The Caid, a controversial figure

There are contagious phrases in language that spread among the people, and around the world, reproducing themselves in all languages. Voices that express citizens' frustration with their local rulers and end up unjustly splashed all over the country in order to emphasise the indignation. 

The phrases "This country", "This is what this country is like" or, sarcastically, "Welcome to this country" are frequent. Spaniards would say "This is Spain" and Moroccans "This is Morocco". Although they find their highest expression in the Italians, "Non piove? porco governo!", to blame the state for all ills. 

These are pejorative expressions that we must have uttered, at some point, every time the public administration failed us as the administered. They are as simple as they are full of indignation. Especially when they are intoned, from the impotence of remoteness, by the Moroccan diaspora, also known as "Moroccans Resident Abroad" (MRE). 

In Morocco, they originate in grievances committed by public officials against citizens. The figure of the Caid and his subordinates has been the most questioned in recent years. But who is the Caid? 

It is a figure who belongs to the body of authority agents. It includes the Caliph, the Caid, the Pasha and the Governor. They all come under the Ministry of the Interior and are governed by Dahirs or decrees n° 1-63-038 of 1963 and n° 1-08-67 of 2008. Their official creation appears in Dahir n° 1-56-047 of 20 March 1956, although their existence dates back centuries. In general, the Caid is selected from thousands of candidates to be trained at the prestigious Royal Institute of Territorial Administration (IRAT) which, since 2008, has included women. The training is comprehensive and combines several disciplines, including the military. 

The Caid has extensive prerogatives and is required to be fully available and capable of mobilisation. It is responsible for public order and law enforcement. It acts as an administrative police with the ability to arrest persons and detain property. It embodies the figure of the makhzen or authority and is staffed by auxiliary forces and local agents or almocadenes. The latter are present in each neighbourhood. The almocadén is well known for his high degree of corruption and for acting as the Caid's real "procurer". 

Both the Caid and the almocadén, when they go astray, break the principle of good governance. Moroccans inside and outside the country suffer the consequences. Moreover, they are frequently denounced on social networks and vigorously pursued by the Minister of the Interior, Abdelouafi Laftit. 

The outsiders are the Moroccans Resident Abroad (MRE) who will be warmly welcomed by the "Marhaba 2023" operation on both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar. Some 5 million people who, unfortunately, have had to deliberately utter the expressions "This country" or "This is what this country is like" during their short stay or on their return to their host country. This happens after finding out that their affairs were still blocked for another year or two or three. Often it is the children who inherit such grievance and indignation. 

This diaspora has contributed enormously to the welfare of their needy relatives and to investing in the country with continuous large international transfers. Morocco received a remittance of more than 10 billion dollars in 2022, registering a spectacular increase of 27%, according to the World Bank. This represents 8% of GDP. And it is the second largest recipient of these funds in the MENA region, after Egypt. In fact, MREs have become one of the key pillars for sustaining the 'Morocco of the Future'. 

Moreover, in recent years, this diaspora has become more involved in unison than ever before in defence of King Mohammed VI and the Kingdom of Morocco, sending a clear message of unity to Algeria. Fed up with the unhealthy aggressiveness of the Algerian military and their henchmen who flooded the networks, they reacted forcefully against their intentions. The MREs, from all over the world and from different social strata, counterattacked on the same networks (YouTube, TikTok or Facebook), as well as in the digital press, podcasts, radio and television to defend, with historical and legal reasoning, not only Western Sahara's but also Eastern Sahara's Moroccan identity. It was a slap in the face to the Algerian dictatorship which, with its fakes, sought to sow division in Moroccan society and between it and its institutions at a time when the country is shining brightly. 

A brightness that should not be tarnished by injustices against such a vulnerable group as Moroccans Resident Abroad (MRE). They take advantage of their annual leave (less than a month) to manage their affairs. This is not enough time in the face of endemic bureaucracy. A problem that the increasing digitalisation of the Moroccan public administration is trying to overcome. 

This handicap is still latent despite King Mohammed VI's calls to speed up the procedures for this group and to look after their interests, as well as their reintegration. In his speech on the occasion of the 69th anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People on 20 August 2022, the monarch insisted on protecting this diaspora by raising questions such as: "Do the current legislative framework and public policies take into account their specificities? Are the administrative procedures adapted to their current expectations? And he regrets that "many of them still face several stumbling blocks to resolve their administrative issues or to launch their projects", underlining that "this state of affairs must be remedied". 

Already in 2018, and on the instructions of King Mohamed VI, Interior Minister Laftit made major changes in the ranks of these territorial administration officials by expelling 25 agents of authority, a Wali and 5 governors, 29 others were demoted, 21 reproved and 14 warned. This operation was repeated in 2022 with a major reshuffle involving numerous authority officials whose management reports were lamentable. To do this, the minister had to adopt new assessment parameters to avoid reports tainted by clientelism and due obedience. As a result, the country now has young, competent and honest Caidans who are eager to serve their citizens. 

Morocco is building a social and democratic state governed by the rule of law under the shining eyes of a citizenry that hopes to leave injustice behind and move towards the prosperity that is sometimes interrupted by arbitrary administrative decisions.  

I also call on citizens, inside and outside, not to feed corruption, but to demand compliance with the law before the authorities and the courts of justice. Bribery is an undemocratic practice. It is as illegal as it is evil, affecting the very foundations of society itself. And public officials should do their job well and faithfully, serving the citizenry instead of turning their function into the art of perpetuating indignation. 

The good deeds of both would do justice to the country, would do even more for its international image and would banish all pejorative expressions.