His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, delivered yesterday evening a speech to the Nation on the occasion of the 67th Anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People.
In His speech, His Majesty recalled that on this day in 1953, His Majesty King Mohammed V and his comrade-in-arms, His Majesty King Hassan II – may they rest in peace – and the Moroccan people were united in their will and achieved a historic revolution thanks to which the colonizer’s schemes were foiled.
His Majesty underlined that glorious revolution was characterized by a spirit of sincere patriotism and by a commitment to the values of sacrifice, solidarity and loyalty with a view to achieving Morocco’s freedom and independence and whose history is richly woven from events that bear witness to the perfect symbiosis between the Throne and the people, always united in the face of the vicissitudes of time. It is, underlined the Sovereign, the state of mind which, during the first phases of the Covid-19 pandemic, animated the Moroccans who then showed commitment and collectively committed themselves.
After recalling the positive results that Morocco has achieved in the fight against this pandemic, particularly during the first phase of sanitary lockdown, which made it possible to limit the health repercussions of this crisis and to mitigate its socioeconomic impact, His Majesty King Mohammed VI affirmed that this period was marked, in general, by the respect, by the citizens, of the preventive and precautionary measures taken by the public authorities, the aid granted to the households which lost their sources of income and the launch of an ambitious economic recovery plan as well as a major project to make sure all Moroccans have access to medical coverage.
Despite the results achieved and the efforts made so far, His Majesty King Mohammed VI has expressed the astonishment regarding the increase in victims after the relaxation of the lockdown. In this context, His Majesty King Mohammed VI explained that a large number of citizens do not ensure the use of means of protection and disinfection, especially as the State has made great efforts to ensure the supply of these products to all markets, in sufficient quantities and at very reasonable prices, so that they are accessible to all.
In view of the dangerousness of these practices and actions, His Majesty King Mohammed VI was clear and firm, since the Sovereign spoke of non-patriotic and non-united behavior: because citizenship requires, first of all, to watch over health and the safety of others, and solidarity does not only mean material support, but above all it is the commitment to avoid spreading contagion among people.
Faced with the increase in the number of contaminations and deaths, His Majesty King Mohammed VI is sounding the alarm, since the Sovereign affirms that the health situation we are experiencing today is appalling and does not arouse optimism, and anyone who will say other than this truth is a storyteller. These are terms that express the dissatisfaction of His Majesty King Mohammed VI in relation to this situation.
The Sovereign also warns that hospitals will be unable to cope with this situation, regardless of the efforts of public authorities and the health sector. This risks forcing the special Covid-19 scientific commission to recommend a return to confinement, and even more so, knowing that its repercussions will be hard on the lives of citizens and on economic and social situations.
His Majesty King Mohammed VI called, in this context, all active forces to mobilize and be vigilant and to be involved in the national effort in the field of sensitization and supervision of citizens to face up to this epidemic. The Sovereign also stressed that without a firm and responsible respect for sanitary measures, and without an exemplary and responsible national behavior on the part of all, it is not possible to get out of this situation, nor to take up the challenge of the fight against this pandemic.
When His Majesty King Mohammed VI spoke of exemplary and responsible national behavior, the Sovereign addressed all components of the Moroccan people: citizens are responsible for their protection, as well as that of their children and their families, employers are responsible for guaranteeing the protection of their employees, the media are responsible for raising public awareness of the dangerousness of this epidemic, and all civil society actors are called upon to contribute to the effort national campaign against the spread of this virus.
Showing as usual of sympathy and solicitude towards the Moroccan people, His Majesty King Mohammed VI underlined in a paternal tone of affection: ‘’My Message to you today is not meant to be one of rebuke or blame. I am simply relaying directly to you my fear that the number of infections and deaths might – God forbid – continue to grow, thus compelling us to return to a complete lockdown, with its psychological, social and economic repercussions”.
His Majesty King Mohammed VI also expressed his confidence in the ability of Moroccans to meet this challenge, following in the footsteps of their ancestors, adopting the spirit of authentic patriotism and positive citizenship, particularly in these difficult circumstances.