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Approved on Monday, 20th of August, by Prime Minister Saadeddine El Othmani’s cabinet, compulsory military service has been rejected by a collective launched on social media.
Dubbed «No to Compulsory Military Service», the campaign was first launched through the creation of a private Facebook group. Today, the group has more than 14,000 members, a number that continues to grow.
«The way in which this bill has been reintroduced is not democratic, since it has not been subjected to a vote and was not part of the government’s program that gets approved by the parliament», wrote the leader of the collective.
A group on Facebook and a petition
On the 25th of August, a number of activists posted a petition on petition website Change.org, explaining that they reject the implementation of the bill. «As young men and women from the online group entitled ‘No to Compulsory Military Service’, we oppose the reinstation of the measure», they wrote.
«How can we solve problems of young people without consulting them ?», questioned the group.
For these young people, the educational system, health services, culture and employment must be put first. «Will compulsory military service improve the situation of young people or is it just a quick fix ?» wondered the group.
The collective urged the government to initiate a national debate that should be voted at the parliament. It also called for amending the current bill by making it voluntary or optional for people to join military service.
Established in 1966, amended in 1999 and removed in 2006
For the record, the new project is expected to resemble the law applied on June the 9th, 1966. One year after Morocco declared the state of emergency, King Hassan II implemented compulsory military service through Royal Decree No. 137-66
Moroccans aged between 18 and 30 years old had to attend two different courses : a basic training to help «defend the country» when needed, and a technical and professional one to «raise [the] social level» and contribute to the development of the nation.
The same law was amended on the 25th of August 1999, reducing the period of trainings to 12 months. Young people targeted by the service had to be aged between 20 and 40 years old.
Seven years later, compulsory military service had been removed by a royal decree in 2006, notably «for financial reasons».
