Young Moroccans hope to create own parliament

25/02/2009

Some young Moroccans hope to improve tolerance and spread an interest in politics with their bold new "youth parliament". Supporters say that for the body to be effective, it must be given real powers.

By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 25/02/09

[Sarah Touahri] Moroccan youth leaders hope to launch new political body.

The Moroccan Youth Forum (FMJ) is hoping to set up a youth parliament to better implement recommendations from the International Youth Congress and the International Youth Congress for the Third Millennium. At a seminar held on Saturday (February 21st) in Rabat to set out this ambitious idea, the message was sent out to political parties and state bodies. The Forum also plans to appeal to King Mohammed VI for help with making this project become a reality.

According to the FJM, this parliament will be open to young people between the ages of 18 and 30. It will be a consultative body, whose goal will be to encourage political activity among youth. The project aims to teach young people the values of citizenship and tolerance, a sense of responsibility and objectivity, as well as spread a culture of human rights and pluralism.

Given that elections are costly and difficult to organise, young people wishing to stand will have to go through a specialist-led selection process. In the first stage, organisers expect that some 1,000 candidates will compete for 99 seats in the national congress.

"Through this project, we hope to strengthen the role of young people as a force for bringing forward ideas and contributing to the construction of a democratic society," FJM Chairman Ismail Hamraoui told Magharebia. "There is no specific body to deal with issues affecting young people, and yet 40% of Moroccans are young. That was the motivation behind our project. You should know that many Arab countries have such a body."

El Hamraoui called on officials to take a greater interest in the issues affecting Moroccan youth. He deplored the "mediocrity" of the youth ministry’s budget, which is all of 0.6% of the total state budget.

The youth and sports ministry’s communications department stated that Minister Nawal El Moutawakil supports the creation of the youth parliament, and plans to assist in its creation.

"The project is important, because young people have brought a new dynamism to the national political scene with their growing engagement with the fundamental issues of their homeland and their nation," said professor of political science Abderrahim Manar Esslimi, who took part in the seminar.

Manar Esslimi called for the youth parliament to be given real powers, so that it does not suffer the same fate as the children’s parliament, which remains a purely symbolic institution.

Faouzi Chaâbi, a MP for the Party for Progress and Socialism, was also supportive of this initiative that could, he said, bring about renewed confidence in political life for young people.

"The lack of political involvement among young people is due to a state of despair… and to party politics, which do not encourage internal democracy," said Chaâbi. "We have to realise that young people want nothing to do with the way things are conducted by political parties."

National Institute for Youth and Democracy Director Amina Soudi stressed the need to open a far-reaching debate with the leaders of political parties, so that the project can soon get under way.

In the meantime, the FJM will set up a communications committee with the interior ministry to encourage young people to take part in the forthcoming communal elections.