Morocco is showing improvement in the social and economic sectors, Communications Minister Mustapha El Khalfi announced on Tuesday (March 18th).
The government has a good track record despite the significant challenges, which have yet to be overcome, he said at a Rabat press briefing.
Within the last two years, Morocco has addressed the economic situation and improved several indicators even though the debt level remains high at 62.2%, he stated.
Efforts have been focused on assisting local businesses through tax breaks and access to public contracts, the minister said.
On the social front, El Khalfi underlined that considerable efforts were made in numerous sectors, including the expansion of the Medical Assistance Scheme for the Disadvantaged (RAMED) and encouraging children's enrolment in schools, especially in rural areas.
But big challenges remain, he said, given the growing needs of citizens and the difficulties experienced on the ground.
"It is not easy to reach the target population, especially in rural areas, even though financial resources have been made available," he said.
As for employment, the minister noted that great efforts were made to reduce joblessness.
But the average growth rate achieved over the past few years does not, in his view, enable the Moroccan economy to create enough jobs and limit the scale of unemployment.
To address this constraint, the government is getting ready to launch a strategy designed to boost employment, especially for young people.
But not everyone agrees with the minister's assessment.
On the social front, the government's track record falls short of expectations, sociologist Samira Kassimi told Magharebia. Problems have accumulated and people's social needs are now huge, but not enough has been done to fulfil expectations and post-election pledges, she said.
"In terms of access to healthcare, the RAMED scheme suffers from a number of failings and the target population is struggling to access health services," she noted.
As for education, "public school reform has not yet happened", she explained, adding that employment remains problematic for young graduates.
Kassimi also noted that work needed to be done to increase the number of people who have a pension. The current figure is alarming: two-thirds of workers are not registered in the pensions system, she said.
For his part, political analyst Jamil Selama said that the government was well behind schedule despite positive achievements. He attributed the crisis that rocked the coalition last year.
Selama noted that the draft organic laws stipulated by the constitution were delayed despite their paramount importance.
In this regard, El Khalfi gave an assurance that the pace of law-making would be sped up and that most of the organic laws would be drafted in 2014.
This year will be a year of reforms, the minister said. These will include an overhaul of the pension fund system, which will face a deficit of 5 billion dirhams within two years if nothing is done.
Many members of the public feel that the government must redouble its efforts to address the population's needs.
Expectations are high, starting with the need to boost people's purchasing power, teacher Jamila Chourouki said.
"The middle class never stops complaining about the erosion of its spending power. Prices are going up while wages remain flat," she noted.
That view was shared by Siraj Mehadaoui, an employee and father of three.
"We need to think about the purchasing power of Moroccans, which keeps on shrinking, and the issue of unemployment," he said.
"My two boys have been unemployed for several years already even though they have degrees. That's just wrong. The government must find urgent solutions," he told Magharebia.
© Magharebia.com 2014
