King Mohammed VI’s speech to the Moroccan people on the occasion of the Throne Day, was a synthesis of all the concerns of the internal and external policy of the sister kingdom, Algeria. This annual speech has become an important national occasion for communication between the people and the leadership.
During this speech, the Moroccan scene, internal and external, is reviewed with the frankness and transparency that his majesty has become accustomed to having toward his people. The king made a point of recalling in the introduction that the celebration of Throne Day represents more than an occasion to celebrate the anniversary of our accession to the throne.
It embodies the bonds of sacred allegiance and the strong cohesion that has always united the kings and sultans of Morocco with their people, regardless of the circumstances. The speech was strong, full of meaning, connotations and a deep desire to start from the constants of Morocco.
“As a centuries-old country, Morocco is a united nation, shaped by a common history. It draws its strength from the national cohesion and the unanimous adhesion of its components around its sacred symbols. It also draws its power from its institutions and its citizens who work, through their skills and initiatives, to develop, to advance their country and to defend its unity, its stability.”
These characteristics were considered by King Mohammed VI as a “human and civilizational capital in perpetual renewal,” playing a key role in meeting the challenges and overcoming the difficulties facing the kingdom. His majesty addressed a word of thanks to the actors of the health sector and all the authorities for meeting the challenge of the COVID-19 epidemic.
It clearly reflected his majesty’s interest in this vital issue. Health has become a key variable in various resolutions and policies, leading to major changes in the conditions of states and international relations in various fields. The words of the royal speech in this context were carefully chosen.
They carried specific messages that were not limited to thanking the actors in the health and security sector. They also carried the affirmation of the leadership’s commitment to its people in this difficult stage. It should be noted here that the king was keen to emphasize the notion of equality between his people and his family in the face of this challenge.
THE VALUE of commitment is one of the most important characteristics of governance in the sister kingdom. It is a cornerstone of strong and cohesive societies based on justice, equality and solidarity among individuals. The COVID-19 part of King Mohammed VI’s speech had a deep strategic dimension.
His majesty covered all aspects of this issue through the concept of health sovereignty as “an essential component of the country’s strategic security.” The Moroccan leadership thus proved to be aware of the major transformations that the epidemic brought about in the strategic conception of states’ national security and in the structures of international relations.
Health sovereignty has indeed become a major priority of the national sovereignty of all states. Ensuring health security is now an issue that sits alongside other national priorities that for years received the lion’s share of public spending. The pandemic has revealed that health comes into play alongside military, economic, water, food or cyber security in national security calculations.
His majesty also spoke of a collective national effort in various fields, including the economy.
This passage illustrated an awareness of national work systems that aims to mobilize individual efforts and encourage everyone to engage in a national mechanism. The kingdom is at the dawn of a new phase of development based on a national model in which various national and civil society actors have participated.
“Its implementation is a national responsibility requiring the mobilization of the nation’s potentialities and the involvement of all its skills,” said his majesty. The National Pact for Development should become a strategic locomotive for development in the 21st century, to realize what his majesty called a new revolution of the king and the people.
This revolution aims to shape a better future for future Moroccan generations. On the external front, the speech renewed the call to brothers in Algeria to “work together and unconditionally to establish bilateral relations based on trust, dialogue and good neighborliness.”
His majesty stressed that the reality of Moroccan-Algerian relations “hardly satisfies us because it does not serve the respective interests of our two peoples.” After this diagnosis, his majesty then specified the remedy. His majesty expressed his belief that open borders would be the norm between two neighboring countries and two fraternal peoples.
Such a position is consistent with his majesty’s visions of relations with Algeria in general, both in terms of fraternal relations and in terms of international law and conventions. The latter stipulate the need to ensure the free movement of people, goods and services between countries.
HIS MAJESTY’S reference to the fact that the current leaderships of the two countries are not responsible for the reality of the border closure implies a subtle message that encourages the adoption of his majesty’s conciliatory initiative.
At the same time, it puts before their historical and popular responsibilities if there is the political will to change this reality for the benefit of both countries.
This reference was certainly related to the fact that everyone now has a political and moral responsibility for the continuation of this reality, “especially since the reasons that led to the closure of the borders are totally outdated and have no reason to be today.” The Moroccan initiative to open a new page with Algeria is not like previous times.
This time it is more friendly and open, carries realistic language, turns the page completely on the past and does not adopt any prior position or conditions. It emphasizes the principle of brotherhood.
And it reasonably refutes any opinion opposed to the rapprochement initiative, through a balanced discourse that preserves the dignity and pride of Moroccans and rejects any negative mental image against them.
King Mohammed VI has expressed his wish to establish the principle of goodwill and strengthen the bonds of brotherhood with the brothers in Algeria by declaring that “what affects you affects us and what affects you overwhelms us.”
The king expressed his wish to establish the principle of goodwill and strengthen the bonds of brotherhood with the brothers in Algeria by stating that “what affects you touches us and what affects you burdens us.”
This time, the initiative was not limited to the call to turn the page on the past and the desire to put an end to media tensions that, according to the king, “harm the image of both countries and leave a negative impression.” But it also took up principles and foundations that were supposed to be consciously and precisely studied by the Algerian side.
In particular, the initiative emphasizes that “Algeria’s security and stability, and the tranquility of its people, are organically linked to Morocco’s security and stability.” “The two countries are indissolubly linked” given the convergence of challenges they face.
Morocco’s rational initiative is based on the primacy of reason, wisdom and higher interests to overcome the “deplorable situation” of Moroccan-Algerian relations.
This situation wastes the energies of both countries and is contrary to the bonds of brotherhood between the two peoples. Everyone should contemplate this clear situation that requires qualitative decisions to change the reality of relations between two fellow countries.
The writer is a UAE political analyst and former Federal National Council candidate.