National federation of Amazigh Associations in Morocco
press release about the new government program
Saadeddine Othmani is only a new model of historical figures: Mokhater Ssoussi &
Tariq Ben Ziyad
The Executive committee of National Federation of Amazigh Association in Morocco (FNAA) followed with great interest the Saadeddine Othmani government’s program due to his positive personnel attitudes towards the Amazigh issue, which he had clearly expressed more than once.
However, the shock was very strong on April 19, 2017 after following the Parliament program speech of the new government head, appointed after the dismissal of his party secretary General, Mr. Abdel-Ilah Benkiran, after failing to form his team government for more than five months.
The Executive committee studied the full government program document of the 88-page and undertook a careful political study of its political content.
After the federal Executive committee evocation of:
– The imperialist and colonialist positions of his PJD political party, which no other party in Morocco’s history had publicly expressed towards Amazigh issues, including the Istiqlal Party, which showed goodwill after the recent leadership change,
– The political significance of introducing the salutation in Amazigh language in his oral speech and its withdrawal from the official document program distributed to the deputies,
– The introduction, in which the head called for the state building continued project in which citizens enjoy equal rights and freedoms, which means that the government is well aware that there are citizens who do not enjoy the same rights and we were waiting to see Amazigh people to be the first one in Morocco,
– The government’s assertion that Morocco is facing terrorist threats to its security and stability without saying that its sources are religious and not ethnic or cultural,
– The political message behind greetings the former government team, by this words « lead by Mr Abdelilah Benkirane who showed a great efficiency, power and self-denial » directly after talking about the constitutional Organizational law related to Amazigh language in which there was a great disagreement between the government and the civil society,
– The government program into five axes, no one of them is especially consacrated to the cultural issue (democratic choice – reform – economic development – human development – external radiation of Morocco)
– The symbolism of reference to linguistic and cultural rights in chapter 4 (of six chapters) in the axis of democratic choice (after an integrated policy, development of national institutions working in the field of human rights, women’s rights). It was better to be in a special axis for the following reasons:
1. The officialisation demarcation of Amazigh was the first demand of the popular movement in Morocco for the movement of 20 February 2017
2. The announcement of the speech of March 9, 2011 Amazigh is the backbone of Moroccan identity was the largest event experienced by the Maghreb because it was the opposite of what was already circulating.
3. The promulgation of the Constitution of 2011 for the first time in the history of modern Morocco for Amazigh identity after Morocco was an Arab country for decades
4. Morocco has a large external radiation that deserved congratulations of the White House on this political step,
5. Both the 2011 Constitution and the government program discussed in its first preamble the problem of cultural rights and identity, which shows their importance politically, even internally,
– The political message sent by Othmani to the Moroccan people in general, who was behind the February 20 movement and the Amazigh movement, especially behind the deliberate implementation of the program by the first concrete government action within the democratic option of its government. Which implies that it was the first demand of the popular movement of February 20, 2011 and not the rehabilitation of the Amazigh,
– The political objective behind the policy of provocation is this, has it been in the history of Morocco, the past and present that emerged popular masses calling for the delineation of the Arabic language and the advancement and teaching in schools and universities and work on the issuance of courses,
– Political link between this action and the Emir of Qatar ‘s recommendation to the two famous bankers “If roccans do not take care of the Arabic language, no one in the Arab East takes care of it”
– The serious political message behind the fact that the only commitment of Othmani government is “to consolidate gains in the Amazigh language in education and the media”, ie, the maximum limit of Othmani government is to revert to the gains of the pre-government of Benkirane,
– Scientific miracles in the government program, which are represented in the reference to the word “Professor” and the word “Benkiran” once and they are together. Which means that Benkirane remains the only teacher for the second prime minister and this is what was feared by the majority of the Moroccan people who expressed his joy of dismissal,
– The political message behind the choice of the word “reliance”, when he talks about the organizational law concerning the Moroccan languages & Culture National Council, prepared by Mr Idris Kharrouz; And the word “execution” when he talks about the organizational law concerning the officialisation of Amazigh language prepared by Mr Benkirane. While the first one was -despite all objections- elaborated with the participation of a part of the civil society, the execution was not, and all the civil society unanimously condemned Benkirane dictatorial way on this issue. This attitude reveals the provocative intention of Othmani government,
– Othmani political message to the Amazigh people for not giving any statistics or prognostics about what he calls “Amazigh achievement consolidation and promotion project” while he provides precise details about different projects like :
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11. Completion of 10 small dams, |
But did not give even a single number, not the number of schools that will re-teach Amazigh in the framework of “strengthening gains” and the number of new schools to be studied in the future under the “Amazigh” promotion or the number of courts that will adopt Amazigh language and the number of departments or the number of institutions and nothing of this was mentioned!
– Declaration of the Government to protect the cultural identity of Moroccans without referring to the Amazigh
– To provoke the Amazigh movement to revive the draft Amazigh Emancipation Project urges the name of fighting “illiteracy” which fights illiteracy by teaching them the Arabic language, instead of literacy in the mother tongue as is customised in international trustees,
– The program ignored the problem of demilitarization of Amazigh land despite the fact that they carried out several demonstrations,
– The tyranny of the ideology of Arabism and Islam on the intellectual load of the government program, , despite coinciding with the memory of the spring of the Amazigh mentioning Arabic and Arabic word 12 times in the program, while Amazigh only four times, and every time the Amazigh language is mentioned ,Arabic is mentioned by its side as if it was its rival! .
– The program ignored the Amazigh spring, even though it coincided with its memory, even with a simple reference for example the government’s determination to recognize the Amazigh new year, on the other hand the government reiterates strengthening the Palestinian issue in its policy.
Accordingly, the Federal National Federation of Amazigh Associations (FANAA) :
Expresses deep dissatisfaction with the policy of the Othmani government
2. Considers that Morocco moved from Bekirane control and tyranny policy to Othmani provocation policy
3. The Government rejects the reconciliation & equity project with the Amazigh people, in the cultural, economic, social or historical field
Appeals to the Amazigh Movement to unite their efforts and declare 2017 the year to go down the street in order to put pressure on the government
5. Calls on the Amazigh to seriously think about their organization dilemma and stop demanding the enemies of the Amazigh cause to promote it for them
Federal Executive committee
National Federation of Amazigh Associations in Morocco (FNAA)
Rabat/Morocco, April 24th, 2017
