Former PM Ahmed Ben Bitour: “Unlike in civilized countries, Money leads to power in Algeria”

Participants in Echorouk’s Forum on “Reasons behind the absence of Algerian elite in the country’s desired reforms” agreed on the importance of elites in leading the efforts to change in order to achieve the desired goals.

 The former OM, Ahmed Benbitour said, during the symposium organized by the center of “Hope of the Nation” for Research and Strategic Studies here on Saturday sponsored by Echorouk newspaper that contrary to what happens in civilized countries, the power in Algeria is taken by money.

“Algerian elites are absent, if they are present they remain just individuals scattered here and there. Why don’t they gather them to play their role in this circumstance that is characterized by confrontations between those who want to keep the exclusionary system and those who seek a new system based on democracy”, he added.

“Elites are a group of people with strength and influence thanks to the holdings of money and knowledge. In civilized societies, wealth and knowledge are two keys to reach power but this concept is different in Algeria because in our country power leads to money. The rental system controls the elites through three methods, jobs, financial support to the parties and associations and the granting of loans and deals to businessmen. Three other factors that would keep this system in place are providing enough incomes to buy opposition and social peace, weakening popular recruitment against imposed domination and the strategic value of hydrocarbons for the major powers”, he asserted.

“Change is inevitable. Society and government have two choices each. The community uprising and young expressing their demands through the destruction with the absence of elites, or a revolution based on the mobilization of peaceful energies without exclusion, anarchy and splitting. The authority either continuing the existing quo, with the absence of governance and adoption of artificial reforms or mobilizing officials and raising awareness  that the nation is in danger and needs real reform”.

“The best way to reform is the society’s revolution with the presence of elites, so government should work with them to go out of the crisis”.