I want to say a few words about what's happening in Tunisia nowadays. To be honest, I never expected this to happen. It has seemed to me, over the years, that people would never stand up for their rights. The thing is that Ben Ali's regime has done everything to keep the Tunisian people silent. People in all walks of life did not dare to speak out, did not dare to complain about what has been happening, didn't dare to question the staus quo.
What happened is completely unexpected. The spell of fear is broken. Now people can say NO; not because the new transitional govenment is for freedom of speech or is a proponent of human rights, but because Tunisians no longer fear the corrupt regime. What is clear is that the transitional government is trying to sell itself as the defender of democracy and human rights. Still, it does not want to listen to the voice of the vast majority of the people who made themselves clear: OUT, GAME OVER, NON C NON, etc. These are some of the mottos chanted by the demonstartors. Yet, the transitional government is turning a deaf ear to all this.
The thing is that Tunisians do not trust a transitional government simply because most of the ministers in this government used to be supporters of Ben Ali's regime. Tunisians think that the womb the baby floats in is infected beyond repair. My point is that how could Tunisians trust a government the majority of its ministers have shamelessly been supporting a corrupt regime. At least six ministers of this transitional governments did not have the slightest qualms about people being jailed for not supporting Ben Ali, about jobs given to those who were abler to pay, for the educational system which now sweeps the floor, so to speak. How could they believe that those who were once supporters of a corrupt regime will now take it upon themselves and build a new Tunisia?
For this country to stand on its feet, there is a need to oust all those ministers who have been branding those young voices who took to the streets in defence of their rights for jobs, for free speech, and for justice as terrorists. These ministers have never listened to the people. They have turned a blind eye to their misery, to joblessness, to corruption, to injustice, and to whatever made life unfortunate for Tunisians. To add insult to injury, these ministers, and many others, have swept away under the carpet all the blemishes of Beni Ali's regime and never showed a real interest in putting things to right. Now these ministers are asked to go home and leave the people choose a government which has the courage to fix what went wrong.
The message is clear: Tunisians are fed up with empty promises. They cannot trust those who have been turning a blind ear to their misery for the last 23 years. The game is over and now is time for a new start.
