There is no doubt that the Arab Spring has blossomed, its fragrance spread, and its horizons widened. There is also no doubt that the demands and slogans raised are nothing but natural and legitimate rights that should have belonged to every individual, every home, every alley. And the one who held the homeland from behind is, of course, the primary person responsible for our current situation, and also responsible for setting the Arab world on fire and dragging it into a war that is not civil, but a war between the front of threatened interests and the front of lost rights.
But this does not prevent us from standing with the Arab experience of change in general, and the Moroccan experience in particular. Perhaps it is merely an observation of what is happening, but also an attempt to establish a conscious action aligned with the requirements of the current phase, and to prepare for upcoming stages that will undoubtedly be marked by tension and confrontation. A struggle to cling to the gains of the previous phase, and at the same time to raise the ceiling of demands in order to pressure decision‑makers who are accustomed to ruling people through domination and coercion, and who are also accustomed to dealing with the ebb and flow of popular movements.
Thus, we find ourselves in a situation of mutual exchange, mutual influence, and rounds that may last as long as the Arab political crisis lasts, and as long as the Arab world remains delayed in joining the train of civilization that moves at the speed of light.
The memory of the Libyan war, the deadly clashes in Yemen, and the large number of deaths in Syria push us to ask the question in Morocco: Is the current situation healthy? Or are we facing a clear fragmentation influenced by the smell of blood, the sound of gunfire, NATO airstrikes, and the extent of foreign intervention in resolving Arab crises that we had hoped would be internal, with local solutions shaped by the sons of the homeland?
The concept of belonging to the homeland requires abandoning all selfishness and shedding all secondary affiliations in this sensitive and dangerous phase. And because we are facing a conscious process of construction — or one we hope is conscious — we must step back and observe these events objectively.
In a casual Facebook conversation, my friend Mounir El Ghiouani asked me about my position on the February 20 Movement. I was surprised by the boldness and clarity of the question. My answer was a joke: “Which date in February are you talking about, Mounir?” If you mean February 21, I can answer you. But February 20 — I do not know a date with that number. I checked all the chronicles and found no mention of it. For one reason: February 20 is the date itself, the turning point, and it cannot be contained in a simple calendar page that the Moroccan makhzen wanted to tear out to erase this day from history.
The achievements of this movement, my brother Mounir, have surpassed us and surpassed our judgments and positions. What this Arab movement — and its Moroccan version — has achieved, no party, no organization, no opposition nor majority has been able to achieve.
But it must still be placed under scrutiny, in an attempt to rationalize it and protect its back from any exploitation or attempt to ride its wave.
From this intention, we must return to earlier dates, not to reopen wounds, but to pause at some astonishing contradictions that have begun to threaten this movement for change. And because the right word at the right time is a remedy, it must be said now, not tomorrow.
The Arab reality — and the Moroccan reality in particular — has known fragmentation and conflict throughout the existence of the makhzen, which has always benefited from division. This fragmentation was deliberate, systematic, and created a culture of dispersion that cannot be healed easily in the short term. Some claim that the current phase requires quickly gathering the pieces to focus on confronting Arab regimes. But believe me, Mounir: the culture of dispersion can only be confronted by a culture of unity. And you know, as every reasonable person knows, that building a culture requires time, and before that a sincere political will from us. Nothing should rise above the voice of the homeland and its supreme interests.
I am not here to discourage, but to make an urgent call to purify intentions and launch a sincere national dialogue, far from any claim of possessing a lost truth or an imaginary divine mandate.
We are facing a ceasefire between the living components of Moroccan society. We do not expect much from this ceasefire, for experience has shown that such situations collapse at the first exchange of accusations. We hope instead that the next phase will be marked by the ethic: “If you stretch out your hand to kill me, I will not stretch out mine to kill you,” meaning the complete abandonment of weapons and the adoption of sincere national dialogue, where individual identities dissolve into the unity of the homeland.
Without this, we will produce new tyrants, in different forms, even under the pretext of having a majority from fair elections — let alone emotional results or temporary trends that will only worsen our situation in the absence of conscious and responsible guidance.
I agree with you that the confrontation with the internal situation has imposed this phase, with all its pros and cons, and that peoples do not have time to enter schools of learning. But civilizations are measured by their effectiveness and their human output. Ideas have not yet died to leave matters to randomness. And if peoples have lost trust in certain ideologies, these are only experiences. The freedom we hope for is freedom for all, based on serving people and programs.
Perhaps some orientations have betrayed the aspirations of the peoples, but goodness has not disappeared. The next phase must allow everyone to express their ideas, not as a luxury, but as a conviction that the diversity of voices is a gain for all. Everyone has the right to influence the consciousness — and even the subconscious — of people. What matters is that Mounir El Ghiouani and the entire February 20 Movement sacrifice themselves so that the voice of each individual may be heard.
Good night to a homeland.
Abdelouahed Mezouirih
