The Illusion of Temporary Crisis
According to Moroccan writer Amin Bouchaib, currently residing in Italy, the challenges faced by Moroccans today extend far beyond mere inflation or temporary economic fluctuations. He argues that the government's portrayal of these issues as mere market dynamics is a facade, masking a deeper, more systematic assault on the will of the Moroccan people. Bouchaib asserts that the current environment is intended to instill a sense of impotence and daily humiliation among citizens, transforming their aspirations for freedom, dignity, and social justice into an elusive dream.
The author highlights that signs of this political and social vendetta began to emerge the moment the Moroccan populace began to assert their right to freedom, justice, and the fight against corruption and tyranny. Once the citizens shattered the barrier of fear and raised their voices against monopolistic economic practices and the concentration of power and wealth, certain influential circles began to perceive the populace not as partners in the nation, but as adversaries to be subdued and returned to a state of compliance.
The Burden of Economic Strain
In Bouchaib's view, the government's reaction to the popular boycott campaign against companies linked to Aziz Akhannouch revealed the mentality governing the country. Instead of recognizing citizens as free consumers exercising their legitimate right to economic protest, they were treated as rebels deserving of punishment. The dismissive rhetoric from Akhannouch, who spoke of the need for "re-education," suggested an alarming view of the citizens as mere sheep to be conditioned into obedience rather than listened to in their justified demands.
Since then, Bouchaib observes a tacit decision seems to have been made to drive Moroccans towards deeper poverty and psychological and social pressure. The prices of essential goods—oil, sugar, vegetables, meat, fuel, transportation, electricity, water, education, and healthcare—have skyrocketed, placing a heavy burden on millions of Moroccan households. Meanwhile, wages have stagnated, forcing citizens to absorb the fallout from political and economic failures alone.
What has unfolded in Moroccan markets, characterized by rampant price surges, is not merely a transient economic disruption but a direct consequence of the collusion between power and financial interests, monopolizing the market through influential lobbies. The Akhannouch government appears not to exist for the protection of the Moroccan purchasing power but rather to safeguard the interests of major monopolists, even at the expense of crushing the middle class and driving the impoverished towards despair and collapse.
Many Moroccans now view their state as a colossal tax-collecting machine—raising prices, imposing burdensome taxes, and reducing services—leaving citizens to confront hunger, unemployment, illness, and hopelessness alone. Alarmingly, there are those who attempt to convince the populace that their suffering is a "natural fate," suggesting that those who complain are either exaggerating or serving dubious agendas.
However, the undeniable truth is that Moroccans are no longer asking for luxury; they seek the fundamental right to live with dignity in their homeland. They desire a state that protects them rather than punishes them, an economy that serves the people rather than monopolistic interests, and leaders who empathize with the struggles of the populace instead of boasting about statistics and empty rhetoric.
The gravest misstep any authority can make is to foster a feeling among its people that their homeland no longer accommodates them. While citizens may endure poverty for years, they cannot forgive humiliation or forget those who have turned their daily lives into a hell of inflation, fear, and helplessness. The Moroccan people, who have long been patient and swallowed the bitterness of marginalization and contempt, now recognize that the crisis transcends mere pricing issues; it is a crisis of governance, mentality, and an authority that has chosen to side with wealth and influence against the populace.
When paying the electricity bill becomes a battle and securing daily sustenance morphs into a nightmare for Moroccan families, it signifies not just governmental failure but a profound moral and political collapse. A state that fails to protect the dignity of its citizens or ignores their suffering is inviting unrest, loss of trust, and social upheaval. The pressing question that haunts Moroccans daily is: How long will this nation continue to demand patience from the poor, while the nation's coffers are opened for the benefit of monopolistic lobbies? And how long will the people bear the costs of policies they did not choose, while governments only heed the voices of the wealthy and powerful?
As reported by ech-chaab.com.
