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Agence France-Presse
The Tunisian government has sold the people the mantra of "shut up and make money." Political dissent was silenced by the authoritarian regime of Ben Ali was able to deliver economy growth and moderate prosperity for awhile. But that forced trade-off (it is not a real necessary trade-off) is no longer a bargain Tunisians find tolerable. Tunisia suffers high employment of at least 14%, though some unofficial estimates put it higher, and youth employment is significantly above that. 50% of college graduates cannot find employment within the first year.
Many Tunisians feel economically strangled and all the while the ruling elite engage in more conspicuous and ill-gotten and wanton displays of wealth. This is leading to a Tinder Box: no economic gains commingled with rising corruption that has created an insolent and insulated elite, and Tunisians are further denied the right to publicly air their grievances and frustrations.
U.S. diplomats are not immune to this understanding, as a recently Wikileaks-released cable notes:
"With Tunisians facing rising inflation and
high unemployment, the conspicuous displays of wealth and
persistent rumors of corruption have added fuel to the fire.
The recent protests in the mining region of Gafsa provide a
potent reminder of the discontent that remains largely
beneath the surface. This government has based its
legitimacy on its ability to deliver economic growth, but a
growing number of Tunisians believe those as the top are
keeping the benefits for themselves."
Another cable from Tunis added that the rising frustration amalgamated with rising corruption puts in jeopardy the stability of the regime.
Recent protests make such words credulous:
One person was killed and others injured when Tunisia's National Guard members opened fire on angry protesters in the town of Menzel Bouzaiene over the weekend.
The state-run news agency TAP quoted an unnamed security official as saying that guard members were forced to use their weapons in self-defense after "a group of individuals set ablaze a railway engine and set fire to three National Guard vehicles before raiding the city's National Guard station."
The source added that several guard members were burned, including two who fell into a coma. Mohamed Fadel, leader of the secondary school union in Menzel Bouzaiene, identified the man who died as Mohamed Ammari, 18.
"Several thousands took part in the riot. Many arrests have been made and the whole town, which is located in the governorate of Sidi Bouzid, has been sealed off by security officers," Fadel told Agence France-Presse.
The death comes as riots and demonstrations against unemployment and poor living conditions entered their ninth day in Sidi Bouzid. Unrest scattered across the region after the suicide attempts of two young persons last week.
University graduate Mohamed Bouazizi set himself aflame to protest police officers' confiscation of fruits and vegetables he was selling in a street-side stand; Nagi Felhi electrocuted himself after growing desperate due to his failure to land a job.
Hundreds of locals took their dismay to the streets of a number of towns across the region, and Ammari's death has prompted similar marches in the capital.
Several hundred activists and students demonstrated in Tunis to show solidarity with Sidi Bouzid protesters on Saturday, carrying banners reading "Shame on the government" and "We deserve jobs."
"This march is a message to our brothers in Sidi Bouzid. We tell them that they are not alone and that their demands are legitimate," said Soliman Rouissi, who's a member of a worker's union.
In a failed attempt to calm tensions in the region, Tunisian Development Minister Nohamed Nouri Jouini traveled to Sidi Bouzid on Thursday to announce a new $10-million employment program.
The $10million is a token effort. Nothing more than a stopgap to a problem that needs a real and lasting solution. What the nation needs is accountability, democratic reform and genuine free enterprise not the mafia-economics of the ruling elite.
Notice the lack of attention here in the U.S. to Tunisia's abysmal crimes. If an Iranian demonstrator was slapped it would be front page of the New York Times. But Tunis' client status affords it U.S. cover.
The protests may be the beginning of change in the country.
