Address of Speaker of House of Representatives Habib El Malki On the Closure of Second Legislative Session of 2019-2020 Legislative Year
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, and Prayers and Peace be upon His Most Noble Messengers
Dear Ministers,
Dear Fellow Deputies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We conclude today the second legislative session of the 2019-2020 legislative year amidst unprecedented context and circumstances that emanate from the propagation of COVID-19 and its repercussions on us; such repercussions forced us, similarly to other countries, to change our working methods, and to adjust our behaviors to the requirements of protecting ourselves from the pandemic.
We, the House of Representatives, had to be a role model in adhering to the measures of protection from the pandemic. Meanwhile, we had to pursue the performance of our duties. Most of all, we were mobilized as bodies of the House, including its Speakership, its Board, and the chairpersons of the parliamentary groups and standing committees, to be at the heart of the battle against the pandemic. This battle that His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God glorify Him, led with the necessary prudence, foresight, and strategic vision, in all its health, economic, and social aspects.
Considering that this fight is first and foremost a multidimensional national battle, we were required to provide qualitative mobilization. First, we had to strictly adhere to the provisions of the Constitution, to consolidate and entrench democracy, and preserve the principle of the constitutional state. Secondly, we had to adopt the required legislation, which approval was imperative, decisive, and urgent to regulate this unprecedented particular context and its requirements, and which included the laws related to the state of public health emergency and the related exceptional measures. Hence, our works culminated in adopting the Amending Finance Bill and its related texts, which were imperative to adapt the 2020 Finance Act to the requirements of the economy of this new context, its budgetary and social requirements, and the necessity to revive the economic dynamism. In total, the House of Representatives adopted 21 Government bills that cover different sectors of activity. Some of these sectors were related to materials and equipment of defense, arms, and ammunition; cybersecurity; and the control of the export of goods intended for dual civil and military use. The adoption of these texts embodies a huge national and sovereign significance.
Full Commitment to Adhere to the Constitution During the Pandemic
Once again, I would like to reaffirm that the examination, deliberation, and adoption of these laws by the House of Representatives took place in full adherence to the Constitution, the spirit of democratic practice, and the principle of the constitutional state. It also took place in agreement and consensus regarding most laws, reflecting the national unity in addressing the pandemic's repercussions. In this context, I would also like to reiterate the importance of the legislative initiatives of deputies, as they presented since the onset of the current legislature a total of 219 parliamentary bills. Unfortunately, the Government has only responded to 13 of those bills, and we still have 200 bills under study, which we hope that the Government will address.
Also, we can safely assume that our House has responded to the needs of our country in laws and legislation with due speed and effectiveness. Besides, the House has also widened the scope of its openness and communication with society through information and communication technologies. For instance, the rate of following the activities of the House in plenary sittings and committee meetings on its electronic channel increased by 300%.
Efforts in Control to Address the Pandemic and its Repercussions
On another note, the House has focused its efforts in control on addressing the pandemic and its repercussions. In this respect, the fifteen control sittings that we convened during this session, including the three sittings for questions to the Head of Government and his responses to them, and the joint sitting of the two Houses of the Parliament following Article 68 of the Constitution, were all devoted to this topic. The sittings covered sixteen sectors, which reflects the vigilance of the House and its keenness to follow-up and investigate the work of the Government.
In figures, the total of questions addressed by the deputies to the Government reached 3390 questions, 826 of which were oral questions, 42 of which were scheduled as questions followed by a debate. Meanwhile, the House addressed to the Government 2546 written questions, 795 of which were answered.
On the other hand, and in implementation of its role in control, the Justice, Legislation, and Human Rights Committee discussed the report of the exploratory mission on the state of penitentiary institutions. Also, the report of the exploratory mission on the Kingdom’s consulates abroad was presented before the Foreign Affairs, National Defense, Islamic Affairs, and Moroccan Expatriates Committee.
The discussion and presentation of the two reports took place in the presence of the ministers in charge of the two sectors.
Standing Committees: Dynamism in Legislation and Control
During the period between the October 2019 and April 2020 sessions, and during the April 2020 session, the standing committees pursued their legislation and control works at a regular pace. The committees held 53 meetings, 31 of which were devoted to controlling the Government's work, and questioning the ministers and officials of public institutions. Also, the committees were committed to adjusting their working methods with the requirements of protection from the pandemic. In this respect, they relied more on modern technologies to ensure the participation of all their members in the meetings, and to consolidate the openness of the House to the public opinion.
In 22 meetings, the standing committees examined and adopted 21 Government bills out of 26.
As for control, the standing committees devoted their meetings to studying 72 topics, and their members presented proposals regarding the topics that were under study in the meetings with the executive branch.
