Have the islamist parties failed ? Forbes
The rising Islamist tide may recede sooner than expected in the Arab world — if recent events in Morocco are any guide writes Richard Miniter author and investigative journalist in Forbes magazine .
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Have-the-islami...
He notes that 6 months after the islamist Party of Justice and Development PJD) won a majority of seats in parliament and formed a cooalition government its is in trouble with middle class voters over job creation and not honouring its election pledges. Their social policies are seen as narrowly doctrinal and not addressing the nations needs. The PJD is dropping in public opinion polls, Richard Miniter notes.
A similar fate has befallen the Ennahda government in Tunisia . It does not follow that parties with links with the Muslim Brotherhood in other countries will necessarily win as they did in Egypt because they do not have the same party organisation. Libya is a case in point, they are coalition governments, unlike Egypt.
Morocco’s government by law must be a cooalition . The PJD party had years to prepare for its new role in the
government and Mr Miniter suggests that the party has failed to adjust from its role in opposition to being a party of government capable of dealing with the economy. It lacks political maturity.
Following the election he says that the electorate was waiting to see if the King would honour his promise to share power, which he did and is correspondingly popular and whether the islamists would govern as centrists as they promised and have failed to do. The PJD he notes has lost credibility over its handling of the economy, particularly youth unemployment.
With the global economic crisis in full swing and serious regional security concerns the PJD has focused on narrow Islamic doctrinal issues reflecting its hardcore supporters trying to ban the sale of alcohol , music festivals and criticising the channel 2 M as Zionists for showing a film about Moroccan Jews returning to Israel, which backfired against the PJD.
Activism on these narrow fronts has taken precedence over a commitment to democratic freedoms, economic development and anti corruption measures which They promised to initiate during their election campaign, Mr Miniter notes.
The suggestion of banning alcohol is by common consent dangerous to Morocco’s tourism industry which generates 20 % of GDP and employs 300,000 Moroccans .Thecomment by the Justice Minister Mustapha Ramid that tourists were coming to Marrakesh to sin was also highly irresponsible by tourist professionals and the Tourism Minister Lahen Haddad .
Mr Miniter notes that this interfered with the necessary balance between conservativism and a more liberal attitude necessary to promote tourism and foreign investment and that the Moroccan public would not agree with this. As a group of tourism operators including the National Federation of Tourism said , the PJD attitude “contradicts {the PJD’s] own declared goal of protecting public interests”.
The PJD government like its Tunisian counterpart has failed to take measures to tackle corruption. PJD party members used the anticorruption theme to attack political Opponents and in some cases they were forced to apologise for unsubstantiated allegations. This lost them credibility and political support.
Similar initiatives are underway among feminists, filmmakers, musicians, human rights activists, and others who feel threatened by the PJD’s social agenda.
Mr Miniter suggests that the PJD could face a no confidence vote in Parliament and the coalition might break up initiating another election. The PJD is only six months in to its term but the patience of the public is wearing thin. He notes that The Islamists—in Morocco and across the Arab world—may be finding out that the Arab apetitite for reform and economic growth is large, but the demand for theocratic restrictions much less so. “Arabs want their own Switzerland, not their own Iran,” he says.
As islamic governments were swept into power they can also be swept out by public opinion. The crushing youth unemployment throughout North Africa and the failure of moderate Islamic governments to guarantee the rights of secularists, artists and women are the factors causing concern. Society needs to pull together to solve the economic turmoil .
A similar fate has befallen the Ennahda government in Tunisia . It does not follow that parties with links with the Muslim Brotherhood in other countries will necessarily win as they did in Egypt because they do not have the same party organisation. Libya is a case in point, they are coalition governments, unlike Egypt.
Morocco’s government by law must be a cooalition . The PJD party had years to prepare for its new role in the
government and Mr Miniter suggests that the party has failed to adjust from its role in opposition to being a party of government capable of dealing with the economy. It lacks political maturity.
Following the election he says that the electorate was waiting to see if the King would honour his promise to share power, which he did and is correspondingly popular and whether the islamists would govern as centrists as they promised and have failed to do. The PJD he notes has lost credibility over its handling of the economy, particularly youth unemployment.
With the global economic crisis in full swing and serious regional security concerns the PJD has focused on narrow Islamic doctrinal issues reflecting its hardcore supporters trying to ban the sale of alcohol , music festivals and criticising the channel 2 M as Zionists for showing a film about Moroccan Jews returning to Israel, which backfired against the PJD.
Activism on these narrow fronts has taken precedence over a commitment to democratic freedoms, economic development and anti corruption measures which They promised to initiate during their election campaign, Mr Miniter notes.
The suggestion of banning alcohol is by common consent dangerous to Morocco’s tourism industry which generates 20 % of GDP and employs 300,000 Moroccans .Thecomment by the Justice Minister Mustapha Ramid that tourists were coming to Marrakesh to sin was also highly irresponsible by tourist professionals and the Tourism Minister Lahen Haddad .
Mr Miniter notes that this interfered with the necessary balance between conservativism and a more liberal attitude necessary to promote tourism and foreign investment and that the Moroccan public would not agree with this. As a group of tourism operators including the National Federation of Tourism said , the PJD attitude “contradicts {the PJD’s] own declared goal of protecting public interests”.
The PJD government like its Tunisian counterpart has failed to take measures to tackle corruption. PJD party members used the anticorruption theme to attack political Opponents and in some cases they were forced to apologise for unsubstantiated allegations. This lost them credibility and political support.
Similar initiatives are underway among feminists, filmmakers, musicians, human rights activists, and others who feel threatened by the PJD’s social agenda.
Mr Miniter suggests that the PJD could face a no confidence vote in Parliament and the coalition might break up initiating another election. The PJD is only six months in to its term but the patience of the public is wearing thin. He notes that The Islamists—in Morocco and across the Arab world—may be finding out that the Arab apetitite for reform and economic growth is large, but the demand for theocratic restrictions much less so. “Arabs want their own Switzerland, not their own Iran,” he says.
As islamic governments were swept into power they can also be swept out by public opinion. The crushing youth unemployment throughout North Africa and the failure of moderate Islamic governments to guarantee the rights of secularists, artists and women are the factors causing concern. Society needs to pull together to solve the economic turmoil .
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Have-the-islami...