Tunisian Secularists Submit Motion of no-confidence in President Marzouki “the Innovator of Democracy”
It doesn’t take too much reflection to see that faith in the future of democracy in Tunisia began to dwindle, as people began to realize that the leaders they elected to run the government care little about their welfare. The new book of the President of Tunisia Marzouki, The Invention of Democracy: The Lessons of the Tunisian Experience (L’invention d’une démocratie, les leçons de l’expérience tunisienne), might have little chance to restore faith in the democracy project under the leadership of Troika.
During his presentation of the book at l’Institut Du Monde Arabe, Marzouki was criticized by the audience since the Tunisian president has preferred a French publisher for his book. «Boycott Marzouki’s latest book, published in France, in total disregard of the Tunisian publishers. Unacceptable! Do not become complicit in this anti-national act committed by the alleged Tunisian Head of State.” Read one of the messages from Art Libris.
Demonstrators held banners holding Marzouki responsible of “The Invention of Dictatorship” since he is widely seen as a pawn of the Islamist Ennahda. Despite now worsening economic conditions, the ongoing attack on freedom of expression, the rise of religious extremism, this, combined with increasing political polarization and uncertainty, Marzouki describes Tunisia’s transition experience a success.
The book chronicles some of the events that have shaped the life of Marzouki as a human rights activist and his experience as a president of Tunisia following the elections of October 2011. The book also tackles the socio- economic challenges that the Arab Spring countries have faced with a focus on the Tunisian democratic transition. Much of the controversy was stirred by the choice of the French language by a fervent advocate of the Arabic language and the preference of a French publisher rather than a local one.
Representatives of Tunisia’s Constituent Assembly introduced Wednesday a no-confidence motion in President Moncef Marzouki -a move sparked in protest against the declarations of President Marzouki at his recent visit to Qatar. Marzouki told Al Jazeera television last month that if “secular extremists” came to power, they could spark a bloody revolution in which they would be hanged.
The opposition’s bold initiative is unlikely to pass because Marzouki can count on majority support from Ennahda and the two secular parties; Congress for the Republic and Ettakatol.
Tunisia Ben Ali Son-in-law Granted Asylum in Seychelles
The government of Seychelles has granted asylum Businessman Sakher El Materi, The son-in-law of Tunisia’s former president Ben Ali. El Materi‘s luxurious lifestyle in Tunisia came to end when he fled Tunisia for Qatar after the uprising that ousted President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011.
The former strongman’s son in law was convicted of corruption in absentia months later. El Materi, along with his wife and their three children, have now been granted a 12-month residence permit in the Seychelles, according to its immigration department. The Seychelles, a great place for overcoming homesickness as the Indian Ocean archipelago was a regular holiday destination for the former president and his close family.
Tunisia: Release TV Station Director
Human Rights Watch has called for the release of Sami Fehri, the director of the privately owned Attounissia TV channel, since Highest Court Issues Third Decision to free him. The court had quashed the detention order twice previously, on November 28 and December 5, 2012, but officials refused to release him.
“The authorities are showing utter disregard for the law by keeping Sami Fehri locked up.” Deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch Eric Goldstein pointed out. Human Rights Watch’s statement said that the decision by the Court of Cassation should result in Fehri’s immediate release since it confirmed that the authorities have no further legal basis to detain him.
Sami Fehri, the head of TV channel Ettounsiya, was arrested 8 months ago for an alleged corruption case dating back to the era of toppled president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. Fehri contends, however that the satirical television programme, which began last year and had focused particularly on members of the Tunisian government and its ruling Ennahda party was the real reason for his arrest.
Chokri Belaid Assassination: New Developments
The Tunisian government issued images of 5 suspects wanted in connection with the February assassination of a secular opposition politician Chokri Belaid. “We ask all citizens to contribute to the search for the main suspect and the rest of those involved in the assassination of the martyr Shokri Belaid,” the interior ministry said in statement last Saturday.
Police sources had earlier revealed that those behind the killing were adherents of the Salafist movement. The Salafists have been blamed for almost every violent incident in the past few months. No one has claimed responsibility so far.
Belaid’s murder has dramatically raised political tensions in the already fragile emerging democracy. Today, there is a growing disenchantment with violence and bloodshed as means of achieving political ends.
Tunisia‘s Grand Mufti: Fighting in Syria is not Jihad
As more Tunisian youth have joined the war against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Tunisia’s government-appointed grand mufti Othman Battikh said that “fighting in Syria is not Jihad”.
