HIBAPRESS – Casablanca
The work of the ordinary September session of the Al-Hayy Al-Hassani District Council in Casablanca witnessed a state of tension and protest today, following a sudden decision to transform the session from public and open to the public into a closed session. This move surprised a number of council members and attendees, and sparked a wave of protests inside and around the hall.
According to circulating information, the decision to make the session secret was taken suddenly, and without any prior announcement or appropriate notification, as witnessed by attendees, clarifying to public opinion and council members the reasons or details of this measure. This led a number of advisors and followers of local affairs to find themselves facing an unexpected change in the nature of the session, after the atmosphere had been prepared for its work to begin as a public session.
The decision, which according to information from the district was directed by the governor of the Al-Hayy Al-Hassani District Governorate, sparked a wave of resentment and protest, especially in the absence of prior clarifications about the motives for closing the session to the public, and whether there were legal reasons or necessities that required taking this measure at this particular time.
The resentment was not limited to council members and attendees, but also extended to the media corps who attended to cover the session's work. A number of journalists and representatives of media outlets found themselves outside the hall, as they were unable to follow the discussions and deliberations, despite their presence at the scene to follow the council's work and convey it to local public opinion.
The press body expressed surprise at this decision, considering that preventing the press from attending a session that was originally scheduled to be public raises more than one question mark, especially since the journalists, according to available information, did not receive any prior notification indicating a change in the nature of the session or a decision to close it.
Journalists were forced to wait around the hall and its corridors, in an attempt to obtain information about what was happening behind closed doors, while sufficient official clarifications to public opinion about the reasons that led to this sudden decision were absent, up to this moment.
This development brings back to the forefront the debate about the principle of public sessions of elected councils, the right of citizens and the media to follow the work of elected institutions, as well as the importance of institutional communication and prior notification when it comes to changing the nature of a scheduled public session.
