RABAT — In a speech last Monday to mark the second anniversary of his accession to the throne, Muhammad VI announced that he wanted to see the emergence of a political elite “free from any kind of pressure and networks of favoritism, nepotism, corruption and the abuse of power.” Since he came to power two years ago, Muhammad VI has been sending strong signals of his intention to reform the monarchy he inherited upon the death of his father, Hassan II.
On 30 July 1999 in his first national address, Muhammad VI pledged to continue Morocco’s development, especially with regard to the deprived sectors of society. The king said he was committed to the constitutional monarchy and political pluralism. He also reiterated his commitment to Morocco’s territorial integrity. In his enthronement speech, the king insisted on what he called “a new concept of authority” by which he meant that the government should become more involved in the daily lives of citizens.
One of the king’s major achievements has been the program to curb the effects of the drought in Morocco, which is in its third consecutive year. Originally a sum of $655 million was allocated for drought relief; the sum has now risen to $682 million.
For most of Morocco’s population, however, any changes that the young king may have made have yet to influence their daily lives. At the same time, political observers in Rabat say the king’s determination to reform needs no proof and that the population should be patient. During the first week of his reign, the new king released some 8,000 prisoners, including political ones.
Amnesties are a traditional way to begin a new reign in Morocco but this was the biggest in living memory. In August 1999, in one of his first official acts, Muhammad VI established a new royal commission responsible for increasing the government’s efforts to resolve who had disappeared and to reach an accommodation with former prisoners and members of their families. In April 2000, the Human Rights Advisory Council (CCDH) announced the government’s allocation of a provisional compensation fund.
In July of the same year, the Royal Arbitration Commission announced final compensation settlements for 68 cases, benefiting 354 persons, including some of those provisionally compensated in April. The amount involved came to $14 million. Former prisoners or their survivors were designated to receive between $25,000 and 350,000. In the same month, the Commission began distributing preliminary compensation payments to some of the Sahrawis from the southern provinces — Western Sahara — who had disappeared or been detained, and their family members.
The government announced that the Commission of Petitions submitted by Sahrawi claimants could distribute additional compensation in the form of final settlements pending the review. Four months later, the king dismissed the Interior Minister. People in the country have begun to feel that they can express themselves freely.
In October 1999, Morocco’s most prominent dissident, Abraham Serfaty, returned home after eight years of exile in France. Royal permission for the return of the elderly Communist leader who was an ardent foe of the late Hassan II was granted and Sarfaty told reporters, “I am returning with no conditions and no negotiations.” Sartafy expressed his gratitude to the king who had received his request to return to Morocco only ten days earlier. Sartafy said he would take his place in the building of a modern and democratic Morocco under the leadership of the king.
On November 27th, 1999, the family of Mehdi Ben Baraka, a leading opposition figure, returned home for the first time since Ben Baraka disappeared in mysterious circumstances in France more than thirty years ago. Government officials met the family at the airport. Bachir Ben Baraka said he hoped their return would revive the search for the truth about what happened to his father. Bachir’s hopes soon became reality. According to reports published in French and Moroccan newspapers, Ben Baraka was kidnapped in Paris in 1965 and tortured to death by Moroccan officials. His body was then shipped with French complicity back to Morocco where it was dissolved in a cauldron of acid.
In May 2000, Morocco’s Interior Minister announced that the Islamist leader, Abdessalam Yassine, the founder and leader of the Justice and Charity Association (Al-Adl Wal-Ihssan) had been released and was free to move about provided he obeyed the law.
Yassin had been under house arrest without trial for 10 years. During the reign of King Hassan II, while Yassine’s group was banned, its social activities were allowed, including summer camps, which in the 1900s assisted thousands of poor families. The government banned these camps last year to end what officials called political preaching
Al-Akhawain University: A Symbol of Saudi-Moroccan Brotherhood
The story began in 1989 when an oil tanker spilled its contents off the Atlantic coast of Morocco. Saudi Arabia was one of the early contributors for relief. It donated $50 million for accident control and relief. Mercifully, strong winds blew the oil away from the Moroccan coast. King Hassan II, however, used the Saudi donation to establish a university. The University’s name (the two brothers) is a recognition of the strong bonds between the two Kingdoms of Morocco and Saudi Arabia.
The university is a private one modeled on the English system. It was opened by King Hassan II on 16 January 1995 in the Presence of the Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, and Palestinian President Yasir Arafat.
The university is a revolutionary concept for Morocco. It is a part of Hassan II’s plan to link the country to Europe while at the same time promoting links between Arab states.
About 50 hectares of rolling wooded terrain was selected for the campus, which contains a mosque, a synagogue and a church. It is designed to accommodate a maximum of 3,600 students. It has three research centers devoted to Islamic culture and arts, natural resources and strategic studies.
The teaching staff is composed of academics and researchers from all over the world. It aims to encourage serious debate on Islamic values and how they relate to the modern world. Its success will show that Islam can modernize life.
The most recent meeting of the University Board of Trustees took place on 20 November 2000 in the Royal Palace in Rabat. During this meeting, King Muhammad VI nominated Dr. Khalid Ibn Muhammad Al-Anqari, minister for higher education in Saudi Arabia, as a member of this board.
