King Mohammed pledges to perfect democracy building
Morocco, Politics, 3/22/2002

Morocco's King Mohammed VI on Thursday pledged to perfect the building of a Moroccan democratic state, where the rule of law prevails.

"The basis of my vision of ruling, as well as its purpose is to complete the building of a law-ruled state and to enhance democracy within the constitutional monarchy, said King Mohammed VI in an interview run this Thursday by four Lebanese papers, namely Al-Hawadith, La Revue du Liban, Monday Morning, and Al-Bairak.

The Sovereign underlined that he took upon himself to initiate concrete action and stimulate social solidarity in all areas of social and humanitarian work, for the benefit of the poor and the most fragile social categories, especially homeless children and women.

He stressed the need to direct the Government and the economic actors to promoting investment, by encouraging private initiative and releasing creative energy, the aim being to generate new wealth and to provide the underprivileged, especially among young people, with an opportunity to make a decent living.

The objective of this drive is also to help the youth "realize that democracy is the best way to achieve development and to ward off all forms of extremism and fanaticism," he said.

The Sovereign voiced determination "to intensify efforts to enhance the achievements accomplished in the field of democracy, mainly by providing the necessary safeguards to ensure regular elections." "As the King of all Moroccans, whether in the Government or in the opposition, and considering that my own perception and judgment may influence and orient the views of all citizens, it would be difficult for me to make a value judgment on the performance of the Government, just a few months before the elections, in which I am not entitled to vote," he said, adding "I leave it up to the voters to express their opinion freely and without any guidance." He underlined that he expects the forthcoming elections to express sincerely, freely and honestly, the trends of the public opinion, and to give rise to an elite which is dedicated to public service and capable, through elected institutions, to give a strong impetus to economic and social progress, in a rationally organized political environment.

"As for the share of such or such party, in the elections, this is something for the voter to determine freely," he said.

"The strengthening of democracy, as part of this process, is the best protection against recurrence of past abuses and violations," he said, underlining that "the most important thing for me is close proximity local democracy, along with the reinforcement of regional devolution and decentralization." King Mohammed VI recalled what he said upon his accession to the Throne in July 1999 "I have no magic wand for the country's problems." "All the assets I have lie in the unanimous support of the people for the leadership I am providing, and in our joint determination to work seriously under the umbrella of democracy, social solidarity, seeking optimal utilization of our resources, in a market economy system-of which Morocco was a pioneering adept - to achieve sustainable development," he stressed.

Outlining his economic development project, the Sovereign noted he was particularly keen to initiate economic take-off and social solidarity, as pillars of political democracy.

"Accordingly, the solution lies in generating additional wealth before considering how to distribute that wealth," he said, conceding "yet there is no way to create new wealth and to provide job opportunities, without ridding the private initiative from all handicaps, providing incentives for private investment, and rationalizing and privatizing state- owned corporations, because Governments are not always good economic managers." He recalled, in this vein, the guide-lines he issued for the Government and the Parliament to lift all obstacles that hinder investment, through introduction of reforms in the civil service, the tax system and the judiciary, and through the adoption of modern labor legislation which is liable to stimulate investment and production.

"We have made significant headway in this direction, by setting up regional investment centers, each one with a single desk which will make it possible for the investor to start his business within the shortest possible period of time, probably in a matter of hours," he said, lauding the fact that Morocco was able to bolster direct external investments to a record high of over 3 billion US dollars this year.

King Mohammed VI, who insisted on the role of education and training to provide the economy with skilled human resources, said Morocco will be concentrating on the promising areas in the national economy, namely tourism, sea fishing, new ISTs, agro-industry, handicraft trades. "These are actually the areas where we are strongly competitive," he said.

Previous Stories:
  Two new political parties born in Morocco   (3/18/2002)
  Democracy, best means to eradicate terrorism, extremism, King mohammed says   (3/18/2002)

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