On January 14th, Tunisia celebrated the eighth anniversary of the revolution. A half-hearted anniversary as the expectations of the promises of the revolution are still great while the country knows a difficult socio-economic situation, against a backdrop of political crisis. However, the country that has paved the way for the Arab Spring is showing exceptional progress in terms of democratic transition and guaranteeing individual liberties. In the shadow of a complex news, a new unknown, ambitious, innovative, resilient Tunisia is emerging, which is renewing its continent, and in the light of creating a new model of socio-economic development and participative democracy. Analysis.
By Dounia Ben Mohamed
The self-immolation on December 24th of the young journalist in Kasserine, a city in central Tunisia today symbol of the forgotten revolution, just days before the anniversary of the eighth anniversary, reflects the feeling of frustration experienced by many Tunisians . Insecurity, soaring prices and inflation (+ 7.5%), collapse of the dinar, political instability, generalization of corruption, economy bogged down, indebtedness … So many misfortunes that knows the postrevolutionary Tunisia yet only survivor of the countries crossed by The Arab Spring. At least, if we stick to the news. Because, to look more closely, even if it remains fragile, the democratic transition still underway in the land of jasmine, has given its first fruits and they are far from being bitter.
Promulgation of laws that mark major breakthroughs in individual freedoms
To count in the balance sheet, the organization of three electoral meetings, in the transparency with undisputed results (2011, 2014 and the most recent municipal elections in 2018); the adoption of a new constitution in 2014 guaranteeing individual rights and freedoms, which includes the freedom of conscience and the civil character of the state, and confirms the nature of the parliamentary regime, thus limiting the power of the president; the promulgation of laws that mark major advances in the field of individual freedoms, including the one on the equality between men and women before inheritance; against violence against women; all forms of racial discrimination, and the latest, a law that provides universal medical coverage to all citizens adopted on January 16th … the day before a general strike of the civil service, at the call of the main trade union organization the country, the UGTT, which has gathered on the streets of the city center more than one million people, an unprecedented mobilization since 2011, with for main demand the increase of the wages and the improvement of the daily life of the populations. « On the eve of a general strike, no member of the government spoke of this law on universal medical coverage which marks yet a major social advance, deplores the economist and former minister Hakim Ben Hammouda (read his interview in the folder). It’s a communication problem. The state does not yet know how to work with these new forms of citizenship that express themselves. «
The emergence of a cyber-citizenship
However, this is undoubtedly the main factor of the « success » of the Tunisian revolution: the existence of a civil society, solid, rich, mobilized, also changing with the emergence of a cyber-citizenship, born during the revolution and animated by young people who reinvent a form of citizenship, far from classical political schemes, organizing beach cleaning operations; mobilization for flood victims and all forms of charity work; calling to vote in the municipal elections … Which have actually seen, contrary to what happens elsewhere in the world, a high participation of 18-25 years. « They are intuitive, love their country, participate in the life of their neighborhood … And we jostle » analyses Sara Masmoudi, general manager of Teriak, a subsidiary of the Kilani group, and president of the National Chamber of the pharmaceutical industry ( CNIP). Postrevolutionary, unformatted by Ben Ali years, clientelist habits and rentier policy, these young people, who now represent 37% of elected officials, participate in political life, in their own way, transforming Tunisian society from within. On the political scene as economic. In step with their counterparts of the continent, they undertake, innovate, and build the Tunisia of tomorrow.
Agro-industry, aeronautics, technology … The Made in Tunisia is exported
Which is emerging more and more. Especially since the signs of recovery are there, shy but tangible. Growth in the first place, 2.6% in 2018 according to government forecasts that target 3.1% in 2019. Tourists are back. With 8 million visitors, Tunisia becomes a tourist destination again. Investors also while the made in Tunisia exports. The world’s largest exporter of olive oil and dates, Africa’s 2nd largest exporter of organic products, the world’s 10th largest producer of tomatoes … If the agribusiness sector knows a peak of its exports, with niches develop as bio, others are concerned. Such as aeronautics, which has been booming for a decade and which is confirmed by high value-added activities ranging from software / hardware engineering to the production of aeronautical systems, including precision machining. A sector exporting nearly 70% of production to the European Union, one of the most competitive markets. Furthermore, while startups and Tech companies are multiplying, Tunisia, which had a Technoparc more than ten years ago before being followed by others on the continent, is dreaming again in technological hub. With the Smart Tunisia project, which aims to create more than 50,000 jobs over the next five years, with the help of local and foreign companies. Among them, the French group Orange, which has chosen Tunisia to launch a pilot incubation program (see Orange video report focuses on Tunisian youth).
