Transition at a Turtle’s Pace

Tunisia is on the shore of democracy, and crossing over the river from the side of dictatorship was relatively easy. However, it now seems that the country prefers to remain wet on the riverside than enter into a full-fledged democratic society.

The democratic transition was supposed to take one year. It has now been almost two years since the temporary president was sworn in. In 2011, politicians pledged to resign if they did not address the challenges facing them. They have since failed to keep most of their promises, but they still refuse to quit. MPs also threatened to resign if the work of the National Constituent Assembly continued to be monopolized by the majority Ennahda Party. Instead, they have staged a strike while continuing to enjoy their comfy salaries.

The worst aspect of Tunisia today is the increasing number of trials against artists and journalists. A blogger received a seven-year jail sentence for posting anti-Islamic writings. Another person, a singer, was sentenced to two years in prison for singing a song that criticized the police. A moviemaker is currently in detention, awaiting trial after throwing an egg at the minister of culture—and a cameraman who filmed the incident and then shared it online and was also taken into custody. The latest incident was the arrest of Zied El-Heni, a famous opponent of Ben Ali, after he openly criticized the judiciary. There have been many other similar cases.

At the same time, the Constituent Assembly was suspended in August by its president because of a deep political crisis that envenomed the debate. It resumed its work more than a month later. However, the opposition MPs refused to attend, and only Ennahda and its allies and clients participated. As an observer told The Majalla, it was one of the most boring sessions since the assembly’s inception. A single, united voice was heard, and all motions were passed without any difficulty. The MPs voted for laws that allowed the drafting of future constitutions in Tunisia without the need to discuss them with the opposition. It is difficult not to recall the parliament of Ben Ali, whose members’ main task was to applaud, nod and approve.

As the ruling party, Ennahda is responsible for both the acceleration and the slowing of the transitional process. From the statements of its leaders, it seems they agreed that the transition lasted too long and that it was now time to draft a constitution. They have not yet taken any concrete steps towards fulfilling that promise, however, and there is still no fixed date for the next elections. Ennahda is also in charge of reforming the judiciary and security systems, and the series of arrests and trials prove that it failed in this regard.

Whatever text emerges from this climate of one-sided deliberations and repression against free speech can be modified and amended in the future. The country entered the realm of democracy and debate will continue to shake any repressive moves. Any foggy chapters in the Constitution will eventually be removed. Gradually, the ministries of the interior and justice will also be reformed.

But how history will remember the founding fathers of this period is not easy to predict. Until now, they have scored rather poorly.