Whether regarding legislation or control, and whether on the level of standing committees or plenary sittings, the House was committed to implementing the principle of closeness so that every social issue is heard in the House, following the imperative of interacting with social issues. In this respect, we pursued inventorying Government pledges and corresponded with the Government regarding 56 of them. Also, the House has performed its constitutional and institutional tasks and duties alongside other institutions despite the pandemic. Therefore, we, Moroccans, can be proud that we addressed, and still fighting, the pandemic in a distinguished and effective way on all social, economic, and health aspects, thanks to the wise vision and management of His Majesty the King, and his precise planning that is based on preemption, effectiveness, action, solidarity, prevention, and containment of the pandemic. In this context, the directives of His Majesty the King and the measures that he ordered, on the basis of a strategic reading of the situation, spared Morocco a dangerous health crisis. Also, the decision of His Majesty the King to create a special fund to face the coronavirus pandemic enabled Morocco to secure the income of more than five million families, support national enterprises, maintain job positions and production, and provide the urgent and unpredictable necessary medical equipment and materials.
In his management of the pandemic, His Majesty the King prioritized the life of citizens despite all circumstances. Also, and as he has proven before in managing other strategic issues like confronting terrorism, addressing climate changes and their consequences, South-South cooperation, migration, the establishment of the green economy, and the preparation of a new economic model, His Majesty the King has once again proven his peculiar wisdom and foresight, and his approaches that put the citizen at the heart of economic and social policies. Wisdom, foresight, and prevention remain the common denominator in Royal initiatives.
Lessons Drawn from His Majesty’s Leadership in the Management of the Pandemic
The leadership of His Majesty the King of the country during this crisis has taught us additional lessons in patriotism and solidarity.
The first lesson that we can draw is that the strength of states no longer depends on their technological and economic advancement alone, but on the good leadership, the foresight, the prudence of their leaders, and the proactive measures that must be undertaken. The lesson consists of the imperative of the welfare state, not only as a sovereign authority and territorial extent whose role is reinforced by proximity, constant vigilance, and commitment to meet the requirements of the sanitary lockdown but also through communication and implementation of decisions taken at the central level. This social welfare state should guarantee the minimum income for all citizens considering the cessation of many production units, provide health services, and ensure the continuity of the rest of the services such as distance education and training, water, electricity, internet, access to justice, and other services.
The second lesson is that the achievements realized during the pandemic under His Majesty's leadership and on the basis of his proactive vision to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic will solidify confidence in institutions and the credibility of their actions and interventions. This record of achievements we should certainly value as political actors.
The third lesson we learned is about the future. In this respect, if the pandemic results in the loss of many jobs in several sectors, then we must not allow its impacts to deepen social and territorial gaps, as well as generational gaps. This will surely not emanate from solidarity alone, but by giving this solidarity, as a noble social value, a new definition and other dimensions by making it productive and inclusive in the production relations and the economic fabric.
At all events, we must preserve this dynamic of solidarity and cohesion and associate it with the economic takeoff.
We are now required more than ever to convert unused potential into wealth through a process that puts citizens at its heart and makes it its primary purpose. These potentials are assuredly numerous, and their utilization will generate added value and profitability that creates accumulation. Also, I don’t think I need to remind you of the digital challenge that we face, and the potential that we have, which has exploded in the form of talents, projects, and inventions during the pandemic. I also don’t need to remind you of the importance of the green economy, the need to accelerate the transformations that our country has launched in this area, and of the importance of scientific research and research for development.
These are just examples of potentials that may help us transform the pandemic’s repercussions into sustainable development opportunities, and move forward in a way that is appropriate to this peculiar context. Indeed, our country has launched an approach concerning this prospect during the pandemic, through inventions created by skilled Moroccans, like medical equipment, tools of prevention and disinfection, or other innovations in the digital field. These innovations were endorsed by Moroccan enterprises, which have shown their ability to adapt to this particular context. Also, they were supported and accompanied by the public authorities following the directives of His Majesty the King.
As for the fourth lesson, it consists of the paramount importance that should be given to humans, and the need to invest in people, health, education, and training, and to reconsider consumption patterns and review priorities. In the context of globalization, particular importance must be given to the humanitarian dimension on the verge of new world order. This requires exceeding immediate and transient approaches and theories to manage activities and relationships. On the contrary, we should adopt strategic approaches that gather several factors in management, including the time factor, and exchanging the profits of science, scientific research, and its products.
It is certain that the pandemic will impose on us, the House of Representatives, as on the parliaments of other democratic countries, the imperative to adapt our action procedures and mechanisms. In this regard, we were keen to launch the reform of the Rules of Procedure of the House. Also, and on the levels of the legislative and executive branches, we must foresee the launching of reform projects for a number of legal texts such as the Organic Law on Finance and the organic laws on petitions and motions for legislation, and later focus on reforming the healthcare system. This should be within a framework of national consensus that evokes the lessons drawn from the practice and on the basis of the evolving and involving the concerned actors.
