Morocco # English board

I had to stop by to sign a document this morning & I was chocked to see a queue coming out to Praed Street , I stood there for a bit before a guy in the queue tells me if I do not need a visa there was no need to queue ,no notices to this effect & you cannot get thru to speak to "achawach" its 1.3 m X0.5 m corridor where they cramming all these visa applicant (tourist going home to spend money !)
Once I squeezed thru the usual "ach 3andak " ,then upstairs again "ach 3andak" then to the second floor to this place I cannot call an office ,the lady was asking me for my consulate card ,I did not have it on me ( I do not know what I have done with it ) ,do you have you passport she asks , obviously No ,she tells me well we wont be able to sign your document …then she started looking on her system for about 15 minutes to find out from a colleagues that the system was down ( apparently she was looking for my consulate number !! I did hand in my ID card with my address here ect …but no good …………

Ok, after paying £4.27 for a stamp ( a rip off in morocco its 2 Dhs,an other way of milking us) she handed me the document saying go to the room in the end & see if she will sign it ! ( no ides who do I need to see ,no name ,position Nada )

I walk in to this box room dark & dingy with this fat cow setting & steering at the wall ,she seems cold & she had her arms crossed …………wow typical …she asks me the same thing about my consulate ID ,passport ect …..& says I cannot sign your document as I need the number for the ministry of foreign affairs …….to this a replied the system is down at the mo & …No no its your fault you did not bring in your consulate ID ….(here I felt I was 7 again inn the primary school back home being told off for forgetting my exercises book …………… then she said how do I know you live here ? …ok but my address in on my Moroccan ID ! Dough …still she said …I started look in my back to show her a bank statement I had on me ….she said look ! Now I'am doing you better stop or I wont sign it for you !! Here I was really told off ,waited for her to put a stamp on it & asked me to do a photocopy …. The stamp had MAJDA BENARAFA La Vice Consule , well I rest my case ...

Going down the stairs I hear our "shawach" on the phone to someone enquiring about a visa , "PASSPOR ENGLISH ,NO NO VISA " in a very loud voice ,as I squeezed thru the people waiting this time they were all laughing at our "shawach "phone answering manner & his loud & abrupt voice I wished I could hide ….

The moral of the story here as we still treating our own like cattle & Majda & the shawach still fronting our image to the whole world no surprises if we are where we are !

Few Q's
- why we employ these people to front Morocco in the west ?
-why other qualified people are back home jobless ?
-How do we move on from this situation ?

wow! looks like you had a pretty rough morning with our fellow brothers! i know all what you described for having been through the same situation. I really hate that place, it makes my blood boil!! I asked myself the same questions so many times but can't understand why they recruit losers to represent us abroad! I mean a consulate is the first door to a country, it should mirror the way we behave and reflect, mind you, maybe it's just the way we are, maybe we are just fooling ourselves thinking that we could become civilised one day. It's really sad that's all i can say

Minnie

We were civilised once we shows the world what we could do : IBN Batouta ,Al Idrissi ........

I feel they are people in high places searching well & hard to find these retarded guys & they employ them to front our Bled
I remimber once i was checking out this Moroccan community Fair in Ladbroke Grove & its was local election's time & George Galloway was doing his walk about & he wonders in & started talking to this bastard from "Al Widadia " who could not speak arabic ...let alone converse , i felt a shamed there & i wished i could just disapear ..........
But the question remains how could we change this ?

hi atlas magic,
until when are we going to put up with these idiots treating us like cattle
i have an idea , we need to protest !!!!, you minniemouse and me just the 3 of us
minniemouse will be in charge of writing big slogans with the name : madame majda benarafa and i am sure she will find nice words to make her angry when she looks from her office we need the chaouche name and also the fat cow name .....
you mission will be talking in a microphone , i hope you have a big and aloud voice like pavarotti
to make them deaf , and me i will handle the chaouche i am a trouble maker i will be in the front ready for any pushing or any arguing , i will bring with me a big basket full of eggs and tomatoes that will be a fun day out for everybody wouldn t that be great
throwing eggs on these tyabat dyal l7ammame
i feel better already just imagining this spectacular show



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/22/2007 11:00 by rosette1.

rosette1

Thank you i like your idea ,but on serious note i'am thinking to write to the Ambassador he seemed a good guy once i met him in 2000 .............
What we could all do is write to him & invite others to do so , we need to highlight this issue i'am very concerned that as a country we spend money & after a lots of efforts & sacrifices we leave some P@@ K representing our country & talking to potentiel visitors in this manner i have heard that we had to wave all taxes to get Easyjet to fly to Morocco & if we think of all this money we giving up to get some returns ect ...........

