During his meeting with the Secretary-General of the Labor Union Noureddine Taboubi, two days ago, the President of the Republic reiterated his openness to dialogue with all in order to reach a solution to the current crisis, but not with those who are suspected of corruption.
In fact, such words bring us back to the meeting between the two parties that took place on December 16, 2020 in which he confirmed that there is no dialogue with the corrupt.
Kais Saied stressed during his meeting with Noureddine Taboubi that the state today is in danger in terms of misery and poverty, pointing out that the state is based on law and institutions and there is no difference between the rich and the poor and everyone is equal, saying, “The concept of the state is missing and I will not let the state be prey to those who do not know its value… We know the laws and provisions contained in the constitution and a distinction must be made between the powers, there is a legislative power and there is an executive power. (…) They accused me of obstructing the process of obtaining loans; however, the opposite happened and I did my best and in a spirit burdened with responsibility to get Tunisia out of its economic and financial crisis. There is no room for squandering any dime of the Tunisian people’s money (…) We will achieve the goals of the revolution in justice and dignity…”
The Head of State reiterated his openness to dialogue in order to reach a solution to the current crisis. He stressed, in the same context, that he is ready for dialogue and that Tunisia is one single state, and whoever transgresses the law and transgresses the constitution, “let him know once again that we are able to respond more than they imagine to preserve the Tunisian people and I am confident of the Tunisian General Union of Labor and National Forces, many of whom will distinguish between right and wrong.”
For his part, Noureddine Taboubi confirmed that the meeting was very positive and there is great progress in finding ways out to save the country. He added that these outcomes will emerge at the appropriate times, and that there will be very positive signs of recovery in the near future, saying, “We have begun to transcend the political crisis and all that hovers around disrupting the functioning of public utilities. The messages of the President of the Republic were clear. Tunisia’s future will be better than the present and there will be healthy and cohesive institutions.”
Taboubi’s meeting with Saied bore, this time, positive signs towards working to overcome the political crisis the country has been undergoing for months.
What the country is witnessing today in the absence of any respect for state structures and the emergence of a war of distortion created a general tense atmosphere that made all social groups live under the weight of confusion regarding the economic and social challenges and difficulties facing the country. In such a situation, these positive indicators are very much needed at a time when finding a solution to the political situation in the country has become inevitable to get out of the current impasse.
The difference between the content of the president’s statement and Taboubi’s statement is clear. The president, according to his words, whether with Taboubi or with Mechichi, refuses dialogue with Parliament and its parties.
Given this positive and optimistic response of Taboubi to the President’s words, one may ask:
Has Taboubi accepted the president’s vision and hence will he be satisfied with a dialogue without the middle representative structures, i.e. parties and parliamentary blocs?
In this case, he may find great difficulties in implementing the outcomes of the dialogue which will not be welcomed by many, which obviously means the abject failure of the dialogue…
The coming days could hold many answers in relation to dialogue…
