“He was king; if he didn’t have enemies he wasn’t doing it right.” Sabrina E. Zbasnik
Washington DC – The date is July 23, 1999. The event is the passing of the great late King Hassan II of Morocco. On the same day, King Hassan’s heir to the Moroccan throne was installed as the new monarch of Morocco and his title changed to King Mohammed VI.
Those who lived under the rule of King Hassan II surely felt the ruthlessness of his reign; he ruled Morocco with a fist of iron, and who can blame him? King Hassan II endured many difficulties with all the political actors in the country; he escaped two attempts to overthrow him. It was anticipated that his years as King would not be smooth with all the opposition he had to face. Some of his antagonists carried a decent agenda and demanded more liberties and freedom for Moroccans. Some of his opponents pursued a foreign agenda and opposed his regime just for the sake of it; they wanted nothing but chaos for the country. The way these opponents were treated is the thing marked the late king’s reign.
Many were skeptical of how King Mohammed VI would rule Morocco. The military institution was under the microscope, with the monarch fearing a possible coup d’état. The young King knew that he would have a heavy task to convince both his people and the world that his era would be different from that of his father’s. The new Monarch was very much underestimated and many international experts did not expect much of him. His solid determination to reshuffle the entire political, economic and social apparatus was yet to be put to the test, and prove its value. Morocco was on the verge of new changes and a new unprecedented era of its history.
King Mohammed VI was young, bright, modern and intent on implementing pioneering reforms. Early on in his reign, true to his word, he overhauled the Moudawana (Moroccan family legal code), which would fundamentally change the lives of Moroccan women and, even more extraordinarily, established the Equity and Reconciliation Commission. At the same time, Mohammed VI saw the need to establish closer ties with the West as well as increase foreign investments in Morocco, particularly noticeable in the tourist mecca of Marrakech and Agadir, which have seen a boom in the building of tourist hotels and resorts.
In regards to the country’s foreign policy under the newly crowned King, Morocco, in fact, had a remarkable gift for not attracting unwelcome attention to itself. While the Arab world has been turned upside-down over the last three years, Morocco experienced a brief moment at the barricades and then embarked on a process of political reform. There was little to report about Morocco in both the Arab and international media. In addition, while the entire MENA region was boiling during what is now known as the “Arab Spring” in 2011, Morocco was hosting its annual music festival of “Mawazine”! Moreover, Morocco does not meddle in other people’s problems. For a country of almost 40 million people, it has very little influence on its neighborhood. Morocco’s foreign policy consists chiefly of hanging on to the disputed territory of the Sahara. If Turkey’s policy is “zero problems with neighbors,” Morocco’s is “zero problems with anyone.”
There is no doubt that King Mohammed VI developed a new concept for his reign over Morocco — a concept of his own which ultimately distinguished him from all Arab and African leaders. Morocco became the envy of many nations, and one need only pay a visit to Iraq, Egypt, Syria or even Jordan to appreciate the reforms the Moroccan monarch has implemented. King Mohammed VI became an international icon and admired all over the world for his wisdom, and the manner in which he absorbed the heat of the “Arab Spring.”
Fifteen years after his coronation, Mohammed VI remains a popular and much-loved figure. One can step into any public or private institution, any neighborhood, any village, any town or a city across Morocco and feel the love Moroccans have for their monarch. It is a genuine and true love out of their deep belief that their King is doing all he can to improve their lives, and not just some journalistic propaganda disseminated to polish his image. That is not the style of this King. Moreover, in spite of the obvious wealth gap between the king, who is ranked the seventh-richest royal in the world, and his people, he is still hailed as the “King of the Poor.” And unlike other Arab leaders, King Mohammed VI does not remain in his ivory tower and rule by remote control. No, he loves to interact with his people, to get closer to them and learn about their problems. He likes to monitor the entire infrastructure of the country personally and to follow up with every single project he inaugurates to ensure that public services are well provided. There is no comparison between him and any other Arab ruler and by no means can he be labelled a tyrant. All his policies and decrees prove this to be true.
King Mohammed VI has brought a new concept and design to monarchy in Morocco. He understood that he could not project any foreign model on Morocco. He acknowledged that the country has enough potential leaders who are able and capable of being creative and enacting Morocco’s laws and doctrines based on the needs of Moroccans, compatible with their social and ethnic structure, based upon Morocco’s unique heritage.
King Mohammed VI’s reign has been tested by the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, by the thorny issue of Sahara, and by a wave of regime change during North Africa’s “Arab Spring.” As Morocco moves into the second decade of his reign, the eyes not just of Morocco, but also of the world are on Mohammed VI.
While Morocco is still far away from establishing itself as a model for a “democratic” nation, the journey began in July 1999. The democratic journey is slow, but steady, and Morocco is on the right path heading toward the right direction, especially relative to other countries. And to critics of the monarch, I say: Patience is a virtue, and he is doing all he can to keep harmony within the entire components on the society.
This article is not meant merely to praise the king, but rather is intended as an honest testimony from a humble Moroccan citizen who left Morocco before he was crowned, but is aware of every political and socio-economic aspect of life in the country. The intention is also to highlight his Majesty’s 15 years as a king — fifteen years filled with many positive activities which have brought nothing less than steady growth and development to Morocco. The journey is long, but Morocco is on the right track.
King Mohammed VI is a young King. But he is a good King.
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