Morocco's King Mohammed VI delivers a speech marking the 20th anniversary of his accession to the throne. Royal Palace via AFP
Morocco's King Mohammed VI delivers a speech marking the 20th anniversary of his accession to the throne. Royal Palace via AFP
Morocco's King Mohammed VI delivers a speech marking the 20th anniversary of his accession to the throne. Royal Palace via AFP
Morocco's King Mohammed VI delivers a speech marking the 20th anniversary of his accession to the throne. Royal Palace via AFP

Moroccan king lays out plan to tackle development and social inequalities


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King Mohammed VI of Morocco laid out a plan to tackle development and social inequalities while urging a government reshuffle in a speech on Monday.

The committee will serve as an advisory body to make suggestions to improve reforms in fields such as education, health, agriculture, investment and taxation, said the monarch in a speech marking twenty years of his rule.

The 55-year old king enumerated some key achievements of his rule, with emphasis on infrastructure developments such as highways, high-speed railway, ports, renewable energy and urban development.

"What undermines this positive result is that the effects of the progress and the achievements made has not, unfortunately, been felt by all segments of the Moroccan society", he said.

He paid special emphasis to the need to open up the economy to foreign investors and revamp the public sector.

Such projects and reforms require new leaders in decision-making positions, he said.

"I ask the head of government to submit to me, after the summer break, proposals to fill executive posts in the government and the civil service with high-level national elites chosen on merit and competence", he said.

The king also reiterated his "policy of the outstretched hand toward Algeria", invoking the "brotherhood" and "joy" expressed in Morocco after the Algerian team won the African Cup of Nations.

Shared borders have been closed between the two North African neighbours since 1994.

The two countries are at loggerheads over a set of issues including the Western Sahara, a disputed territory considered by Morocco as an integral part of its sovereign lands, but also claimed by the Algerian-backed Polisario Front.

Morocco has largely been insulated from the turmoil that hit North Africa and the Middle East since the Arab uprisings of 2011, although it regularly sees protests over economic and social problems.

The monarchy, under pressure from protesters, in a 2011 constitutional referendum delegated some of its powers to an elected government.

Three ways to limit your social media use

Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.

1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.

2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information. 

3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.

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