnout as 37% eligible voters participated including 19 % cancelled votes. Some human rights and political experts saw it as a punitive message for the mistrust towards the political elite and their false promises during the previous stages.