The King is not a prophet and the government is not sacred, says former Moroccan PM

The former Prime Minister of Morocco, Abdul Ilah Benkiran, has praised King Mohammed VI, but insisted that differences of opinion with him are natural because he is “not a prophet” and the government can make mistakes because it is not sacred, Arabi21.com reported on Monday.

“We have to respect the King,” Benkiran told youth members of his Freedom and Justice Party. “The King must remain respected because he did not come through elections. He is the head of state and the emir of the believers and is there because of history.”

The people of Morocco, he pointed out, are not fools for keeping the royal family for centuries. “The King has a symbolic role and political roles which are more than symbolic… As such, there could be a political difference with him, but this must be dealt with respectfully.”

The former prime minister acknowledged that there could be corruption inside his party and there could be a number of corrupt officials who misused their government posts. “This must be fought,” he insisted.

Read: Hundreds protest rampant corruption, bribery in Morocco

He also accused those who claim that his party is responsible for Morocco’s problems of lying. Although they claim that the party has “leaked” into every aspect of the state, he explained, “frankly there are no more than 20 Muslim Brotherhood members holding senior posts in the government.”

The Freedom and Justice Party, added Benkiran, is not afraid of elections. He stressed his belief that the people will re-elect it when new elections are called.