Please let me know what you guys think

hi atlasmagic ,

i did write before to his higness the embassador(the godfather),i sent a special delivery letter with a big note in capital letters (private and confidential) simply no answer
what happens is , these people in the embassy are a sample of what we have in our happy kingdom morocco
a letter from a citizen doesn t mean anything , they don t even bother reading it and it will end up in the bin ,
do you think those tyabat dyal l7ammam who work there will let such letter to land on the embassador s desk, suppose our letters slipped through their fishing nets , don t you think that mr the embassador
without any doubt is part of this problem, he must know all these , in their opinion , that s the way it is , and we just have to put up with it .



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/2007 12:30 by rosette1.

Quote
atlasmagic
rosette1

Thank you i like your idea ,but on serious note i'am thinking to write to the Ambassador he seemed a good guy once i met him in 2000 .............
What we could all do is write to him & invite others to do so , we need to highlight this issue i'am very concerned that as a country we spend money & after a lots of efforts & sacrifices we leave some P@@ K representing our country & talking to potentiel visitors in this manner i have heard that we had to wave all taxes to get Easyjet to fly to Morocco & if we think of all this money we giving up to get some returns ect ...........

Please let me know what you guys think

Dear atlasmagic, your post really made me laugh!! SubhanAllah....there's an Arabs saying which goes like this: 'el 7hem ylla kwa, imma kay dahak imma kay bek-kie', its actually really sad to read that these problems occure at ALL MOROCCAN embassies abroad

Im from Holland myself, and its really a SHAME to even come near a moroccan consulate or the embassy. The employees, their 'service', the building's condition itself...from the moment you enter you can feel you're in moroccan territory!! hahaha subhanAllah!!

Anway, your are so right about those qualified people back home etc etc. I know people who are qualified and work for the consulate and the embassy, and they have the same comments. Its a problem which lies back home, they send these people....with 10 times their salary for 4 of 5 years to an other country.. it all has to do with 'resoua' corruption...and those ministers, the send there family and friends...they dont look at one's experience or qualifications unfortunatly...

Forget the protest...it will not help!!! We have to get rid off to those damn ministers and managers who collect 'rachoua'.....that will chance everything



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/25/2007 12:02 by Nour el Ain.

rosette1

Sad to read that you did not get a reply from the embassy ,but i feel we need to start some where ,may be a petition ?

Nour el Ain

It is obviously the same everywhere ,i still believe we could sign a petition & send it to the minister & now we have a new guy & hope for the best , i hear what you saying but we need to start some where

ha ha ha It is unbelieveable, it is the same thing in Holland. I think it is forbidden for them to answer our questions on a humain been way. No they really enjoy the 40 secondes of power that they have over you, to humilate you over and over again. "your need 50 photos and another 100 copies" And the building oh my God, I don't need to tell you in what awfull state it is. I had also "the honour" to see the consulate inlille France, SAME THING too. Morocco wants to be a modern attractive country, but God do they need to upgrade there "front offices".

I remember, when in the waiting room at the moroccan embassy in bern, somebody saying: "corruption and inefficiency are our universal exports; you'll find both in every moroccan embassy/consulate on earth"
I think it sums up moroccan civil servants' attitude.
On a funny note, we have to pay for (photo) copies at the moroccan embassy in bern.
I did work for Foreign affairs for a little more than 2 years. I did my "service civil" actually.
Writing to complain is useless as it'll never reach the destinator.
"Section des affaires consulaires" in Rabat is supposed to insure the follow up on such cases, but they never do because you're incriminating one of theirs.
I think the best way would be to send a "petition" to the Royal Cabinet. I am quiet sure you could expect some positive response.

Ps: the "chaouch" story is also part of our universal export

bengi , what is the address of the royal cabinet??????thanks

Son Excellence Monsieur le Directeur du Cabinet Royal
Palais Royal
Rabat
Royaume du Maroc

Bengi

Thank you for the tip ,i'am taking note

I had the same problem with them here in Denmark. I quickly found out that these people only "respect" yuo if you desrespect them, don't ever smile to them, be rude and scream at them if they try to be rude at you. It's sad but it's the only thing that helps, you have to show them that they are there to serve you and the only why you can do that is to be more rude than they are.

Btw if you think that they treat us like catle in the consultae, then you really have to try the Almeria-Nador ferry connection. The consulate is nothing in comparison. I tried it once and I will never ever again in my life do the same mistake even if it the last way to get to Morocco.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/2007 07:03 by Kutchia.

