The announcement that we will return to GMT at the end of the summer time period, in late September, is the final chapter in a long-running saga…
The first change to summer time, in 2008, clashed with Ramadan
Quite a mix-up, indeed. Daylight Saving Time was due to end on 27 September 2008. But then… Ramadan began on 1 September. And during Ramadan, we use solar time. So there was a last-minute change to the change. On 28 August, no doubt. Panic ensued at RAM, which sent out an explanatory text message to clarify that the scheduled timetable (daylight saving time) had been brought forward by an hour to match the new legal time, without having to reschedule all the flight plans!
Daylight saving time, except during Ramadan
In 2009, the same problem arose, but we were prepared for it. So we switch to summer time, then revert to GMT during Ramadan, before switching back to summer time at the end of Ramadan for one month.
In 2010, the shift in dates meant that summer time could be introduced, ending before Ramadan but not resuming afterwards!
In 2011, however, we’ll switch back to summer time after the end of Ramadan, as there will still be a whole month of summer left…
A law to set the dates for summer time in 2012
To put an end to these last-minute, emergency decisions, a law was passed in 2012 setting the dates for daylight saving time.
Fun fact: before the law came into force, the date for the switch to daylight saving time had been set for 25 March 2012!
Shortly afterwards, following further careful consideration, on 19 March – six days earlier – the date was moved to the end of April, “to take into account the needs of the school system.” Once again, something that couldn’t have been foreseen!
But in 2013, the end of summer time was changed again at the last minute…
From changing the time ‘manually’ to automatic time changes
With all these changes and such vague planning, it’s hardly surprising that Maroc Telecom has been slow to update the time zone on our phones. In the end, we were actually glad to have mechanical clocks so we could tell what time it was ‘before’ and therefore what time we needed to set on our phones and computers…
2018: a change that was ‘experimental but intended to be permanent’
This arrangement is particularly significant today. Indeed, in October 2018, the government announced that Morocco would remain on GMT+1 all year round.
No more time changes, except during Ramadan. So, the now-familiar mix-up happened the other way round in 2020: phones and computers reverted to GMT on the scheduled date, instead of staying on GMT+1. And once again, thank goodness for my oven clock to tell me what time it really was!
Moroccans don’t like summer time
Although Morocco had experienced time changes between 1913 and 1989, Moroccans had completely forgotten about them. And since 2008, they have really, really disliked summer time. Right at the start, in 2008–2009, most people simply carried on living by standard time, and you had to be aware that the time you were given for an appointment wasn’t the time on your watch.
The constant ‘changes to the changes’ haven’t helped either. Nor has the fact that we have four time changes in the year, because of Ramadan.
For religious Moroccans, who perform their morning prayers at dawn, the time difference was also a problem. Moreover, in a country much closer to the tropics than France, it was already light in the morning, even in winter. Having to travel to work or school before sunrise posed a problem.
In short, every year there are complaints. And petitions. It would seem that, in the run-up to the elections, the latest petition – signed by more than 340,000 Moroccans – has undoubtedly given people pause for thought.
This announcement of the return to GMT on 25 September was therefore made three months in advance. A record in terms of summer time planning. But “stay tuned” – things could still change!
(Since 2008, this is the 13th article on the subject… proof that it has kept us busy)
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