“Jeune Afrique” magazine editor-in-chief François Soudan discarded the crude and amateurish investigations and ensuing allegations made by international media about Morocco’s King Mohammed VI.
Soudan explained that the “Sherlock Holmes” of these investigations say it loud and clear: they did not set foot inside the Palace to get information from the horse’s mouth and resolved to rumors and anonymous second-hand sources.
The news outlets also relied on the sayings of the Red Prince (the King’s cousin) who is famished for media attention. The Prince has been living for so long on the fringes of society as he could not bear the large shadow cast by the palace. Not to mention remarks by incognito diplomats satisfying the curiosity of buzz-seeking reporters.
When it comes to the Sherifian Monarchy, those same journalists who would leave no stone unturned to get royalties’ dirt seem to miss the point. The author clarified that King Mohammed VI, who celebrates his sixtieth birthday this year, rose above all kinds of skepticism and criticism levelled at him, and gained popular acclaim thanks to his farsightedness and understanding.
“Morocco’s current situation is stable compared to other nations, particularly under the reign of the Moroccan monarch. To rule means to last by adapting to circumstances, and the important thing is to be strong enough to act,” wrote Soudan in the August edition entitled “Mohammed VI: 60 years and lots of secrets”.
According to the journalist, the monarch did not ignore the foundations of the country’s clout, namely a proactive, persistent strategy that rejects demagogic calculations and embraces advances.
Islam and religion are not only “at the core of the legitimacy” of the monarchy but they are also a strong factor of social stability, and an essential component of the Moroccan identity, he said.