Tunisia's martyrs have not died in vain

A good word is like a good tree, firmly rooted in the ground with its branches reaching up to heaven. This saying applies to the Tunisian people who launched a great revolution against a corrupt dictatorial regime. Surprisingly, they succeeded in toppling their president Zine Al Abidine Bin Ali.

Tunisia said no to a tyrannical regime that oppressed, tortured and looted the people and forced many Tunisians to live in exile in different parts of the world. ‘No' is the magic word that dominated the Tunisian uprising. They rebelled against all forms of injustice, oppression and humiliation they endured during Bin Ali's rule.

The Tunisians said no to autocracy to preserve Tunisia's dignity. They were inspired by the verse composed by Tunisian poet Abu Al Qasim Al Shabi who wrote: "Who doesn't want to climb the mountains will live between the holes forever".

‘No' is the word that was chanted loudly by the martyrs of the great revolution sparked off by Mohammad Bouazizi. The unemployed university graduate set himself ablaze after he was prevented from earning his bread by selling fruit and vegetables off a cart. The police regime oppressed and humiliated him to the extent that he lost any hope of leading a dignified life in his country.

Bouazizi sacrificed his life so that his people could live. HIs sacrifice was the catalyst for the revolution. ‘No' was chanted repeatedly by the Tunisian elite for more than half a century. The strange thing is that Bin Ali adopted the slogans of the people and all the principles of the revolution after he ousted Habib Bourguiba. But it did not take long for him to break his promises and rule the country with an iron fist for almost a quarter century.

The Tunisians were patient throughout the 23 years of Bin Ali's rule. They sacrificed some of their dignity in favour of the nation's security, development and stability — until they finally got fed up with the dictatorial regime. Tunisians reached such a state of despair that some like Bouazizi went to the extent of sacrificing their lives.

All Bin Ali's supporters and fans around the world were silenced by Tunisians — villagers, professors, intellectuals and heads of vocational syndicates — standing hand in hand to tell the world that they would no longer accept what was going on. They would no longer tolerate Bin Ali and his family being the only beneficiaries of the alleged development projects which were always praised by western regimes, specifically the US and France.

Empty words

Bin Ali's final address to the people before his ouster meant nothing to Tunisians. His words were empty and filled with lies. They saw it as just another ploy to hold on to power. Bin Ali was reportedly trying to consult with friendly western powers during the uprising, but the people's movement was stronger and more honest.

Thus, the world chose to hear what Tunisians had to say while Bin Ali's words went up in smoke. No one sympathised with the ousted Tunisian president, except his neighbouring counterpart who has been in power for more than 40 years.

Finally, Bin Ali fled Tunisia after his security service and the intelligence service of a country that once was "the empire on which the sun never sets" deserted him, as they did with the Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who also fled his country under the pressure of street protests in 1979 during the Iranian Revolution.

Many have kept silent, yet there is no shame in silence itself. Shame lies with the elite who plotted against the popular revolution in Tunisia. The toppled dictator and his family should not have been given refuge anywhere.

The Tunisian people have the right to demand Bin Ali's prosecution for all the crimes he has committed against Tunisia and Tunisians. They have the right to recover all the funds that he and his clan have looted.

If the big sisterly country gave Bin Ali refuge for humanitarian reasons, it would be fair to bring him to justice and hold him accountable for his crimes.

Khalifa Rashid Al Shaali is a UAE writer.