In the weekly oral question session in the House of Councilors, on Tuesday, the Minister of Transport and Logistics, Mohamed Abdel Jalil, faced harsh criticism from advisors to the majority parties, who did not hesitate to criticize him due to the high prices of air and sea transport tickets, which afflict members of the Moroccan community residing abroad.
Kamal Sabry, advisor and member of the National Rally of Liberals, addressed the Minister of Transport and Logistics, saying: “Your response could be positive, but it is not the reality.” The reality is that when the Moroccan community wants to return home, the first thing they think about is the ridiculous prices for air or sea transportation tickets.”
Sabri added, explaining: “Today we are supposed to find a solution for this group, especially since His Majesty the King is paying special attention to the Moroccan community abroad and consolidating its relationship with the country.” He added: “We cannot leave them vulnerable to supply and demand, as this is a trade in which we are the ones who grant licenses to exploit, whether For aviation or ships.
The same advisor, Minister Abdel Jalil, called for “the necessity of imposing clear books of charges on these companies, and controlling them, to guarantee these people their rights, so that they are not victims of some companies that impose exorbitant prices.”
Sabri continued, asking: “In the sea lines that connect occupied Ceuta with Algeciras, the price for transporting a car for two people is 150 euros, while the same company connects the port of Tarifa with the port of Tangier for 400 euros, knowing that the distance is the same and the type of ship is the same. Does this make sense, Mr. Minister? ?”, stressing “the need to take these matters into consideration and give attention to commercial navigation,” before concluding: “Those who write these answers are the ones who create problems,” indicating that the minister’s answers are unrealistic.
For his part, Mohamed Sobhi, a member of the Independent Team for Unity and Equality in the House of Councilors, criticized the reality that the Moroccan community suffers from in the face of ticket prices, noting that “voices are rising in anger at the high cost of travel by planes and ships to and from Morocco, as it is recording a record high, especially in conjunction with Transit operations every year.
Sobhi added, “The Kingdom’s airports and ports are witnessing important influxes of Moroccans from around the world, while about 50 percent of residents in Spain cross to Morocco through the port of Tarifa, at a time when ticket prices have doubled unacceptably during this period.”
The advisor belonging to the party of the Minister of Transport and Logistics considered that “the company that currently owns the ships imposes summer prices on citizens, and is the only one that monopolizes the sector,” highlighting that “there is great dissatisfaction among Moroccans from Germany, Britain, the Scandinavian countries, the United States and Canada, as the price of tickets for the company ‘ “Laram is very expensive and exceeds the purchasing power of these citizens.”
Sobhi continued, explaining: “Like the United States of America and Canada, the price of a ticket is 16 thousand dirhams, and for this reason there are those who have spent 6 years and not visited Morocco, and those who have 3 children will need at least 100 thousand dirhams to visit the homeland,” stressing that “we should not neglect… These Moroccans are hostage to supply and demand, and we are going against the will of His Majesty.”
In his comment to the advisors, the Minister of Transport and Logistics simply said: “There is a difference between us. You say that the state should control prices, and I say that the best way to control them is supply and demand.”
The government official added, explaining: “These are two economic ideologies, and I cling to my conviction,” in a clear indication that he is with liberalism and market liberalization.
Abdel Jalil also recorded that “over the last two decades, Morocco has developed an important transportation system in which the liberalization of the sector at the national and international levels was adopted as a principle to increase the competitiveness of the transportation service for the citizen.”
The minister added, “The Open Skies Agreement was signed with the European Union and a number of other countries, which enabled the development and diversification of transport offers with the entry of low-cost air transport companies into the national market, which led to the intensification of air connectivity and was reflected positively in the level of ticket prices.” “, as he put it.
Regarding maritime transport for passengers, the same government official stated, “Within the framework of the partnership with southern European countries, especially with Spain, this transport in the Strait of Gibraltar was developed by both parties, by granting licenses to a number of shipping companies to provide various offers in line with the needs of passengers.” customers”.
Abdel Jalil pointed out that “sea and air transport prices in Morocco are subject to the principles of supply and demand, while flight prices vary according to seasons and time periods, and are also linked to the level of filling and other factors,” stressing that “these prices have witnessed real increases at the global level during the past years due to “Due to several factors, including fluctuations in international fuel prices and the pandemic crisis,” in an attempt to respond to the criticism he faced regarding the issue.