You judiciously pointed out that the people and the civil society have little or no input in Morocco’s new technocratic decision-making process. That’s a heresy in a country that claims to be a democracy. But if we step back a minute, we realize that by disapproving these technocrat-driven projects, we are disapproving one of the very few things that are working out quite well in Morocco. Sure, the rationale of some projects is not very clear (HVT…), and some others may have been planned improperly (Saidia…). But let’s not forget that, so far, these projects have generally been able to deliver on their promises: Tanger Med I traffic figures are quite impressive, the 10-million-tourist target will probably be met by 2011 or 2012 and the offshoring hubs are reshaping and diversifying Morocco’s economy.
These projects are changing the face (and the fate) of Morocco, I think, in a positive way. Therefore they need to be supported through constructive criticism that, let’s hope, will find a way to reach decision makers.