We, the House of Representatives, were in a phase of constructing action mechanisms. Therefore, we have achieved important realizations by digitizing our work and communication. We are also utilizing and building on the said realizations to complete the digital transition process.
Effective Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Work and Communication
During this legislative session, the House of Representatives intensified its communication with citizens, whose interest and follow-up of the works of the House increased during the period of the pandemic.
In this respect, the new means of communication, including social media and the House’s electronic portal, were essential instruments for this communication. Thus, the House mobilized the necessary means to this end to allow the deputies to participate remotely in the meetings of the standing committees and other House organs, following the decision of the House to take the necessary preventive measures to address the propagation of Covid-19, which entailed the voluntary reduction of the number of deputies who attend the plenary sittings and committee meetings.
Additionally, the House was quick to adapt to the context of the pandemic, building on its achievements in the field of digital transition and e-parliament, by adopting a communication plan aimed at bringing the parliamentary work closer to citizens and reflecting their concerns in the light of these exceptional circumstances.
Thus, the various bodies of the House held more than 100 meetings, during which the deputies who were not present on-site were able to follow and participate in the discussion safely via videoconference.
Besides, the number of subscribers in the House’s YouTube channel increased by about 300% compared to early April this year. The channel has recorded about 500,000 views, more than 52% of which were youth aged between 18 to 34. 73% of the viewers were from Morocco while the rest were from France, Spain, and other countries.
On the Facebook page of the House, about three million minutes of videos relating to the proceedings of plenary sittings and standing committees were viewed. Meanwhile, the number of followers increased threefold from the previous period, reaching 75,000. Also, some of the sittings broadcast on the page were widely followed by citizens with more than 200,000 views.
As for Twitter, the number of followers of the House of Representatives' account has increased by nearly 20,000 to reach 117,000. In addition, the network recorded more than 521,000 reactions with the contents relating to the House activities.
These figures reflect the importance of the topics addressed by the House during the sanitary lockdown period, which represented the most important issues of citizens, and the preeminent problems and hardships of this phase, including also the suggestion of solutions and alternatives, which reflects the maturity of national democratic practice.
Despite the constraints imposed by the sanitary lockdown, the electronic portal of the House was continuously updated, and the various information, documents, and news were published in a timely manner and were also translated into five languages, namely Arabic, Amazigh, French, Spanish, and English.
During this phase, more than 170,000 Internet users visited the electronic portal of the House of Representatives, 17% of them were foreigners, including 6% from France, 3% from the USA, and from other countries of the world.
The Speakership of the House was keen to interact positively with the proposals submitted on the electronic portal to improve the Government and parliamentary bills and to listen to the concerns of citizens. The proposals were collected and disseminated to the chairpersons of the parliamentary groups and caucus and the standing committees to take adequate action.
Also, the House ensured media coverage of its various activities through issuing press releases on the matters and disseminating them to the media, and publishing reports on the committee meetings on the House's electronic portal and the various social media.
At the same level, the House of Representatives produced several pamphlets and brochures and materials that introduce the House of Representatives and its organs, including documents for youth and visitors to the House in general. These documents explain the competences of the House of Representatives, its tasks, its formation, and its various organs in Arabic, Amazigh, French, Spanish, and English.
Being aware of the imperative of accelerating the digital transition of the House and its role in enabling the legislative institution to anticipate the future with firmness, a strategic plan has been developed in this area to adopt digitization as a means to ensure efficiency, good governance, and openness, and to minimize paper use and encourage email exchanges with the various partners of the House.
The Initiatives of His Majesty the King Towards Africa: Consolidation of Morocco’s Solidarity with Its Brotherly Countries
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At an era marked by the increase of individualist trends, introversion discourses, and the preoccupation of many world powers with their internal problems, and the neglection of their international commitments, His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God protect Him, had a unique vision and approach, whose essence is solidarity and unity, not only in Morocco but with others, which was reflected by the solidarity of Morocco, with his brothers and friends, especially in Africa. Thus, at the peak of the pandemic, His Majesty the King ordered sending valuable aid, consisting of medicines, masks, preventive equipment, and medical devices, to no less than fifteen African countries. This action is a concrete example of sharing the burden of the pandemic and thinking of others, brothers, sisters, and friends, in times of distress and need, as in times of prosperity. The global conscience has long been and remains challenged by the situation in Africa in the face of the pandemic. Embodying his proactive vision of solidarity, His Majesty the King is credited with launching an initiative for African heads of states to establish an operational framework to deal with the propagation of Covid-19 and to share expertise, experiences, and good practices to address its health, economic, and social repercussion on Africa.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The pandemic has impacted and still impacts various aspects of human life and activities. It is changing the world and international relations, and its repercussions will certainly have decisive geostrategic implications.
