Article published in the Journal Hebdomadaire / February 2007
First Prize Press Now 2008 Best Investigative Journalism
They're young, they are ambitious and they are Moroccans. Consulting firms and investment banks to the struggling, markets follow their predictions. But what do we really know of this elite Moroccan expatriates?
It is 4 o'clock in the morning. Yassin returned home, finally ... at the hotel. Three months earlier he received a call from his boss: "Your visa arrived, you're going to Dubai in three days . And here in his suite, a giant screen welcomes him. The groom gives him something to sustain: a magnificent seafood platter and juices galore. Yassine asleep satiated, but for some hours. The next day promised to be tough, like the previous one also. This was long lost count of the hours spent in the office, day or night, away from family and friends Tangier Paris. If there was the money he saves and twice the salary he receives as compensation for his forced expatriation, or nearly 50,000 Dhs, long ago he would have resigned!
Two months later, the same are back Yassin, the son of a good family settled in Fez and Tangier graduated from high school Parisian commerce. He left Mercer, the consultancy business strategy that employed for gold, but scarcely more than the minimum wage if we reduce the salary he was receiving at the number of hours spent at work or at the client. He chose to resign, and he now has many projects in mind, all in Morocco.
What (s) profile (s)?
The Case of Yassin is fairly typical of this part to his gilded youth classes abroad and who has found success but for whom returning home is always a necessity. This example should not obscure the diversity of profiles of young Moroccans who succeed abroad. A recent study by the association Morocco Contractors (see box) has sought to examine the propensity to return these yuppies. To do Morocco Contractors has completed a comprehensive survey and gathered responses from nearly 2,000 Moroccans living abroad. This study represents a significant database to identify which means the profile of these young Rise in Europe and elsewhere. Nearly half of respondents (45.3%) left Morocco just after graduation Baccalaureate. Most come from what is commonly called the "mission", student visas are very difficult to obtain for other students, at least at this level in their schooling. The survey also shows that one third of respondents worked in the telecommunications sector and new technologies, just under 20% monopolizing the banking, insurance and finance. The high value of these young and very good skill level are obvious. Especially look at the trades practiced, we find that commercial (13%), researchers (13%), consultants (12%) accountants and financial (11%) hold the upper hand. The study also reveals that one third of respondents (32.1%) are graduates or students of an engineering school, and 23% have received business training in a private school. The scientific and arrive well ahead, even if students awarded by business schools have also often followed a literary education in preparatory classes. Note also that 76% of respondents have a higher level of education or equal to 5 tray and nearly half hold two degrees.
The sample studied by Morocco Contractors is certainly not representative of the Moroccan community abroad, commonly known as MREs, but it can determine a typical profile of a young Moroccan who a hit abroad: it is usually born in Morocco in a family rather easy and made his classes in high schools as Descartes or Lyautey before flying to France (for 70% of respondents). There followed a scientific engineering or business before turning to a career consultant, trader or listener. He usually keeps a close emotional tie with the country of origin. The survey reveals that 86% of respondents wished to return to Morocco in the short or medium term.
An idyllic vision of Morocco
understand how such a desire to return home, while, conversely, year after year, thousands of pateras trying to win the European Eldorado? These young people do not they idealized the country of their childhood? Their vision of Morocco is certainly influenced by the gentle carefree years they have often past. Brought to freedom from want for the most part they have not been as Morocco that those who today seek to escape by any means. Many are convinced that a special place awaits them in the big cities of the kingdom. Thus, while only 4% are employed as branch abroad, almost 17% want to find one in the country. Similarly, over half of respondents residing in the United States or the United Kingdom says it does want to return to Morocco for a higher salary to 30,000 Dhs. France, Belgium or Canada instead of the bar is the order of 20,000 Dhs. When we know qu’un jeune diplômé de l’ISCAE gagne en moyenne 8.000 Dhs, on comprend la mesure du décalage. De fait, la réalité est souvent moins tendre. « Les gens viennent avec l’idée qu’il est possible de faire n’importe quoi et n’importe comment au Maroc », affirme ainsi le directeur d’un centre régional d’investissement. « Ce n’est pas parce qu’on est MRE qu’on est un bon investisseur », ajoute-t-il. Toujours dans la même veine, le responsable d’une banque tangéroise annonce clairement la couleur : « Even with the best credentials in the world and the best business plan that may be, it is impossible to finance a young entrepreneur he has no solid guarantee behind him. " We understand better when the propensity to return depends more on family ties and social roots of the candidate for comeback: the more one comes from a wealthy background, the more one is sure of his trip home. For others, the experience abroad is often to stay. Thus, Karim, a graduate of ESCP and trader at Societe Generale in Paris, returning to fold, not for right away, " Finance is not sufficiently developed in Morocco and I can not hope to find a job in this field. The only way for me now is to put me back into my account, and as I can count on me, I must make savings ... .