In a press conference Friday, Tunisia‘s Grand Mufti said: “Syrians are Muslims. Muslims are prohibited from fighting each other. Sexual jihad is rather a disguised prostitution.” He also appealed to girls not to be influenced by Islamic “charismatic” preachers outside of Tunisia who, it has been reported, made a number of ‘sexual fatwas’.
Battikh called upon the Tunisian authorities to join forces to stem the tide of jihad onto the Syrian battlefield which he described as foreign and dangerous to the Tunisian society which has always been moderate.
Extremist groups and their networks have flourished in Tunisia as the government failed to tackle the growing menace of extremist ideologies. “Flirting” with radical forces is creating a dangerous political and security situation in Tunisia. The challenge for Tunisia’s current leadership is now clearly to secure a stable environment in which the rule of law would reign supreme.
What would you suggest , and What ‘s bothering you exactly ?
You critisized him for using French instead of Arabic , i don’t see you writing your articles in Arabic either .
Publishing a book in French, in France, with a French publisher is a “radical” move. Marzouki has an entire right to write in French and/or target France’s audience, but why choosing a French publisher rather than strengthening local publishing houses?! Meriem’s articles aims to target international audience about what’s going on in the country which fits with nawaat’s strategy of diversifying its audience. It’s not a political “radical” move wich favorites “foreign” audience at the expense of the local one, but rather an editorial one. Unlike Marzouki’s move.
@ Sami
You ( and I ) know that Marzouki’s book has a lot more chance to attract more readers through a French Publisher than through a local Publisher, and thus for marketing reasons alone, the choice has obviously been made . A man like you, should ‘ve come to the same conclusion, or else you’re living in a state of denial too, just like the rest .
Let me remind you that tunisian media ( including Nawaat ) still continue their agressive campaign against Marzouki on whatever he says or does !!! You’ve been unjustly mistreating him all the way and ever since he set foot on tunisian soil, after 20 years of exile . In fact, there’s a disproportionate disrespect vis-a-vis the person Marzouki who deserves much more credit than this . Freedom of expression is a good thing but in Tunisia, we still do not know how to use it effectively . I miss a great deal of objectivity and common sense in this kind of argumentations altogether .
Change your fixed attitudes if you want to avoid prejudice .
Where do you see Nawaat’s campaign against Marzouki? from what our team is publishing or from our “Opinions” page, which doesn’t reflect Nawaat’s opinion.
Let me remind you that Nawaat hosted Marzouki writings for years and supported all his battle. But as soon as he became president, he refused to be interviewed by our team in several occasions and his personal advisors stopped answering our phone calls as soon as they moved to Carthage !!! However, we know that دوام الحال من المحال and that تلك الأيام نداولها بين الناس so we know that they will need nawaat at a certain point, when they will loose all other means of reaching the public, and that day will come sooner or later
…It may very well not reflect Nawaat’s opinion, but it’s done with Nawaat’s approval, and of course I’m not talking about the readers comments, but rather about the one-sided tendency of some of ” your Free-Lancers ” to over-react when laying out their opinions , while rationality is what we need, at this moment in time . At least until the elections, where the tunisian people will have the last word and decides to whom goes the vote of confidence .
There have to be a reason, I would guess . Perhaps he felt too offended by this avalanche of all kinds of false allegations thrown at him from all sides, and conspiracy tales that never stopped, since he took office last year . Obviously his advisors won’t recommand social media interviews , for the timebeing . When you’re president, you must feel very lonely at the top .
Of course they’ll seek Nawaat for cover, when they run out of “amunition”, which is only natural . But Nawaat ( and other media outlets) have a moral obligation not to exclude anyone coming in from the rain .
I garantee you in advance, that Marzouki’s book will be read more by non-tunisians than by tunisians themselves, because the media here clearly isn’t interested to know what the book is all about , even if it was published here .
I will refer to the number of books written by Rached Gannouchi, for instance, which were translated to several languages and sold in many countries, except in his own country . His Party won the elections . He could’ve claimed the Presidency, for that reason….but we couldn’t have got a better alternative than Marzouki…Yet we’re still crying like small kids .
