Makhzen
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Makhzen (Arabic: مخزِن) is a Moroccan Arabic term for the governing elite in Morocco, centered around the king and consisting of royal notables, businessmen, wealthy landowners, tribal leaders, top-ranking military personnel, security service bosses, and other well-connected members of the establishment. Today, this term carries a heavy negative charge which means the absence of democracy and freedom and the absolute rule of dictatorship, the state or even corruption.[citation needed] The term is used in Moroccan independent newspapers to describe or condemn the lack of democracy and the human rights abuses committed by state police or officials.[citation needed]
[edit] Etymology
The word "makhzen" literally means "warehouse", where the king's civil servants used to receive their wages; but this usage of the word became in Moroccan Arabic synonymous with the elite. It is likely a metonymy related to taxes, which the Makhzen used to collect; the term may also refer to the state, but this usage is increasingly rare and is primarily used by old people. Recently, the term is also being used to describe the Police.
The word has also been adopted into Spanish, French and Italian to have a different meaning as almacén (with addition of the Arabic article al-), magasin and magazzino respectively. It came into the English language from Middle French as magazine, originally referring to a "storehouse" for ammunition and later to publications.
[edit] Makhzen in Morocco
The term often carries a derogatory connotation, as it is associated with an archaic and hermetic mode of governing, which resists democracy[citation needed]. While the contours of the Makhzen are vague, the government itself is not part of it, on the contrary Makhzen often acts as a shadow government which only reports to the king, bypassing the prime minister. In some classes of the society, the word Makhzen equals the police, hence denoting its repressive aspect. The Makhzen essentially co-opts its members by using its own networks. Sometimes inclusion in the Makhzen is even hereditary because of nepotism[citation needed].
The Makhzen is a very ancient notion in Morocco, it roughly coincides with the notion of the ancien feudalist state predating The French protectorate. Resident-General General Lyautey a fervent proponent of indirect colonisation especially in Berber speaking areas, has kept that role and even enhanced it by given an important role to local notabilities such as T'hami El Glaoui, to act as a relay between the population and the French authorities to govern the country.
Although considered archaic and backward, conservative people believe that the Makhzen is also a factor of stability in Morocco, because its roots are deeply connected to Moroccan society. It has served as very sophisticated mean of distributing wealth and power by using clientelism and in tying Moroccan society to the throne.
By its way of governing, consisting in distributing money, land, luxury cars, privileges, authorizations in reglemented economic areas like sand extraction pits or fishing and transportation authorizations, to buy the allegiance of its members or to acquire new ones; Makhzen has been accused of being responsible of the widespread corruption in Morocco by making it a way of governing.
It has also managed to co-opt many of its opponents which often leads to discrediting them.
With an ongoing democratisation process taking place in Morocco, the Makhzen is now considered as a barrier to democracy[citation needed]. The dilemma for Morocco being to smoothly evolve to more democracy while not destroying what is considered an important factor of stability and a pillar of the monarchy, the Makhzen is also a powerful lobby which still holds a lot of power and resists this change fighting for its privileges.
The Makhzen has also been heavily involved in the so called Years of lead[citation needed], hence the critics and ambiguity of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission.