If these young Moroccans are obviously very sensitive to their material welfare and wage issues, they do not make them uninterested in social and political developments in the kingdom. Over 25% of respondents say indeed want to return to Morocco "Contribute to national development." Thus the patriotic part she will definitely return to found.
But what is that Morocco want our expatriates? They are held at current events in the country and how they perceive the changes? What about the rising Islamist example? Many people say bluntly that " Islamists will not change much " if they come to government. In general, easily recognized that " King endorses all the successes and Prime Minister all failures. " Thus, the question of accountability is raised: perhaps the disaffection of Moroccan youth in all matters relating to politics she is the lack of transparency of public action. The discrediting of political parties is in any case for many obvious and technocracy necessarily a solution.
recovery policy?
The authors of the survey of Morocco Contractors are well aware that they risk being accused of Power stroke in the direction of the hair. Khalil Amine specifies that the invited speakers at conferences of Morocco Contractors (Nabil Benabdellah example is reached on the theme "Youth and Politics in Morocco" in Paris in January 2005) are chosen in function of the network knowledge of each other and not on partisan affinity. It is interesting to study the positioning of the Moroccan authorities in relation to an association such as Morocco Contractors. Think that for example the Embassy of the elite expatriate seeking to organize? The answer is simple: Ambassador to Paris Fathallah Sijilmassi spares no support for Morocco Contractors, always responding to invitations from the present association and regularly occurring on return to Morocco. From this point of view, the official message is clear: " Wherever you are, you can be useful to your country, the return is not the only option! . In fact, the Moroccan authorities are not necessarily pressed to welcome on their soil these young Moroccans who succeed. They transfer the currency in Morocco living abroad are probably more interesting than the skills they can bring to their country!
Yet it is certain that our rulers have always sought to control this part to his youth classes abroad and traditionally she held senior positions once in Morocco. It is for authorities to "filter" the return. But things are now much easier than before. In the years 1960 and 1970, Moroccan students abroad were in union structures as UNEM or UGEMA that depended respectively UNFP and Istiqlal UNEM draining course the bulk of the workforce. A former head of the Paris section of UNEM in the 1960s and now a member of the Political Bureau of the NIR, remembers well the atmosphere that presided over the meetings of the student union: shortly after the War of Sands, 1963 , in the midst of territorial tensions between Algeria and Morocco, the members of UNEM did not hesitate to organize a demonstration with the students to defend ... the Algerian Algerian theses in the dispute between the two countries ! The manager remembers being forced to remember his comrades in a little more patriotism!
Such an event is unthinkable today. Moroccans now living abroad, who succeed as much as their elders, are much more docile. Few indeed truly interested in political action. They follow the news as it keeps abreast of sports scores, but they never wet the shirt! How then did we move from one mode of student organization based on political groupings to essentially economic and bringing together aspiring entrepreneurs? The disillusionment with politics has been there! In Morocco as in their branches abroad, political parties fail to attract young people now, and political action has lost its meaning as its efficiency.
Generation apolitical
Our young expatriates often claim some form of patriotism. But it rarely happens with activism or engagement policy. An association as Morocco claims to Contractors and "apolitical", it wishes "A promotional role of Morocco" and wants to run "the economic leverage to develop the country." One of the main difficulties of this investigation was to gather moreover political stances. While many of our talented young expatriates willing indeed to "talk politics" as part of a private club, not just the crossing of a public commitment.
Few actually claim the right to publicly express political opinions. It is clear that our future elite (those who passes the back) has already mastered the art of waffling and dicours consensual. Issam, a student at ESSEC, recognizes "a group of influence" that often stifles individuality. " It's hard to stand out . Similarly, Omar, a student in London, understands that " people who have staked everything on their studies and their careers by doing a preparation and having crazy schedules (they) fear of involvement in problematic political t ". While much of leftist political parties (mainly USFP and PPS) are relays among young Moroccans parties to make their classes abroad.
But this commitment is too often the result of a family culture activist and not enough of a path that is strictly personal. In short, if our young expatriates embark sometimes in association with an economic or humanitarian character, little off the beaten path, very little campaigning in non-governmental parties. Their political consciousness is often a smooth muscle for many people, hold government positions only to identify the man or woman in politics. This depreciation is directly linked to the lack of credit given to parties Political and Parliament.
But if elected bodies are held in low esteem, the executive continues to inspire our young and ambitious expatriates. The ministers were technocrats their forties favors. No, really, our youth carton abroad are anything but the rebels! The state can now - at a cost of almost zero for it - tap into a pool of several generations of budding technocrats.
Le Journal Hebdomadaire - Suleiman Bencheikh
0 comments:
Post a Comment