Can anyone tell me who is the person everybody has got in mind to be the president of the country who would do better in these circumstances ?
kerim :you maybe that person.
not the person but his actions and what he stands for.
his personal achievement is the failure of a nation.
if that is the fruit you want tunisia to harvest than be free to stand
by your man be it ghannouchi or marzouki.
convince us in what you see him doing right? by the nation and you’ll get
a good will and so will he.
if the change is about what we got now than god save tunisia because
nothing else will save her.
tripping to quatar and making some unthinkable declaration what does that
shit hole holds for tunisia or what her importance to us.
the whole middle east trade with tunisia doesn’t represent 2%.
yet marzouki and shit cheek world starts and finishes there granting them
exclusive and unparalleled importance.
i could say nastier things about them but they are not worth it.
i feel sorry for tunisia that keeps elevating these failures.
the sun will rise in tunisian skies with them or without kerim.
what their books tell: their failures or lack of success?
you choose an appropriate title for them?
my guess: keeping the despots style and sell it as an arab spring
no water shall spring from a desert hearts and despots grow better
in dry lands the arab moslem experience.
@ S-o-C
Can you name someone whom you think can do better ? No you can’t….I’d reverse the question to you : What would you do if you were in his shoes ? . I may give the answer that you will do much worse . That’ll be the day ..haha.. BTW I’m not in favour of anyone, for your information . You haven’t read my post correctly….(DON’T READ BETWEEN THE LINES, instead stick to the context ) . I’ve mentioned “Ganouchi’s banned books” just to illustrate how this country tends to treat its citizens in general, regardless of their political or religeous orientations, and that’s a fact . Even though they’re tunisian citizens . You can’t just make them disappear . Can you ? or can anyone ? They’ve won the elections and that ‘s what the tunisian people have decided, whether we like it or not . Therefore, as a nation, the only way out of this endless gridlock, is compromise . Compromise comes only with dialogue, Once we all agree to co-exist in spite of our differences, the vicious circle we’re in now , will snap and the country saves itself from further consequences, but only if concessions are made soon . The more delay the more likely the situation would get out of hand, and before you know it, we’re all back to square one, which is bad news for all of us . I ‘m starting to wonder how Son of Carthage
would manage us out of the situation !! … c’mon… get a life :) …you don’t even speak the language . I have to admit though that your posts make me oftentimes laugh, especialy when you wanna prove your point . .genuine laugh . Perhaps because of your somewhat exagerated “skeptism” ..you just carry on , with no commas in your sentences….it reads funny sometimes….
dear kerim:
if i make laugh quite often then at least exist an achievement.
but by saying often times laugh in your writing and labelling me incapable
of speaking a language is a far fetched statement.
a bit rich to also suggest that i get a life.
find that a bit rude young or old dude.
when you publish the guide to having a life: i’ll use that as guide to have
yo improve my lot.
i wouldn’t have a clue about people there since the time i left there the tunisian
population is only three and a bit millions.
in full concordance with your suggestion of compromise between political or
factional sections.
it is the only tool to rule in a pluralistic tolerant society or paralysis will prevail.
in a multi party coalition when there is a descent on voting about a bill the only
honorable thing to do is: to go for a fresh mandate or election and people will
empower who ever they wish.
those with ill intention will try to cling to power using all dubious ways.
in that political lot currently in tunisia: i see a disaster awaiting and hope that
a new fresh breed will rise and save tunisia
i’m stopping now to get a life as u suggest.
thanks a lot kerim for the advice but need more of a better sight so i could see
the mistake and punctuation that i miss while writing.
my views are an emotional outbursts based on my love of tunisia and nothing else
flavoured with sick wit.
[QUOTE/] suggest that i get a life…find that a bit rude.. old dude .. [UNQUOTE/]
No hard feelings,SoC . To “get a life ” ain’t that offensive ! ? ..It wasn’t meant to give you any guide in having me “improve your lot “…nonsense… I thought you folks in Down-Under have got some sense of humor :) . Nonetheless, you yourself do not seem to like being “criticized” and in the same time your posts are loaded with “bad words” and even insults , yet you feel bad about me in “asking” you to “get a life “, not literally but in the metaphoric sense !
[QUOTE/].. punctuation that i miss while writing. [UNQUOTE/]
As for the punctuation, you should write the way you always do, if you think commas are unnecessary …however punctuation, in long sentences helps the reader best in getting the main thought . If not, it’ll read like a poem, and the only difference is the ryme . I’m not in any way whatsoever suggesting you should change your style .
p.s = what’s your (real) name ? so we can call you by name .