Since around thirty years, the sociological and cultural base of the Moroccan community abroad knew deep and multiple transformations. Not only did it change profile but it was also crystallized by the emergence of several generations (2nd, 3rd and 4th generations) whose profile grow rich with a double emotional belonging, in reference to the identity of origin, and the one acquired by the naturalization.
In his work on the Moroccans living abroad ( MRE): " Moroccans abroad, identities and cultural diversities ", the sociologist Mohamed Hamadi Bekouchi highlighted the diversity of the Moroccan community and its complexity: " The diversity of the Moroccan Diaspora is wide enough and complex to surround ourselves with all the necessary guarantees to sound the degree of their plurality, the weight of their values, the love and the attention they carry for their country of origin … "
On the other hand, this diversity shows itself through societal, political and cultural demands. His speech is easy to decipher. Indeed, he blames the politicians and the officials for their lack of efficiency, and ultimately for their inaptitude for answering the expectations of the Moroccans abroad. Further, there’s a crisis of confidence and a lack of legitimacy of the governmental actors and the regulatory authorities. It remains nevertheless that the community claims to be on the right side of the ethical requirement by breaking with nepotism, the cooptation on one side, and the promotion of the meritocracy and the republication of the accounts on the other side. On the purely political plan, the Moroccan community abroad wavers between currents of thought favoring the participation to the political life and others, asking for an effective parliamentary representativeness.
This raises this implicit concern: how to translate this wide and complex diversity with a just and fair political participation and representativeness?
In Morocco, since 2011, the constitutional answer on the political participation and the representativeness is translated by articles 16, 17, 18, 30 and 163 which are in accordance with the aspiration of the Moroccan community abroad as to their political rights and the exercise of their full and effective citizenship.
On July 1st, 2014, we celebrated the third anniversary of the new constitution in a relative disappointment and frustration. Three years of executive and legislative power, besides the cabinet reshuffle, the legislative policies of the government Benkirane are not satisfactory with regard to the declension of the new constitution’s measures. The community is not only saddened but also outraged: First, because of the incapacity of the head of government to implement articles so vital for the Moroccan abroad and also because the socioeconomic record does not let appear the necessary serenity for the economic growth.
The omnipresence of the gap in the law, in particular around articles 16, 17, 18 and 163 of the constitution, opens the way to speculations and to partial and biased interpretations. Take the example of private bills submitted to the house of representatives proposed by the socialist Union of the popular forces ( USFP) and the party of the Istiqlal ( PI) where both protagonists offered a biased reading of the political participation of the Moroccan community abroad around the parliamentary representation.
In front of this plural diversity of the Moroccan community, mixed with the crisis of the representative democracy (Parliament) characterized by a strong distortion between the representatives and the represented, it is neither sensible nor effective to translate this diversity with only few members of parliament belonging to the MRE ( Moroccans living abroad) in the first chamber of the Moroccan parliament.
Are the political parties in Morocco lacking inspiration and innovation in legislative matters and regarding political vision? Nevertheless the new constitution offers a panel of concepts on the political participation as the notions of: civil society, participative democracy and governance through articles 12, 14, 15, 18, 163 … To think of the political participation in the sense of parliamentary representativeness creates an obstacle and a handicap for the development and the promotion of the democratic choices of Morocco.
It would be necessary to re-configure the casting by widening our political concept of representation, by developing the participative or deliberative democracy with the civil society of the Moroccan community abroad in a sphere other than the political one, in the restrictive sense of the term. A sphere of consent, participation and governance where the actors of the civil society become political actors. A little as if, according to the principle of communicating vessels, the civil society relays the partisan commitment.
The council of the Moroccan community abroad(CCME) and in regards to its constitutional privileges (art 163) has to be the reflection of this political sphere, the incubator of the participative or deliberative democracy in the service of the interests of the Moroccan of the world and also a springboard for the " direct democracy " in Morocco. In this respect, granted efforts and praiseworthy actions on behalf of the leaders of the CCME were witnessed during the Twiza festival of Amsterdam in June, 2014, the meeting of the civil society with the committee for the national dialogue in February, 2014 must be encouraged and supported to revive the dialogue and the consensus.
Nevertheless, the exclusively consultative nature of the council minimizes its influence and its impact in the decision-making spheres: executive, legislative and judicial powers. The CCME post-constitution must be revived by actual prerogatives having an influence on the governmental authorities and enriched by new competent human resources; the only selection criterion of which is the meritocracy!
The financial contribution of the Moroccans of the world to the economic development of the country is indisputable, on the other hand their contribution to the democratic development remains an issue to be shared and raised between both sides. This one can only be made through a democratic CCME in its relations with the community abroad and through transparency when appointing its members.
Mohammed Ejjarmaoui, France
