Morocco: The Post that led Mohammed Raji to Jail

Mohammad Erraji Moroccan blogger Mohammed Raji is behind bars in his country for speaking his mind. Following is a translation of the post [Ar], which will cost the blogger two years of his freedom.

رج الملك كما يفعل عادة للتجول بسيارته في شوارع المدينة ، وكان معه داخل السيارة ابنه البكر ، الذي هو ولي العهد . في ملتقى الطرق سيتوقف الملك أمام شرطي المرور الذي ينظم حركة السير ، والتفت إلى ابنه الصغير ذو الخمس سنوات يسأله إن كان يرغب أن يصبح شرطيا عندما يكبر ، وعوض أن يجيب الصغير أخذ الشرطي المبادرة وأجاب الملك بأنه يتمنى أن يرى ولي العهد الصغير جالسا على عرش أسلافه في أحد الأيام ، وأضاف كلمات يثني فيها على الملك . الملك بطبيعة الحال أعجبه ما سمع من فم الشرطي ، وقبل أن ينصرف كافأه على الفور ب “كريما” ! للإشارة فالملك الذي كان بطلا لهذه الواقعة ليس ملكا آخر غير محمد السادس!
إذا صح هذا الخبر الذي أوردته “الجريدة الأولى” في عددها التسعين ، فعلى المغاربة أن يقتنعوا بأن المغرب لن يتغير كما نتمنى حتى في عهد الحسن الثالث !

As is his tradition, the King went for a drive in his car, along with his eldest son, who is the Crown Prince. At a junction, he stopped in front of a traffic policeman, who was regulating traffic. He turned to his five-year-old son and asked him is he wanted to become a policeman when he grew up. Instead of waiting for the little boy to respond, the policeman took the initiative, and told the King that he hopes that the young Crown Prince will one day ascend the throne of his forefathers. He continued to praise the King. At usual, the King enjoyed what came out of the policeman's mouth, and before leaving bestowed the title of ‘Noble’ on him. The King who is the hero of this story is no other than Mohammad the Sixth!
And if this story which appeared in the First Newspaper's 90th edition is true, then Moroccans have to remain convinced that Morocco will never change as they wish even in the reign of Hassan the Third!

يجب علينا أن نعترف بأن الذي أهلك بلدنا وأوصله إلى هذه الرتبة المخجلة التي يحتلها على الصعيد العالمي في كل المجالات هو اقتصاد الريع ، الذي ينتفع به المحظوظون دون غيرهم من أبناء وبنات الشعب ، وطبعا فلسنا بحاجة إلى استعمال المصطلحات الكبيرة التي يستعملها السياسيون كي نفهم ما هو “الريع” ، فمعناه بكل بساطة هو أن تأخذ حق الآخرين بدون وجه حق ! ورخص النقل أو “الكريمات” التي يوزعها الملك على المواطنين الذين يمدون إليه رسائل الاستعطاف التي يكتبونها بنفس العبارات التي ينطق بها المتسولون عندما يمدون أيديهم إلى الناس على أرصفة الشوارع تدخل بدورها في إطار الريع . فالدول التي تحترم مواطنيها لا تجعل منهم شحاذين يتسولون الأعتاب الشريفة ، بل تصنع لهم المعامل والمصانع كي يشتغلوا ويكسبوا لقمة عيشهم بعزة وكرامة ، وحتى لو افترضنا أن هذه الكريمات لا يتم إعطاؤها إلا لمن يستحقها من ذوي الاحتياجات الخاصة والفقراء والمعوزين ، وهذا أمر مستبعد بطبيعة الحال ، فهذا لا يشرف المواطن المغربي على الاطلاق ، فالشغل والتطبيب والتعليم حق يمنحه لنا الدستور ، لذلك يجب على الدولة أن توفر لمواطنيها سبل العيش الكريم عوض إهانتهم بهذه الطريقة المذلة

We need to admit that what has destroyed our country and made it plummet to this embarrassing level in all international rankings, is this economy of dispersing gratuities, which benefits the lucky sons and daughters of this country and overlooks the rest. Of course, we don't need to use the larger than life terms used by politicians to understand what this means. It simply means that some people can take the rights of others unjustly! Transportation licenses* and nobility titles which the King distributes on citizens who send him letters, written using the same phrases used by beggars lining sidewalks, fall under this category of gratuities. Countries which respect their citizens do not turn them into beggars under the feet of nobility. Instead, they develop factories and workshops for them to work in and earn their living with dignity. Even if we assume that such gratuities are only dispersed to deserving citizens such as the special needs and poor, which is impossible at any rate, this isn't anything that makes Moroccan citizens proud. The right to work, health care and education are granted by the Constitution. Therefore, the state should provide decent means of living for its citizens – other than humiliating them in this shameless manner.

