A swindler in the control of drugs
When I started my job that month of September 1984 in a pharmaceutical unit of Casablanca, leader on the sector at that time, I donned my white coat and started to analyze the products on the lab bench like the other technicians; wanting to show that I was one of them. Coincidentally, the weekly Jeune Afrique, who got a permit for this work of weeks before and was taking pictures at that very moment, took a picture of me operating as laboratory assistant, and then posted it in the magazine. When the president of the company saw the picture it seems he exclaimed: “I give him a pay as Attaché scientifique and not for working as technician! ». After this interlude, I started looking a little closer to the work of technicians, one after one. But one of them lost his means every time he saw me approaching him and he did everything wrong. After consulting his file provided by the personnel department, I had only found a previous work certificate from the tanneries of Fez! Summoned to give me an explanation on how he was able to land in the drug control service, he told me it was “through someone who knew someone etc.” He was one of the highest paid technicians, making it even more incomprehensible situation. But he finally realized it was not his place and gone without fuss. With other technicians complicity, the swindler has developed some tricks (not discussed here) for not to see his Analysis Reports rejected by the responsible pharmacist. But his ploy wouldn’t have stood a moment at a rudimentary examination of “questions / answers” before accepting him for the job; which of course was not done at recruitment or during the three years of his work. During this period, more than a thousand drug lots, at the very least, should have passed between his hands before being sold in pharmacies.
The example mentioned above, of thirty years ago, clearly shows, notwithstanding the provisions of the law, how quality control culture was lacking and replaced by kind of faking of control quality in this unit of pharmaceutical products , and possibly it was also the case in other units. But the boss could still ease his conscience by ensuring himself that certain sensitive products were subject to cross-control by the French partners before letting them be distributed in commerce outlets. Of course, one may ask whether this state of affairs did not suit the aims of metropolitan France first. Indeed, having been in charge of assisting Morocco for the training of executives at the dawn of independence, the French administration, what I think, has knowingly decided to completely ignore such training for agribusiness (see article: The exploitation of the production control) and has highly neglected such training in the case of the drug manufacturing so to keep such powers for itself, that is to say, in the hands of the French operators. We will develop a little more this reflection to see how, in what begun a few centuries ago, western states regularly adjust their “working tools” in the intention to subject other countries, in these sectors and others, so to keep us, countries under developed of the south, under solid control.
Historical background
At the beginning of the reign of the Spanish empire in Latin America, the natives had a status of “subhuman” closer to animals. This allowed the “owner” of having, in particular, the right of life and death over his subjects without having to account to anyone. The first settlers of the United States of America have practiced the same with the African slaves. But this type of slavery, based initially on the “gunboat diplomacy” has run its course in the early twentieth century and had to find a substitute more in tune with the times. For this purpose, and for example, the book of the encyclopedia Larousse of the thirties of past century that describes “scientifically” the brain inferiority of native Algerians compared to european equivalents, exploiting “pseudo scientific criteria” to strengthen the chimera of innate superiority of Western countries over the rest of humanity. But, as the artificial means that support such a claim of superiority disappear more and more, fans of the exploitation of others seek with more ardors other stratagems on which to base their claims of “gifted” to better plunder the wealth of others. As I see things, the quality control of Moroccan food products is one of those tools that the French operators, in particular, think they are better placed for managing it than we do. They are helped in this, consciously or not, by some of our own structures here in Morocco.
How the repealed 13-83 Act has buried the quality control
As regards the work in the food industry in Morocco, we must say that the text, mainly developed during the protectorate period, of the former Law 13-83 repealed in 2010, allowed officials of service Fraud to nip in the bud many efforts of industrial to put in place their own quality control services in the business. There are many examples that can be given, but I will take only one that shows all the evil that some officials of the services mentioned did to this country by working against the modernization of the quality control activity. On request of the Court of Appeal of Casablanca, I had to perform operations for a second assessment, after the expertise done by fraud officials, on a file relating to FNBT (National wheat flour). This concerned a large mill, near the Royal Palace in Casablanca. While I was doing my round of audit of the company, I noticed the presence of laboratory control equipment for this type of work (different sieves, mineralization oven, precision balance, standard ovens etc.). The equipment in dusty condition didn’t seem to have been in much use. To my question why this material does not work, the boss replied: “I equipped the laboratory at great expense and hired two technicians to work full time because it was part of the specifications. The problem is that, whatever we do, the conclusions of Fraud officials are always considered superior to our results. The laboratory costs me money but our own checks had no value for those people that I had to satisfy every time they came to see us. As I could not take care of each other at the same time, I preferred closing the lab. That was less expensive to me and I had less hassle”. How many companies have been in the same situation; God only knows. The fact is that some of the former officials of Fraud continue to serve within the current ONSSA (National Agency for Sanitary Safety of Food Products), perpetuating the practices of another age, irritating the businessmen and the entire industry with them. They discourage at the same time the possibility of emergence of a private sector business support services; without any one being able to do anything.
Consequences of ONSSA permissiveness
Apart from some of their shares of brilliance from time to time, whose real impact on activity in the agro-industrial sector remains to be seen, many officials ONSSA display, by their behavior, an obvious disregard for the new 28-07 Act for the food safety. In restaurants, hotels or companies where I worked, people know these officials that visit them regularly for begging for hard cash. All those with whom I spoke are formal that the officials in question refuse to announce their arrivals, are reluctant to do anything of their work in writing, refuse to give their names and qualities and do it all on oral instructions. By the way they do, unlike the new regulations, they do more than breaking the law; they despise it, themselves that are supposed to set an example of compliance with regulation. They thus prevent the emergence of the quality control process for Moroccan operators that we need for the exporting of our products like other nations, and in that way they perpetuate in this country the colonial spirit that claim that only Metropolitan France has the credibility which we need so our food processed products can qualify for export. In addition, operators are inclined to infer from behavior of these bad servants that they are cleared of their past actions until the next visit of these professionals of complacency. Then, this opens the door to all kinds of excesses that keep away the operators of the principles of good manufacturing practices and hygiene.
Cure for the curse
A dysfunctional system of quality control in the food and elsewhere have been experienced by other nations before us who corrected them sometimes after fierce fighting with promoters interested in the drifts. This showdown is beautifully illustrated in the film about America in the thirties of James Cagney: “Great Guy“. Much has changed since then for the USA. Americans became aware of the enormous impact of a possible failure of the food quality control system on the whole population and they introduced the “Bioterrorism Act” law that criminalizes, among other, the food fraud. In this respect, the FDA explains that even if a product may meet standards, if there is no objective way, for example regulatory documents of quality control that support the claim, the food will be considered adulterated in the eyes of the law and its destruction will be carried out, at the expense of the owner. The ONSSA would do well to learn from this maxim, displaying it in its website and to act accordingly. At the minute that operators will be convinced that ONSSA says what he thinks, they will toe the line and will give appropriate attention to quality control. This will be the most beautiful victory for the Kingdom for himself and for all of Africa who looks at us like an example to follow. In this respect, the first major test of the ONSSA will take place this Monday, December 1 when its officials on Moroccan borders will implement the law on the ground in facilitating the transit of goods for importers who made the effort to get their licenses and / or permits. It is hoped that these officials do not choose to continue their “business as usual” (keep the status quo) and treat everyone on the same footing; which will delay the effective implementation of the law indefinitely.
