Address of Speaker of the House of Representatives at Colloquium to Present National Field Study: “Values and Their Institutional Implementation: Changes and Expectations of Moroccans”

Distinguished ministers, 

Honorable Chairpersons of the Parliamentary Groups and Caucus, 

Honorable Chairpersons and members of the Parliamentary Committees, 

Distinguished representative of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises, 

Esteemed Presidents of Universities and Deans of Faculties, 

Esteemed colleagues, 

Ladies and gentlemen, 

Allow me first to welcome you to this colloquium that we devote to the presentation of a national field study on values and their institutional implementation, an occasion I would like to seize to express my pride in this outstanding academic effort, whose conclusions and recommendations we are here to discuss today. 

Allow me also to remind you that this study is part of the strategic orientation of the House that reflects its constant openness to the academic sphere and consolidates the gains achieved by our country in the area of national studies and reports in a way that puts the concerns and causes of society at the heart of public policies and programs. 

Aspiring to concretize this orientation, we have opted for an approach that aims to identify the expectations of citizens, reinforce the openness of the House to all social categories by diagnosing their reality, identifying their expectations, responding to their concerns, and translating them into conclusions and recommendations formulated in a thoughtful academic study, out of the conviction of the central role of knowledge and scientific research in achieving development and prosperity of nations.

Ladies and gentlemen, 

Our keenness to produce this national sociological study, which is the first of its kind in the history of the legislative institution since 1963, emanates from our persistent concern about the importance of analyzing the values that guide our Moroccan society, and the expectations and aspirations of citizens from public institutions and establishments. The study is also a bridge for interaction between Moroccans and decision-making bodies, foremost among them the House of Representatives. 

There is no doubt that the conduct of this study stems from a fundamental background consisting of the pertinent directives included in the royal speeches and messages, and the provisions and values outlined in the 2011 Constitution of the Kingdom. Besides, the study derives its philosophy from the conclusions of national reports, including the report on 50 years of human development and the one of the New Development Model Committee.

Ladies and gentlemen, 

We have high hopes, as a representative institution that embodies the democratic act in its highest manifestation, that this study would provide answers to the expectations of Moroccans and that it would reflect their orientations regarding value implementation, in a way that enables us, as a constitutional institution, to advance parliamentary action and base it on scientific knowledge so that it responds to the aspirations of citizens and keeps up with the dynamic of society.

Ladies and gentlemen, 

Esteemed attendees,

In light of the above, we set a general objective for this study, namely the determination of the orientations and expectations of Moroccans regarding the changes in values and the institutional implementation of some fundamental values within particular social institutions that were chosen carefully given their importance, significance, level of internal and external interactions, and impact on comprehensive development.

In this regard, the study focuses on family as it is the cornerstone for shaping society, on school and university for their important roles in upbringing future citizens, hospitals for being the authentic space that guarantees the enjoyment by citizens of their right to health, and administrations for their services to citizens and for being a space of interaction between citizens and public establishments. 

Moreover, the study also tackled enterprises as they are an essential economic element for the generation of wealth and achievement of development, without overlooking associations, for their roles outlined in the 2011 Constitution of the Kingdom, consisting of contributing to the elaboration, implementation, and evaluation of decisions and projects within elected institutions and public authorities. The study also focuses on media for their great impact and role in entrenching the inherent Moroccan culture and accompanying the march towards development and construction. 

Additionally, the study aims to achieve several goals that can be summed up in the following: 

• Specify the main changes that impacted values in Moroccan society; 
• Identify the orientations of Moroccans regarding the degree of implementation of fundamental values at the institutional level; 
• Pinpoint the factors and reasons to which Moroccans attribute the non-implementation of some values by institutions;
• Determine the expectations of Moroccans regarding the implementation of some fundamental values by institutions; 
• Define the mechanisms for the institutional implementation of values based on the expectations of Moroccans; 
• Diagnose the values implemented by Moroccans in their interaction with institutions.  

To guarantee results that reflect the orientations of citizens in the various regions and provinces of the Kingdom, we were keen that the study would cover all the regions of Morocco, taking into consideration the demographic disparity between research areas according to areas (urban-rural), in addition to the variable of gender (male-female), categorization according to age group, and the criteria of institutional density.

Ladies and gentlemen, 

The study reached profound and prominent conclusions and recommendations regarding the values and institutions it covered, which makes it an important reference for the House of Representatives in performing its constitutional missions, namely legislation that responds to society’s dynamic and causes, control of government action in a way that reflects the aspirations of Moroccans and their concerns, and a reference basis we can invoke in evaluating the public policies, which is a major project to which we tried to give new impetus during the ongoing legislative term.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We have taken it upon ourselves, based on our unwavering collective conviction within the House of Representatives, to ensure the consolidation of institutional openness and communication by launching such distinguished initiatives as a link between the Parliament and universities, and a means to encourage scientific research and enable it to serve constitutional institutions and national bodies, to advance the course of development and prosperity led by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah glorify and assist him. 

There is no doubt that this national study will contribute to promoting scientific research, being a cornerstone that we want to put as the basis for the performance of the constitutional functions of the Parliament, and a reference for all Government departments to elaborate plans, programs, and policies, for academic institutions to construct and develop knowledge in a way that serves national goals and values, and for economic and social actors to build strong trust with citizens to shape a Morocco for all and achieve real citizenship based on enjoying rights and performing obligations.

Ladies and gentlemen, 

Esteemed attendees, 

The conclusions and recommendations of the study we present today will undoubtedly be an important guiding reference that helps the members of the House of Representatives in performing their missions in a way that makes the expectations of Moroccans, outlined in the conclusions of this study, prominent elements in legislation, control, and evaluation. 

This colloquium compels us all to stress the importance of scientific research and its role in advancing various life areas, which requires joining efforts of all stakeholders and actors and further mobilization to uplift the quality and nature of scientific research in our country to the level of pioneering countries, hence contributing to the development of work rules and methods within all institutions. 

To conclude, and on behalf of the House of Representatives, I thank the scientific team and all those who contributed directly or indirectly to conducting this study. We aspire to launch responsible and constructive public debates on the tenor, conclusions, and recommendations of this unprecedented national field study. 

Thank you for your keen listening.