* NOTE: The licenses are permits given by the state to taxi drivers and boat owners and are a main source of discontent because they are mainly handed out as returns for favors and nepotism.

وعندما يرى ولي العهد الصغير الذي سيتولى الحكم في يوم من الأيام كيف أن والده يوزع الهبات والاكراميات والكريمات على الناس بمجرد سماع كلمة إطراء أو مدح ، فلا شك أنه سيتصرف بنفس “المنطق” عندما يحكم ، لذلك فما علينا سوى أن نؤجل أحلامنا بمغرب المساواة وتكافؤ الفرص لغاية حكم الملك محمد السابع الذي سيأتي بعد الحسن الثالث اللي هو ولي العهد حاليا!

When the young Crown Prince, who will become the Ruler one day, witnesses how his father distributes honours, gratuities and gifts to people upon hearing compliments and praise, there is no doubt that he will act based on the same logic, when he rules. This is why we should delay our dreams of a Morocco of equality and equal opportunities until the reign of Mohammad the Seventh, which will follow after that of Hassan the Third, who is the Crown Prince at present.

More information on this story is available on Global Voices Advocacy and here. A petition is also available here for those interested to sign, which calls for the bloggers release. A Facebook group has also been set up here.

Photo credit: Hespress

52 comments

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  • […] news site Hespress.com of an article entitled “The King Encourages His Subject’s Dependency” (English translation) He was sentenced 72 hours later, in an expedited trial without assistance from a lawyer, to two […]

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  • Mou

    Some time it is very interesting and better to read to story from it end to get thing right. This defamation that a regular citizen in the word can sue him for it through court of law.
    If you read at the end after all his negative opinion with respect to the issue of those licenses and other matters, were based on “IF it is true”, I mean the story of the policeman , the kind and his son.

    I don’t buy the story and how it was build up to start with. The policeman heard the king in his car talking to his son. Bullshit, and for bushtit a prosecution is needed as it is granted in all the free democratic when someone does defamation.

    Go to the USA and say that 9/11 story is a bushtit and you will not even have the honor to go jail’ been feeded and housed but you will rejected and no one will deal with you, you will be a homeless good for nothing.
    Now what is need in Morocco are project and development and I am sure they are a work in progress, it need people to be positive not to build stories like this and do not participate.

    It is true that HM donate from his own to people who seek help from him and couldn’t get it from the Gov, what is wrong with this. Free speech in a family designed society has some legitimate limit.
    Who this gentleman respect his Parent. I advice him that we have a higher authority build up on a parental/kingdoomship and deserve some respect when the free speech is granted, if you speak to your parent this way they will ask you to go, and I am sure this gentleman respect his parent as all Moroccan and regular people do in the word relatively. We were spread a civil war and it is something some got poverty, dictatorship and civil wars etc. some think they got the freedom and material gain in life and it is just in their imagination if you do arithmetic math you will discover they got nothing.

    Get real people and go after those in the government who are doing wrong and the fight is together association with the king.

    Thank you

  • […] news site Hespress.com of an article entitled “The King Encourages His Subject’s Dependency” (English) He was sentenced 72 hours later, in an expedited trial without assitance from a lawyer, to two […]

  • Am stupid or What

    I can’t beleive this man, he wants change no a click of a finger, in the internet, it’s either you do it for a cause or for your self. what happen to Rajji is that he put himself in the mouth of the lion, none of us would be stupid to write such blog under his real name or identification unless he was expecting a miracle of change happening.
    simple equation: you beleive it’s not right in this country, then you should beleive it when you are caught.
    other than that, the law is not by his side definitely.
    God help you and if you are that lucky this ramadan, maybe you will be acquainted.

  • […] to journalists, bloggers, general public and their freedom of speech as well, as in the case of Morocco and […]

  • med h

    what this raji said in his so-called “article” is utter nonsense, foolishness and frivolity.

  • […] raison des opinions politiques exprimées sur son blog (traduction française ici et anglaise ici), nous appelons tous les bloggeurs, marocains et étrangers, qui souhaitent protester contre cette […]

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