By Abdellatif Ouahbi
French historian and political scientist, Alexis de Tocqueville, has once considered the truth as a concept to be a social system model; however, if the same can be said about democracy, then facts stipulate that the young, along with children and women, constitute a basic indicator of the extent to which a democratic society is able to recognize plurality and diversity in order to build a better future. Youth’s status within society, as well as their contribution competencies to the latter, shall be considered an engine for political institutions to constantly renew their structures and provide society with the necessary strength to meet challenges.
Morocco’s youth has always been a constant source of renewal and reform at all levels, ever since the emergence of the national movement, which was known for its relatively young founders and symbols, followed by the human rights, civil and democratic dynamics that energize the modern history of Morocco today, and then the promotion of several cultural, legal and political transformations that Moroccan society has known in the process of building a democratic national state, the latest of which was the February 20 Movement, which embodied the maturity of Moroccan youth in the path for political reform within our country. Therefore, it is safe to say that the Moroccan youth had a pioneering role in the country’s democratic political history, which became reflected in the vitality of Moroccan society as it makes its own history among modern nations.
Today, democratic procedures within our country have become the only legitimate mechanism for reaching a decisive governmental policy, and a strong consensus on societal reform. This fact, however, urged the need to bring more attention to young Moroccans and promote their participation in Morocco’s political life. In the midst of the enthusiastic nationalist reform created by the democratic transition process that Morocco has inaugurated since the 1990s, different legal and political mechanisms have been established to highlight the latter, in a way that embodies the will of Moroccan people to achieve political progress, during which all social components are entrusted with a role to play in the development process they are waging. Thus, came the idea of creating electoral lists for both youth and women, in order to open the door to their political participation, provided their social and cultural energies that are likely to enrich constitutional institutions with new experiences.
Democracy as a concept can only progress when abiding by democratic standards and provisions; therefore, reformist ambition dictates the necessity of enrolling younger actors in the national electoral lists, and evaluate this experience according to its realistic results and the extent of its impact on the process of strengthening constitutional institutions, as well as assessing the credibility of Moroccan democracy as a whole.
At a time where young people were privileged with electoral lists, many questions rose to the surface, the most important of which are: How many young energies have actually emerged from such lists and succeeded to enrich the national parliamentary and institutional work? How many issues have been addressed to the parliament by young electors? What is the socio-political nature that prevailed over the mechanism of forming national youth electoral lists? Did these regulations deepen the inequality between the youth of villages and cities, the youth of the rich and the poor, as well as the youth of privileged and common families? Can we all agree on a specific age to define young people in all fairness in terms of their educational, cultural and social paths and experiences?
The public opinion, today, still has many questions regarding the upcoming elections, for we, as democrats, hope for the latter to be a qualitative link within the Moroccan democratic process, which is capable of facing the major challenges that Covid-19 pandemic poses to Morocco’s economy and society.
Moroccan society is not a market for issues to be presented as goods. The political party that Moroccans deem most reliable shall be the one able to present an integrated and interconnected social and political vision, and therefore its role as a societal political actor is to mobilize all the energies and capabilities within our society to engage in a dynamic of interactive solutions and complementary results.
Since democracy is first of all a local matter, isn’t it better to engage young people in public affairs within urban and rural communes as their first ever experience? Aren’t the parties defending youth’s electoral lists supposed to bring more attention to the youth within their organizations and provide them with the material and cultural care they deserve? Most Moroccans start raising questions every time a youth’s electoral list is approved, for they are fully aware that stagnation is the overriding feature of internal activities within political parties, therefore, the people wonder where do Moroccan parties bring young candidates from since most parties do not enjoy an internal political and cultural life that is capable of attracting Moroccan youth and develop their political awareness?
Defending Moroccan democracy while restoring politics and institutions dictates fighting all stereotypes hurting the image of Morocco’s political life, as we shall not allow parties to hide their partisan and political inability to attract Moroccan youth to engage in party work. Excessive political willpower in this case stands for nothing but submissiveness in ability, resulting in the reluctance of most social groups to participate in elections, considering them to be no more than a mechanism for clientelism and political favouritism.
The unprecedented crisis that Morocco is experiencing as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak, given its economic, social, cultural and psychological repercussions on all social components, pose major and fateful challenges to national politics and institutions, upon which, Morocco is required to crystallize a reform action that combines representativeness and effectiveness: the representation of real and historical factors holding back development, as well as effectiveness in actions, organizations and experiences.
All of Morocco’s youth need to enrol in a strong and modern political framework, as well as be part of a national economy that achieves social integration, and public facilities that ease up modern life, in addition to more cultural and material freedoms that help the youth live their lives actively and creatively, for once these conditions are fulfilled, young Moroccans will find themselves in the heart of institutions and political participations.