From Illusions of Empowerment to Attacking the State… Benkirane Ends What Remains of Justice and Development
In a scene that exposes the depth of contradiction and opportunism, the Justice and Development Party issued a confused statement attempting to patch what cannot be mended and evade the comments made by its leader, Abdelilah Benkirane, following his attack on the military institution’s orientations, in a blatant violation of a sovereign entity that should not be entangled in narrow political calculations by a party that has lost its way.
The statement was merely a desperate attempt to throw dust in the eyes, interpreting Benkirane’s remarks in a duplicitous manner, as if Moroccans do not understand the language or recognize the intentions behind the rhetoric. Instead of a clear apology, the party chose justification and to bend to the storm, while behind the scenes, it mobilized its media arms and digital brigades to defend Benkirane’s remarks, attempting to whitewash reckless behavior that cannot be justified.
This behavior reveals two things:
First, Benkirane’s comments were not uttered in a vacuum; he reflects an internal trend within the party that rejects the idea of a modern national state and thrives on a confrontational mentality against sovereign institutions.
Secondly, the Justice and Development Party, instead of addressing this deviation, chose complicity by manipulating concepts and defending the toxic rhetoric that emerged from the mouth of its defeated leader.
The party that once filled public squares with moral slogans today sinks into the depths of moral and political contradiction. It publicly condemns its leader’s statements while justifying and fueling them from behind. It pretends to disavow, while rallying the horns to defend. Is this a responsible political party, or merely an organization evading reality to save what remains of its crumbled image?
The reality is that Justice and Development, after its crushing electoral defeat, has learned nothing. It remains beholden to a conspiracy mentality, fabricating rivals, and deluding itself that populism can return it to the forefront. Yet it does not understand that Moroccans have lost faith in it, not only due to its management failures but also due to its betrayal of national values and its members’ overstepping of fundamental principles.
The Moroccan army is not fodder for political squabbles, nor a subject for populist posturing. The military institution is too significant to receive lessons from a party rejected by the streets, and too dignified to respond to the nonsense of a man whose political shelf life has expired, rummaging through the trash of populism for a moment of illusory glory.
The Justice and Development Party has ended politically and ethically. Those who remain within it are either partners in its decline or false witnesses to a complete moral breakdown.
Today, those who defend Benkirane are justifying political betrayal. Those who remain silent are participating in a conspiracy against the nation.
Benkirane has crossed all lines. His party has revealed its true self: a party without principles, without a stance, without a nation.
