Controversial Proposal to Name Street After Former Interior Minister Sparks Debate in Settat

Twelve years after his death, the shadow of Driss Basri still looms over his hometown of Settat. This was noted during the last Municipal Council meeting of the city, which saw the proposal of some councilors from the Council led by the PJD in coalition with the MDS and Istiqlal, reports the daily Assabah.

In reality, notes the daily, the proposal to name a street in Settat after the former Minister of the Interior had already been made in May by the PAM (opposition) and MDS (majority) councilors.

At the time, two names had been proposed: that of Minister Driss Basri and Dr. Abdelhrim El Khatib. But very quickly, it was decided to discuss this issue at the session of Tuesday, October 15, which was devoted to the 2020 budget vote, observes the same source.

The least that can be observed is that the councilors cannot agree on the name to be retained, ultimately. Indeed, for some councilors, the former Minister of the Interior, Driss Basri, deserves this tribute. For others, there are other personalities in the fields of sports and art who have also invested a lot and deserve such recognition just as much.

Due to the lack of consensus, the Council members simply voted on the proposed city and country names. As for the choice of personalities’ names, it will be purely postponed to another session.

However, what is most striking, notes Assabah, is that this debate on the attribution of a name to a street in the city, which divides the councilors, is taking place while Settat is in a less than honorable state. Indeed, the city is going through a severe economic crisis.

This is evidenced by the recession that has led to the closure of several production units. Worse, there is also a deterioration of public services and the urban environment.

In short, there is an atmosphere in Settat that, according to a source from the Municipal Council, does not favor such a debate, but rather calls for strong actions to get the city out of its difficulties.