Rabat - There are lessons that should be learned from the Ben Barka case, which should be used for the good of the nation, King Mohammed VI stressed.
"Nations build their destiny on their history, with its positive as well as its negatives aspects. Indeed, a people without history is a people without identity. It is also a people for whom there can be no future", King Mohammed underlined in a message on the occasion of the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the disappearance of Mehdi Ben Barka, which was read out by Abderrahmane Youssoufi.
Recalling that Ben Barka was a "man of peace" and "close to the royal family", the Sovereign stressed that the enemies of the kingdom have been exploiting this question to tarnish Morocco’s image.
Ben Barka’s name has gone down in history. There is no good or bad history; history is history: it is the memory of an entire people, the Monarch said.
For the Sovereign, "History is not a mere recording of events as they occurred at a given point in time. History also involves the manner in which events are written down and the interpretation each one gives them, depending on their perception and standpoint".
What matters most is "that all Moroccans should fully identify with their history, with its ups and downs, in order to be able to live in a safe, stable environment today, and to set out to build a better future, with confidence and optimism", King pointed out.
"The monarchy was - and still is - deeply committed to cohesion between all components of our country, provided the nation’s immutable values are respected. They are the same values for which many Moroccans, who were committed to freedom, including Mehdi Ben Barka, made the ultimate sacrifice", the Monarch underlined, affirming that as Commander of the Faithful and King of the country, He shall spare no effort to preserve the nation’s democratic choices, and to protect the rights and freedoms of Moroccans, as individuals and groups.
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