Cultural dimension, fundamental aspect in economic development, social progress, King Mohammed
Regional-Morocco, Politics, 12/12/2003

Here follows the full text of the message sent this Thursday by Morocco's King Mohammed VI to participants in an international conference held in Rabat on ""investment, cultures and civilizations: links and impacts."

The message was read out by advisor to the sovereign, Mohamed Kabbaj.

"Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have pleasure in sending you this message at the start of your conference to congratulate you on your choice of topic: investment and the cultural dimension of development. This is a fundamental aspect which is often overlooked, in spite of its being a pre-requisite for any economic development and social progress.

This fact is clearly attested by the history and fate of previous civilizations. Indeed, none of them thrived or wielded power and influence without reaching a certain level of cultural development beforehand. It is the combination of spiritual, moral and ideological elements with the knowledge and experience acquired that determine man's social behaviour and prompt him to seek better living conditions.

In other words, the success of any development project, in the broadest sense of the term, hinges on the system of values underlying it. When this system is forward-looking and targets an inspiring ideal, it stimulates energies and builds on all the resources which can be mustered by the nation. Conversely, when the system is prisoner of the past or of retrograde concepts, it leads to despondency and apathy. This is the sad reality behind the decadence and fall of civilizations.

Your decision to focus on the cultural dimension of the act of investing is therefore a pertinent one, for any human activity necessarily produces a certain amount of know-how which, in turn, enriches our collective knowledge. Similarly, any development project, because of its many implications, is a step towards further economic, scientific, cultural and social advancement.

Needless to say, the cultural environment may differ from one geographical area to another, given the great variety of cultural backgrounds. However, while it is perfectly legitimate to condemn any attempt at imposing cultural standardization, it is just as important to remain committed to major universal values which have been - and still are - mankind's common capital, which must be shared by all, regardless of religious or cultural differences.

Since acceding to the throne, I have endeavoured to lead Morocco on the path to economic advancement and social progress, seeking guidance from the above-mentioned universal values, based on freedom, democracy and human rights, and which, as far as we are concerned, stem directly from the basic teachings of Islam. Thus, I have acted along the lines of the legacy left by my Grandfather and my Father, Their Majesties King Mohammed V and King Hassan II, may God bless Their souls, for it is they who, soon after independence, opted for liberalism, thereby allowing free enterprise to take hold in all spheres of Moroccan economic activity.

Admittedly, the government had to set up state-run companies to make up for the lack of reliable private corporations in certain key sectors. However, it never resorted to state-controlled economy. Thus, progressively, and without any ideological qualms, the state managed to relinquish its role as contractor and launch a policy of privatisation and deregulation, in an effort to adjust to the new requirements of the global economy. Keenly committed to preserving basic economic balances, state authorities implemented, over a full decade, a structural adjustment programme, which was internationally recognized as a success.

In addition to the various adjustments introduced in the Moroccan economy, I was determined to ensure that a comprehensive institutional and legislative reform process was carried out in all fields of intervention by public authorities, either directly or indirectly, prior to the decision to invest. Thus, reforms were implemented in such fields as justice, administration, business legal environment, labour legislation, customs legislation, upgrading of financing system, as was the case with the bodies set up to allocate privatisation revenue to funding major projects - through the Hassan II Fund for Economic and Social Development - and with investor reception facilities.

The policy of decentralized management of investment, envisaged under the economic aspect of my conception of authority, and implemented in January 2002, made it possible to remove all administrative and other hindrances preventing the development of free enterprise. Thanks to the various regional investment centres which have been created, investors who wish to set up a business or expand their investments now have, close at hand, a single interlocutor, one institution to deal with, and only one form to fill in.

One year later, we can see that this arrangement has produced highly encouraging results, and are expecting appreciable improvement in basic economic balances and in the flow of investment. Thus, despite reluctance to invest, witnessed world-wide, confidence in Morocco remains high.

Better still, our country is about to become a major investment destination thanks to the project aimed at integrating the Maghreb on sound, unifying bases, and to Morocco's association agreement with the European Union, which is destined to develop into a unique partnership, and also to the proposed free trade agreement with the United States, which is currently being negotiated, in addition to the emerging free trade area between some Arab countries, on the basis of the Agadir Declaration. Multinational corporations have realized Morocco's potential and have started setting up branches in various regions of the country with a view to expanding their markets. The fact that so many prominent economic operators from around the world are attending this conference speaks volumes for their keen interest in the subject.

I wish you every success and a pleasant stay in the Kingdom of Morocco." (MAP)SH

King Mohammed VI Urges for Restoring Original Meaning to Universalism

RABAT, Dec.11 (MAP)- King Mohammed VI urged this Thursday for restoring to universalism its original meaning -- that all human beings are equal before the law-- in the face of the "dangerous drift" resulting from breaches to international law and legality.

"There is an urgent need for universalism to recover its original meaning, namely that all human beings are equal before the law. And in order for universalism to be constructive, the various cultural elements composing it must be recognized," said the king in a message to outstanding Moroccan and foreign scholars and politicians taking part in a conference on "is Dialogue between cultures possible?."

After underscoring that universalism does not mean "blind standardization to suit a dominant model" and "makes no sense unless there is commitment to the values that can be shared by all peoples, regardless of their differences," the message that was read out by royal advisor, Hassan Aourid, stressed that difference is "a value in itself, is a basic right and may therefore be legitimately claimed by any authentic nation."

"In fact, the king went on, were it not for differences, there could be no interaction between human groups, nor any mutual enrichment. Each culture has its own set of values and may, quite naturally, have its own way of upholding these values. What really counts is for each culture to contribute, through its own genius, to improving the conditions of mankind, whatever the circumstances."

The message further highlighted that difference and ability to interact with other civilizations and contribute to human civilization enrichment "is the meaning to be given to the culture stemming from the principles and teachings of Islam, which are among the universal foundations of culture."

"We therefore reject the deliberate confusion entertained by those who seek to distort the essence of this religion, which is a call for peace and an appeal for concord among people," the sovereign stated arguing that "fanaticism is not peculiar to a given religion, and that sectarians of all sorts, driven by opportunistic motives, are striving to widen the cultural gap."

"Our duty is to stand up against those who are yearning for bygone eras," the sovereign recommended stressing that "terrorism must be combated by all legal means" and its deep causes addressed in order to uproot it. "One of these causes, said the sovereign, is the moral decline and which is a direct consequence of the cultural deficit inherent in the dominant materialistic ideology."

Referring to the terrorist attacks carried out in Morocco's economic capital of Casablanca last May 16, the sovereign who explained that "terrorism is nothing more than the product of the wild delusions of sick minds. It feeds on ignorance and hatred; hatred of peace, of democracy, of solidarity between peoples," stressed that "it is this kind of cultural deficit that I have sought to tackle in Morocco by undertaking to implement my vision for a society which is open to modernity, through the exercise of democracy and respect of human rights. All currents of thought can therefore express themselves without restrictions or constraints and contribute to preserving the Moroccan national identity and its rich spiritual and cultural components, based on tolerance, coexistence and complementarity."

He cited in this regard the creation of the Institute for Amazigh Culture, as an illustration of the royal resolve to reassert Morocco's historical and multicultural dimension.

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