By Ali Bouzerda
The sea makes the waves, the thoughts and the sailboats wander: the head also wanders and the roads, which yesterday were there, today are not there, said an Italian proverb.
It happened during the last century… I well remember the time of the infamous Driss Basri (super-Minister of Information and the Interior), when the Moroccan television broadcaster (RTM) announced every evening to Moroccan viewers the “incredible” prices of basic necessities including prices of tomatoes, lentils, meats, etc.
At that time, there was only the RTM, the only “crystal ball” which made it possible to see what was happening at home and elsewhere. Of course, the prices it posted – – on Basri’s instructions – – were those of the wholesale market and had nothing to do with the truth of the prices practiced, in particular, in the popular markets.
At that time, there was neither Morocco Mall, nor Marjane, nor Carrefour, nor Acima, nor BIM and nor Label Vie… And ironically, it was “the good life” despite everything, because the citizen was not obliged to pay 20% VAT each time on its purchases in the supermarkets which, since then, have been springing up like mushrooms every year.
And mine nothing, at this rate, the small trade of the districts is likely to disappear with time, especially because of the competition of these supermarkets, a pure product of a wild liberalism where only richest can survive.
In short, people, at that time of the eighties and nineties, wondered if the RTM had a special store at the corner of El Brihi street in Rabat where they might possibly do their “cheap” shopping, identical to the prices displayed each evening, following the main events of the 8:00 p.m. news, on their color cathode ray tube… whereas, of course, the next day, their daily life was rather in “black and white”.
All this to tell you that Mr. Mustapha Baitas, “éminence grise”, they say, of Ssi Akhannouch, affirms with certain conviction that Morocco is “the only country” which spends the equivalent of $500 million for the support of the transport sector, all types combined.
And to add, during a weekly press briefing, Thursday, November 17, 2022, that this “financial support” would have contributed “to the stabilization” of the prices of goods and food products in Morocco.
Awesome, isn’t it?
Should Moroccans be grateful and close it for good, they who contributed to the state coffers with no less than 33 billion DH ($3.5 billion) at the end of October 2022, an increase in tax revenue of 18 .7% compared to the same period last year (figures from the Ministry of Finance). A feat, which, despite the crisis, did not attract the attention of Mr. Baitas, it seems?
In fact, one wonders what products and goods the government speaker is talking regarding?
Back to the future. One wonders if the Akhannouch government would by any chance have special supermarkets in front of which ordinary people might queue in order to benefit from exceptional prices?
In this case, the government spokesperson is, in fact, only talking regarding the full part of the glass… but this vision of things unfortunately does not reflect the reality on the ground.
And not to be unfair, he also speaks of the 10,623 checkpoints “of the prices and quality of products and goods in 2022”. A classic routine job and a drop in the ocean… but this is not the subject that concerns citizens on a day-to-day basis.
In fact, all you have to do is leave the ivory tower and take a short walk, not far from the Primature, in the various markets of the city of Rabat – – for example in Akkari – – , to discover that the prices of many basic necessities, and not luxury ones, fluctuate sharply each week, far from this theoretical approach of “price stability”.
Logically, how can prices remain stable?
At the time when we expected the rain which might put out “the flames” of the high cost of living; a spike in fuel prices was triggered driven by rising fuel prices.
No, it’s not Voltaire*’s fault this time.
There is a fed up listening to the song “the Ukrainian crisis and its impact…”. Besides, the record is already scratched… Gentlemen, we have to find something else!
Ssi Akhannouch and his adviser may talk regarding “support”, “help”, “solidarity”, “social budget”, “patience”, “we are on the right track” and all the popular rhetoric relayed by certain media, the solution: to show solidarity, fuel prices must be lowered to a tolerable threshold for consumers and traders.
Isn’t it time to make a joint decision by making a substantial reduction in taxes and of course in the “famous” profit margins of importers and distributors of petroleum products on the national market?
What does the five billion dirhams ($500 million) of support, of which Mr. Baitas speaks to us, represent compared to the profit margins of the seven distribution companies in Morocco?
And just out of curiosity, these days, we would like to have an idea of the staggering amount of these profits, in particular, since 2015, the date of the liberalization of the petroleum products market in Morocco?
Bob Dylan reminds us in his immortal song: “For the times, they are a-changin'”: “Times are changing… keep your eyes wide open…”
Ultimately, you have to be vigilant, the current waffle is causing headaches… In the age of the Internet, it would be absurd to hide the sun with a sieve and even less with words…
For the majority of a population, patient and silent, “patience has many limits” (للصبر حدود), as the diva of Arabic song, Oum Kalthoum said…
On good terms, hello!
* This is the song that Gavroche hummed in the work + Les miserables + by Victor Hugo:
” I fell on the ground,
It’s Voltaire’s fault,
nose in the stream,
It’s Rousseau’s fault. »
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