PAM will base its post-election alliances on the choices made by voters at the ballot box, Mehdi Bensaïd said on Sunday, as the party begins positioning itself for the political arithmetic that will follow the September 23 legislative elections.
“We will forge alliances with the political parties preferred by the people,” Bensaïd, one of PAM’s three leaders, told a rally in Oulad Amrane in Sidi Bennour province.
He said the party would not “shy away from its responsibilities,” while acknowledging shortcomings during its first experience in government.
“We are not claiming that everything is perfect after our initial experience in government, and our primary challenge is to curb rising prices,” he stated.
Bensaïd, the outgoing Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, said PAM’s priority was to address shortcomings and rebuild public trust through fieldwork and closer engagement with citizens.
Prices, farmers and livestock aid
Much of Bensaïd’s speech focused on rural areas and the pressure facing small farmers.
He described the rural economy as a key pillar of food security and said Sidi Bennour had a central role to play, while pointing to shortcomings in road infrastructure and agricultural policy.
Current public policies do not sufficiently benefit small farmers, he said, particularly as vegetable and meat prices remain under pressure.
“We are not saying that everything is fine. We tried our best, but there were problems and challenges that impacted people’s lives,” Bensaïd said.
He argued that the shortcomings were not the result of “ill intention” in government but said PAM had no difficulty acknowledging where policies had fallen short.
Bensaïd was particularly critical of the management of livestock aid, saying the operation had experienced “failures and irregularities.”
“We have no problem acknowledging this dysfunction and revisiting it to implement better and more effective solutions,” he said.
PAM will carry several of the positions it defended while in government into its election platform, Bensaïd added, with rebuilding public trust among the party’s priorities.
