HIBAPRESS – Abdellatif Baraka
An official correspondence issued by the Sebou River Basin Agency, written in French, addressed to the governor of Sidi Kacem regarding the floods, sparked a debate within circles following administrative affairs, especially in light of a memorandum issued by the Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, which explicitly calls for the adoption of the Arabic language in official administrative correspondence.
This step raises more than one question mark about the extent to which public institutions affiliated with the supervisory ministry adhere to central directives, especially since the ministerial memorandum emphasized, in the context of strengthening administrative governance, the unification of the official language of communication and the adoption of Arabic as the basic language of administration, in harmony with constitutional requirements and government orientations. Observers believe that the continuation of some public institutions in directing their correspondence in French reflects a structural problem related to an inherited administrative culture, rather than an institutional choice consistent with the new directives, which opens the door to questions about the effectiveness of the tracking and monitoring mechanisms within the ministerial sectors. Those interested in public affairs also consider that respecting the language of correspondence does not only fall within a formal framework, but is related to the principle of administrative harmony and equal access to information, especially when it comes to correspondence addressed to local actors or elected bodies, in which the language used is supposed to be clear and understandable to everyone. In this context, the role of the Ministry of Equipment and Water in supporting its affiliated institutions and ensuring compliance with the memoranda and directives issued by it stands out, which enhances the image of the unified and coherent administration, and consolidates the principle of linking responsibility to accountability. This discussion brings back to the forefront the demand to review administrative practices within a number of public institutions, not only at the level of the language of correspondence, but also in terms of their compatibility with the reform directives announced by the government sectors, with a view to a more harmonious administration and closer to the citizen.
