Once upon a time, dear friends, a rooster laid a golden egg on the summit of the highest mountain in the village. This blessed egg captured the attention of everyone, ordinary people and influential figures alike. Stories were woven around it, and people disagreed intensely about its significance.

Some claimed they had provided shelter for the rooster. Others insisted that they had cared for it. Some went even further, asserting that the rooster and its egg belonged exclusively to them. Others claimed that wherever the rooster and its egg happened to be became sacred ground, and that they would become the guardians of these blessed places, benefiting from visitors, pilgrims seeking blessings, and souvenir photographs taken with the revered rooster and its precious egg.

As time passed, disagreements grew stronger. Groups and factions formed around the issue. Everyone became fascinated by the rooster. People analyzed its crowing: Was it announcing dawn? Was it heralding sunrise? Or was it singing sacred hymns? From atop the mountain, the rooster proudly displayed its feathers, shaking its comb like an emperor playing with his crown. It pecked at carefully selected grains fit for royalty. Even the rooster never imagined that its droppings would become fertilizer nourishing people’s disputes. In response, it supposedly chose precise schedules for leaving those droppings, hoping to satisfy every faction.

One day, a hot and dry eastern wind blew across the region. The blessed egg began to shake atop the mountain. The entire population came out to witness the event: children, elders, men, women, ordinary citizens, experts, and even the indifferent.

Debates immediately resumed. Some argued that since the wind was blowing from the east, the egg would fall westward. Others stubbornly claimed it would still fall eastward. A third group rejected the very possibility of its falling, insisting that this extraordinary egg could withstand any storm.

I will tell you where the egg fell, because I was there watching from a distance. Be patient until the end of this article.

I watched every video of the Minister of Health’s visit to Ahfir and read all the comments regarding the matter. This led me to write this article in order to share my opinion about what happened.

My first observation concerns the nature of the minister’s visit. Was it an official visit to the city? A stop requested by a local figure? An informational visit? A verbal inauguration? Should the minister’s statements be regarded as official commitments or merely promises to support the city’s claim to a local hospital?

The question asked by Samir Dahmaj was very clear: can we truly say that Ahfir now has a hospital capable of meeting the needs of its residents?

However, the minister’s answer opened the door to new doubts, especially regarding the form and scale of this long-awaited hospital. It seems strange for a budget to be allocated before plans and studies have even been completed. How can funds be assigned to a project whose size, medical specialties, equipment, and staffing remain undefined?

Let us be optimistic and imagine that the hospital will be larger than expected. If so, this would highlight the importance of proper planning and prior studies. I say this without wishing to discourage anyone, although I fear that reality may ultimately prove disappointing.

How can we trust promises when previous experiences have damaged public confidence? One example often cited is King Hassan II’s public announcement regarding large oil reserves in Morocco. Another concerns the case of fifty thousand unemployed young people who were promised opportunities but never saw those promises fulfilled.

Another point that caught my attention was the statement made by the city’s member of parliament, who said that the future hospital would be better than the one in Saïdia. Such a statement suggests that he possesses detailed information, yet he refrains from confirming any specifics.

As citizens, we have every right to follow this matter closely because a hospital is a vital necessity. It is about saving human lives. Public health should be considered far more important than political gain or personal recognition.

I say this in light of statements by El Ibrahimi claiming that no one is trying to take credit for the project. Yet denying such claims can itself imply that the issue exists. Personally, I believe it would have been better to avoid raising the subject at all.

I sincerely hope that a hospital will one day become a reality in Ahfir. But in conclusion, I would say that the rooster’s egg will fall neither east nor west, because roosters do not lay eggs except in children’s fairy tales. So leave the rooster alone and stop fighting over something that does not yet exist. The real battles lie elsewhere: contributing to the city’s cultural, political, economic, and artistic development.

Good night to all, accompanied by the song of a legendary rooster that crows in the evening before dawn.

 

By BaAhfir – 2013