While many had hopes for the Arab Spring, it is turning out to be more difficult to achieve some of those hopes we here had at least.
Which makes what happened yesterday in Morocco interesting.
The King gave a public speech, following up on certain promises made by him in a speech in March of this year, in which he announded a proposed new Constitution for Morocco which strengthened the elected structures of the government and made Prime Minister into a Head of Government who would be elected by what he called direct universal sufferage and transferred many powers of government formerly held by the King to that person, to the legislature and to others, confirmed at a constitutonal level gender equality, made Amazigh, or Berber a national language along with Arabic, and made numerous other changes.
Whether or not all of these will be satisfactory to Moroccans will be determined in a referendum which the Times says will be held on July 1,2011.
The trees in the Moroccan version of Arab Spring appear to be blooming, although no one here or there can know how the flowers will unfold. And interesting flowers they are. Some of them have interesting ideas which others might consider adopting now that they are officially and publicly proposed.
Yesterday the king of Morocco, Mohammad VI, gave a long awaited speech about changes in the Moroccan Constitution which are to be subject to a referendum on July 1, a date moved up from September.
As reported in the NYT, "Moroccan King Proposes Limited Steps to Democracy," p. A7 of the national edition, those proposals contained a number of intersting points, some of which I find also interesting in other contexts. here is an English language copy of the speech. The same link will also provide an Arabic language tape of the King delivering the speech for those who can understand spoken Arabic. Here is an Arabic language copy of the new Draft Constitution itself for those who can read Arabic.
As noted by the Times:
1. The King becomes under these proposals the head of the Islamic Faith in Morocco, but the references to him as 'sacred' are gone and replaced by something about the protection of the integrity of the person of the King.
2. Islam is to remain the state religion but there is to be a new guarantee of religious freedom. The two side by side.
3. Amazigh, called in English Berber, is to join Arabic as an official language.
4. The Prime Minister, whose title changes, is to become a head of government with his own power to appoint and remove officials such as government ministers, ambassadors and provincial governorsand dismiss Parliament, and that former Prime Minister is to be elected by 'direct universal sufferage.'
5. Judiciary becomes an independent or more independent branch of government.
Under this system, the king will retain existing power over the military, and religion and have to be one of several parties consulted before the dissolution of a government. He will still possess bug squashing power if he thinks he needs it.
Among points not noted in the Times, the Constitution to be voted on includes gender equality, and incorporation of international treaties on human rights as part of the Constitution and laws of Morocco, participation of trade unions, and a system of strengthening regional government and according recognition to what we would call national ethnic minorities. The King's speech seems to indicate that some of the new provisions, if adopted, may give relief to minority areas, such as the one claimed by Algeria.
There are also many provisions which seem to provide for greater power for the legislature to make laws by themselves which are in fact enforceable, for the participaton of opposing parties officially in the process, and the like.
For those of you interested, Here is a copy in English of the Constitution being modified.
As should be expected, not everyone is satisfied with this step. See e.g. here. It will be a while before we know if the vote will ratify this draft Constitution and whether this is intended to be meaninful change or just a paper exercise, and what additional changes will arise because of this step, initiating a process of change, which may be a beginning of wider governmental changes. But the Moroccans are on the way, at least.
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It also has some interesting ideas to this writer, as this appears to be the first Arab Spring fruit which has made it this far.
Although I am not a fan of Henry VIII, the nationalization of the religious structure in a Moroccan head may have some effect in insulating and domesticating Moroccan religious arguments and developments from the wider Sunni brawls about salafi beliefs, Wahhabism, and the like, more tailored to Moroccan beliefs and practice, specifically.
Second, the notion that there shall be a state religion, Islam, but also guarantees of religious freedom for all, if true and carried into effect, may offer an interesting alternative to states which are declared to be of one religion only. Only time will tell whether this will end up a system like dhimmis or will fail entirely, but if this constitution is adopted in the referendum, the time clock will start ticking and the modern result will begin to be visible, whether as a start on something that works better or a nice or ugly failure. If it can be made to work, perhaps the battlers on the IP front will work with the idea. Now that it is public and they will probably be called to respond to it.
Third, the high-in-the-speech placement of the effectiveness of international law and treaties and of gender equality may have serious meaning. Especially as concerns gender equality, given point Second.
Fourth, the specific inclusion of named minorities (and no, I am not aware if one or more has been left out so far) as and integral part of the nation as they are, whose needs must be met, and whose territories will have more autonomy, is a new idea here. The use of the speech to proclaim this as an official part of the purposes and intention of the new Constitution will probably empower those communities in a way not before available, and to uncertain outcomes which are at least on their face intended to be accommodated into the new system. Apparently the King has specific ideas about this for ameliorating problems in some areas of the nation which he named in particular in the speech.
Here the Arab Spring is taking a new step of a kind many have waited for. A complete reform of government, or a partial one, but one being done officially. And there will be a campaign and a referendum to adopt it in the very near future. That, in and of itself, is a good sign.