A development model « 100% Tunisian »
Remains the surge in prices, inflation of 7.5%, the dinar that has lost 50% of its value, the corruption that is spreading … and unemployment still too large (more than 600 000), especially that of young people graduates who reach 15% of the workforce. What nourish a sense of unfinished revolution that grows in the population. Fueled also by the political « mess » and the stand-off between the government and the UGTT, the all-powerful trade union organization, which since its role as the guarantor of the revolution, has emerged as the main opposition force to the ruling power. Going up to block all the reforms for some. At the heart of the current discord, the increase in wages. But not only this. It is the development model chosen by the government of « National Union » led by Youssef Chahed, accused of « selling Tunisia to the IMF », which is questioned. Tunisia, already heavily indebted to Saudi Arabia among others, has requested a loan of 2.4 billion euro in 2016 from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in return, the institution has demanded a number of reforms in the first place, a reduction in the cost of the public service. Knowing that successive governments since the revolution, especially led by Ghannouchi, the leader of Ennahda Islamist party, has massively recruited to buy social peace.
Social cohesion that appears fragile today. The quartet that won Tunisia the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015, namely the political forces, trade unions, the private sector and civil society, must now find a consensus and give birth to the model to follow. « The pre-revolution model was a low-cost development model, based on creating limited values, using weak human and technological intelligence, and low-cost human resources, » said Minister Zied Ladhari. Development, Investment and International Cooperation. Today, Tunisia, aware that this model has lived and reached its limits, has adopted a new model. It is based on the creation of values, high added values, high technologies, qualified human resources that take into account the impact on the environment, respect the sustainability of resources and ready to adapt to new constraints that we have for a country that wishes to respect the rights of future generations. Today, this transformation of the model continues. « Very oriented towards the Mediterranean and Europe, a little more towards Africa but not really, more towards the Near and the Middle East; neither 100% secular and still 100% Islamic, not totally liberal, nor even socialist … Tunisia is still at the crossroads, more than ever in search of its identity, and the definition of its model. Which can only be « made in Tunisia ».
The feeling of a revolution « against all odds »
While the world hailed the Tunisian revolution, there will have been no Marshal plan in favor of Tunisia or any other form of support other than loans, at high interest rates, contributing to the country’s indebtedness. The bitter acknowledgment of a French entrepreneur, Fabrice Haccoun, living in Tunisia. In a column published in Opinion Internationale, highlighting the « political maturity inversely proportional to the youth of its democracy », he recalls: « Here is a country that freed itself from an authoritarian regime in 2011 by launching at the same time what we called the Arab Spring. Released rather alone since its main partner and former protectoral power had totally underestimated the scale of the movement and even proposed, in this flash of genius that our leaders are sometimes able to send means of action to power in place to crush the challenge. Hence also the feeling of a revolution « against all odds » … and perhaps even despite the Tunisians themselves.
FOCUS COMESA … a step towards a new Africanity assumed
Africa is more than ever in the spotlight of actors, public and private, including the accession of Tunisia to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, Comesa, which is based on a customs union between its 21 member countries , a market space of 500 million inhabitants, with gross domestic product (GDP) of 800 billion dollars, and at the same time to benefit from the Treaty of Free Trade Tripartite (TFTA), zone of integration of the free- exchange between three African economic regions from Cairo to Cape Town: Comesa, the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Either six countries for a market of 625 million consumers and a global GDP of more than 1000 billion dollars.
An alternative to national companies to the crisis and an entry ticket to conquer markets in sub-Saharan Africa … while waiting to join the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
