Between the festival and development: Have the elected officials lost their way?

Agadir24

Amidst the hype we are experiencing today, it seems that the concept of development has transformed from a arduous process requiring planning and perseverance to a mobile party carried on the shoulders of elected officials.

Today, you find them competing not to achieve real accomplishments, but to show off the number of attendees at a festival here or there, as if the number of attendees is the new measure of success.

But let’s be realistic: does building education and health capacity require likes and encouraging comments on Facebook? Does improving infrastructure and attracting investment require photos and videos on Instagram? Some elected officials seem to live in a virtual world, where motivation and encouragement come through screens, while the real challenges in reality remain forgotten or ignored.

In this world, all it takes is to organize a simple event in a public square, invite the “Ahwash” band, and you will see the crowds flocking, then the cameras come to capture the scenes, and the posts start to appear on social media: “A great success,” “Record attendance,” “Great effort.” But is this the real success we seek?

True success is measured by the ability of these elected officials to solve the problems of the population, to provide good education, to provide health care available to all, and to achieve economic development that opens up new job opportunities and creates an attractive investment environment.

Success is measured by what is accomplished on the ground, not by what is shown on screens.

Have you ever seen an elected official rush to propose laws that serve the interests of the citizen with the same enthusiasm he shows when organizing a festival? Have you seen him plead with ministries to solve the problems of his region with the same effort he puts into taking souvenir photos with artists? It seems that priorities have become mixed up, and hard work has become a secondary requirement.

What is ironic is that these elected officials believe that a large crowd is a certificate of success, forgetting that anyone can organize a simple event that brings people together in a square, but the difference lies in what is achieved after the crowds disperse? Where are the results that citizens can touch in their daily lives?

The festival, elected representatives, is not an end in itself. It is merely a means, or perhaps the culmination of your efforts over the course of a whole year. But when it becomes the focus of your primary interest, and becomes the end instead of the means, then you lose your compass.

Real development requires investment in people and stone, in minds and infrastructure, not in lights and cameras.

Abdullah bin Issa to Agadir 24