The three wise monkeys sit at the site of India's historic freedom movement. There are concerns today over Tunisia's nascent democracy
As the anniversary of Ben Ali’s departure approaches, many Tunisians are still amazed that with peaceful measures they were able to bring an end to his authoritarian regime. In a recent conversation with a neighbor he explained to me the difference between living under Ben Ali’s rule and today. “I can breathe easily, I have lost the weight there was on my shoulders. It doesn’t matter who is in power today, it doesn’t matter if you are Muslim or not, if you like Ennahda or not, because now we have democracy and if the government today disappoints us, we will vote them out the next time around.”
In a sense, he is right. Though many Tunisians, particularly the upper middle class Tunisians that dominate the capital, were shocked that Ennahda won the elections, they are still happy to have a democracy. But as it is well known, democracy is more than just elections and unfortunately though Tunisia’s elections in 2011 took place without major disruptions, on other fronts indicators for the state of democracy in the country have been found wanting.
This past Saturday, for instance, the Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali nominated the heads of the major media outlets in the country, a decision that was poorly received by those who believe in the freedom of the press. Protestors gathered on Monday in front of the Ministry to express their discontent with the decision. The crowds chanted “It’s the RCD with beards,” demonstrating that they perceived this behavior as too reminiscent of the former regime’s tactics for curbing the opposition.
A civilian at the demonstrations added… “I am not a journalist. I am a Tunisian citizen. I came from Nabeul to participate in this protest because I feel that democracy is in jeopardy in Tunisia,” said one of the protestors while shouting “We want a free media.” Another said “We came here to support our fellow Tunisian journalists because they stood by us – they were the ones who got beaten up the day of the protests in front of the Ministry of Higher Education,” she added.
The decision of Prime Minister Jebali is truly an unfortunate one for the legitimacy of the current government, and most importantly for the future of democracy in Tunisia. Not only has the government taken a decision that will blatantly affect the objectivity of the media, but the people themselves that were appointed have been equally controversial, because of their past links to the former government.
Yet even if the government had chosen leaders with no ties to the former ruling party, the legitimacy of their opinions and the coverage of the news will from now on be called into question just by virtue of their appointment. This decision is certainly a step back in Tunisia’s path towards breaking with the past and encouraging the development of democracy.