Kutchia

All over the world we get the same treatment ,my points is how can we stop it

It surprising to see that most of you are complaining and dissatisfied with Moroccan consulates all abroad; However, I don't share you opinions. I live in Chicago and had to deal with Moroccan consulate in New York once. I lost my Moroccan passport and needed to get a new one. I have called them and they asked me to send all the documents. I didn't have to go to New York or anything. They took care of it and sent me a replacement. It took little bit more than I expected but that understandable since they were dealing with a lost passport. Maybe things in NY are different.

The other thing is get """ Blue """ passport and you dont have to deal with them.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/02/2007 03:54 by fidjouss.

fidjouss

I'am glad that you experience in NY was good & may be the consulate in NY is efficente & this is a good news & we should be happy with that .

The point is still how could we have all our consulates like the one in NY !
A blue ,Red or purplr passport is just a travel document & regardless for the colour of mine i'am Moroccan to the bone & i dream ( i have a dream !!) that one day we could be treanted with respect as Moroccan citizens by our own !

To the guy/girl who mentioned something about the NYC consulate. Try to call them during the week and see if anyone picks up the phone, "NEVER", b7al yla meyteen. U get lucky once in a while but the majority of the times, NO. What I said reflects the opinion of a lot of Moroccans in the US, if not the majority. And if u get lucky and they pick up, the first word u hear the guy say is "Allouuu". Nothing like Thank U for Calling......How May I Help. Ach gha ngouleek, SOME goats will always stay goats

I wont insult the Goats they guys r Donkies

I prefer Donkies too but recently Moroccans have been using the word Goats more often so I started using it too, I think I like it better the more I say it.

[Good morning,ramadan karim...

wellah ci pas bien la vice consulat de maroc a london,haram tari9a dial ta3amul dialha me3a aljaliya almaghribia,allah yakhod alha9 yarabi wach makayenin les homme li 9aryiin et les femme li matrabiin bach ijibo lina henaya had la3robiya lima3arfa ta haja men al9anoon otabda terawat 3ela anssa makyen ihtiraam/ wabdlu had aljahila LA VICE CONSULAT MAJDA BENARAFA..RAHA MESSAKHFA 3IBAD ALLAH OZAYDAHA HETA No respect she is not a profesional,i think she come from the donkey to the plain...you name it....ya rabi khod alha9 fi had ramdan.

salam,

I watched a clip on youtube last week about Moroccans who invade a consulate i can't remember exactly where in Italy. They got fed up with the bureaucracy and attitude of the consulate staff then broke the locked gate and made their way inside the consulate to meet the council and protest. This is the lonely language these people do understand. For the person who is planning to write and protest to the royal cabinet, it's just a waste of time. It's like " tel pere tel fils"....... I felt embarassed when I knew that the mayor of this Italian city where the Moroccan consulate is wrote a letter to the Moroccan consul asking him to set up an electronic system to make the process smooth and quick. He also complained that many Moroccans coming to the consulate form a long queue and obstruct the street and at the end leave garbage all around the area. He added that they only have trouble with Moroccan consulate whereas consulate of other countries are well organised.....

WHAT A SHAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's always funny to deal with the Moroccan Consulate Staff in Pread St. In 1994, I went there to reniew my passport as it run out. There was a very kind lady secretary working just outside the Consul, she was not Moroccan but looked like Asian o so. Don't know if she's still there...

The funny bit of the story is when I walked into the Consul's office, he went "Ach dakchi ?" I was so scared that I even forgot what I had come for, really amazing!
So I told him I needed to change or extend my passport. He replied "Where are you going to ?" I said : "To France, to visit my familly". And the man told me : "France is just accross the Channel, so why don't you just grow wings and fly there ?"
I was just flabbergasted. And guess what ? He told me to walk off....He was the Consul !!!! Oh dear!

I alwayshad a good welcome went I went there. The staff seemed very friendly and polite.
May be because I am polite and Friendly.

Quote
adds
I alwayshad a good welcome went I went there. The staff seemed very friendly and polite.
May be because I am polite and Friendly.

Yeah, and we're not...

Salam,

I've been trying to reach the moroccan consulate in New York for more than a week, by phone, by emails... guess what! Nothing, waloooooooo

Update:
I finally got some one to answer the phone today, after trying their extensions randomly. The man sounded friendly and gave me the information I needed. That saved me a trip to New York.

What I would say, we are Moroccans and we will be Moroccans forever, you know what I mean

Good luck every Moroccan on this planet!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/14/2010 05:11 by justyoussef.