Al-Masry Al-Youm, Egypt, January 11
Unrest has once again returned to Tunisia, with thousands of citizens taking to the streets in over 20 cities to protest the implementation of new austerity measures by the government, including a new value added tax. Tunisia has long been lauded for its ability not only to recover from the upheaval of the Arab Spring but also for introducing democratic reforms into its political system. Yet it seems as though not everyone in Tunisia interpreted the meaning of the 2011 revolution in the same way. Some interest groups viewed the calls by the Tunisian people for greater liberty as a pretext to replace the old and corrupt regime with a new crooked one. They took advantage of the political vacuum in the country by quickly rising through the ranks. They eliminated their opponents and sought to hijack the revolution for their own political gains. But the Tunisian revolution is not some passing fad that has been forgotten. A young generation of Tunisian men and women fought to free their country from the hands of an oppressive regime led by ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and they will not sit idly by as new despots try to take over. Tunisia’s youth, especially its student groups, are extremely sensitive about the political climate. Gone are the days of cronyism and deception. Just as the people took to the streets seven years ago to protest injustice, Tunisians are once again sending a clear message to their leaders. It would be foolish to test their resilience or to undermine their calls for change. History has already proven that when leaders ignore the will of their people, especially in Tunisia, they are quickly shown the door. The current demonstrations are a stark reminder of the fact that the Tunisian revolution will never die! – Samir Hamdy