The Pandemic Will Cause New Ruptures in the 21st century
If the 20th century was marked by major transformations and revolutions caused by the 1929 world crisis, the two world wars, the Cold War, the bipolarity and the elimination of colonialism, then the 21st century will also be, because of the pandemic and other factors, a century of new ruptures in consciousness, principles, in methods and concept of work, and perhaps in production relations. Globalization, as we have experienced for some forty years, is today in question on if it has not reached its limit by sanctifying the logic of profit and neglecting principles, values, and human dimensions of communication and exchange, and if it is not reproducing new gaps in terms of science, innovations, and digital knowledge.
There is no doubt the pandemic will aggravate these discrepancies considering the tendency of states and economic blocs to implement policies and measures that are part of the concepts and discourses that thrive today, such as “national sovereignty,” “national preference,” and “repatriation of investments,” which we hope will not become new barriers and measures to consolidate isolationism.
Continuous Mobilization to Support National Causes
In the context of the international debate on the pandemic and its impacts, our House has made distinct contributions in the events organized by multilateral parliamentary organizations, where we, and the rest of the House, were keen to highlight and value the Moroccan model in managing the pandemic. Meanwhile, we were keen to confront some parties who tried to seize the opportunity to resume their political maneuvers against our territorial integrity.
Also, our preoccupation with the pandemic has not deterred us from working at the level of parliamentary diplomacy on peace issues. In this respect, we were particularly keen to pursue our full support to the Palestinian people in facing the plans of the Israeli occupation authorities to annex the Jordan Valley and new parts of the West Bank in violation of international laws and decisions of international organizations, in order to eradicate the Palestinian cause.
Besides, and despite the particular context of restricted movement between countries due to the pandemic, the House has been committed to participating in numerous bilateral and multilateral conferences and symposiums via videoconference. In the same respect, the House responded to requests from many national organizations and parliaments to share the Moroccan experience in managing the pandemic and participated in the meetings of several multilateral parliamentary organizations such as the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie, the Pan-African Parliament, and the Andean Parliament.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Our country continues to fight the pandemic, and all the institutions and sectors are mobilized on all levels for this purpose. At the forefront of the medical battle against the pandemic are civilian and military medical and paramedical personnel, including doctors, nurses, and civil protection personnel who deserve thanks and appreciation.
In the front row of the battle are also the Royal Armed Forces that guard the borders of our country, and are today also at the forefront to assist national security forces in enforcing the rule of law. I would like to extend greetings and gratitude to these forces, under the leadership of their Supreme Commander, His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
At the frontline of the battle are also the officers of authority, National Security, the Royal Gendarmerie, and the Auxiliary Forces, who are sacrificing themselves to maintain and enforce security and protective measures.
In the back row of confrontation are the teaching staff, who played a valuable role in ensuring the continuity of the teaching operation during the sanitary lockdown, and the traders and farmers who ensured the supply of markets. In this exceptional context, I would not miss to highly commend the tireless efforts of hygiene workers who perform their tasks in difficult conditions and bear costly burdens in such difficult circumstances.
By way of conclusion, I would like to commend the cooperation of the various institutions, thanking the Head of Government, the Minister of State in charge of Human Rights and Relations with the Parliament, and all the Ministers for their contributions and responses to the initiatives, questions, and suggestions of the House, which were essential for the session to meet the challenges that our country faces. I would also like to salute the work of the organs of the House, its members, its officials, and all those who ensure the security of the institution, namely the Royal Armed Forces, and the National Security Directorate, in addition to journalists and media representatives who followed our works.
We worked during this session in a peculiar context, but we made sure that we respected the Constitution. Within the Speakership and the Board of the House, we focused on accomplishing the tasks and adapting to the conditions of the pandemic, as evidenced by a study on the “Review and analysis of the role of the House of Representatives during the period of public health emergency” prepared by the Parliamentary Center for Research and Studies, which will be distributed to you, and which is part of an initial review carried out by the Center and consists of a number of studies and practical guides, which we will provide to you after the approval of the Speakership and the Board.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We have won the challenge to contain the pandemic and its repercussions, but the danger remains, which obliges everyone to respect the conditions set by the public authorities in the context of the gradually lifting the sanitary lockdown and the resumption of economic activity. The goal is that our country emerges as a strong winner in this battle against the pandemic at all levels in order to continue its development, strengthen its institutions and democratic building, win the bet of takeoff, and to rise as an ascending force under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. In this respect, we seize the occasion of the 21st anniversary of his accession to the throne of his glorious ancestors to renew our fidelity and loyalty to him, imploring God the Almighty to preserve His Majesty and to perpetuate his health and wellbeing, to continue to lead the Kingdom towards more pride, progress, prosperity, and development, and to entrench the highly esteemed position of the Kingdom at the regional, continental and international levels.
Thank you for your attention.