Tunisia: the revolutionary initiative of the masses continues

Tunis, 19 January, protest against new government. Photo: Nasser NouriThe
“new” president Gannouchi was forced to announce the legalisation of
all political parties, a general amnesty (though this was just a
project, to be discussed in parliament) and the nationalisation of all
buildings of the hated RCD ruling party. The government also declared
three days of national mourning for the martyrs of the revolution. What
utter hypocrisy, considering that the key ministers in this government
were part of the government that killed these martyrs! There can be no
mourning until those responsible for the killings are removed from the
government and other official positions and put on trial.

Yesterday we reported that there had been demonstrations throughout
the country of tens of thousands in every town and city, even the most
remote. The growing anger against the government of Ghannouchi (Ben
Ali’s prime minister) has developed into a national movement of protest
which is spreading to all sections of society. Today there were even
reports of a strike and demonstrations by police officers in Monastir,
Bizerte and even parts of Tunis. Some were at work, directing traffic, but wearing red arm bands in protest.

The demonstrations continue and regional general strikes have already
been called for today, Friday 21, in many different regions, with
demands for the dismissal of the government of Gannouchi. “You stole the
country’s wealth, but you will not steal the revolution – Resignation
of the government – we will always be loyal to the blood of our martyrs”
were amongst the slogans.

Yesterday we reported how a Provisional Council had taken over the
running of all affairs in Sidi Bou Ali. We have now received a report
that a similar development has taken place in the city of Siliana, in
the North West where “the citizens have set up a local council for the
protection of the revolution and the management of public affairs”.
Their founding statement says that “faced with the vacuum of power
created by the flight of officials linked to the RCD”, they have decided
to create a local and a regional council “to protect the revolution and
to manage the running of the city and the governorate.”

In a very significant development the Army seemed to be testing the
ground as to how far they can go in restoring “order”, i.e. the old
authorities, in the towns and cities which have been taken over by the
peoples’ revolutionary committees. In the town of Sidi Bou Rouis, also
in the Siliana governorate, the “Council for the Protection of the
People’s Revolution” has issued the following statement:

This is, again, an extraordinary state of affairs, in which the
people have not only taken power in the whole of the Siliana
governorate, but are standing strong in the face of the attempt of the
Army to restore the old mayors back in power. We see how, like in the
statement from the Provisional Council of Sidi Bou Ali, they call for a
provisional government to be formed, composed of nationally recognised
figures not linked to the old regime. We think that it should be the
revolutionary committees and councils themselves who should organise
such a transitional body, which should be charged with convening a
genuinely democratic national assembly.

Meanwhile, the masses continue their direct action, deepening the
scope of the revolution also into the workplaces. There are many reports
of journalists in state owned newspapers, radio stations, TV channels,
etc., which used to be nothing but disgusting mouthpieces of Ben Ali’s
propaganda, getting organised and taking over the editorial line.

This is the case at the state-owned La Presse. El-Heni, a journalist in the foreign desk explains:

One of the La Presse journalists, who had been sacked for political reasons, has been reinstated as the head of the journalists’ union in the paper.

In state owned companies, ministries and private companies owned or
linked to the Trabelsi family, workers’ assemblies and strikes have been
organised to drive out the hated RCD managers, CEOs and high ranking
officials.

On Tuesday, January 18, UGTT workers at STAR, one of the country’s
main insurance companies, went on strike and expelled the company’s CEO,
Abdelkarim Merdassi, in protest at his links with the Trabelsi clan. This video
captured the extraordinary moment in which the workers physically
expelled him from his office while singing the national anthem.

Similar movements developed at the oil distribution company SNDP,
where the CEO Rafaa Dkhul was also kicked out by the workers, who
criticised his close links with the Trabelsi family. Dkhul had given the
Trabelsi clan concessions of a number of petrol stations worth millions
of euro. At the Banque de Tunisie, its general director Alia Abdallah
and all high ranking officers have been barred by the workers, organised
by the UGTT, from entering their offices, in order to prevent the
destruction of potentially incriminating documents. The workers have
seized all sensitive documents and computers.

Also expelled from their positions by the action of the workers and their trade unions are Moncef Bouden, from the Tax Office, Moncef Dakhli, CEO of the National Agricultural Bank and Montassar Ouaïli, CEO of Tunisie Telecom.
The outgoing Minister of Sports, Abdelhamid Slama was prevented by the
workers from entering his old ministry to pick up his things. The list
of companies where the workers have taken action is very long. Today,
the workers of the Tunis public transport went on strike also demanding
the dismissal of the CEO of their company.

The Tunisian business press is full of articles complaining about the
“lack of respect for the law” and asking “what is the Ministry of the
Interior doing” about these actions on the part of the workers. An
opinion article on the business website Web Manager Centre implored
“Let’s not put businessmen on their knees”. Another was entitled
“Discipline – ‘comrades’.”

The workers feel confident and are moving forward, not just against
the bosses, but also against their own bureaucratic trade union leaders
who until very recently were supporting the dictatorship of Ben Ali. An
appeal is circulating for an extraordinary national congress of the UGTT
to be convened in order to remove the current leadership.

Workers, however, should not stop at removing the old managers,
directors and officials, but they should replace them with their own
elected representatives, establishing workers’ control over production
and the economy.

Clearly, the Tunisian revolution has shaken society from top to
bottom. The workers and youth are on the streets and in a confident
mood. The government commands no authority and the initiative is still
firmly on the streets. Mass demonstrations are expected tomorrow.

The revolutionary movement of the Tunisian masses needs urgently to
give itself a more organised character and a national coordination. The
revolutionary committees and democratic trade unions need to be spread
and strengthened at all levels. A national meeting of delegates from
local, neighbourhood, regional and workplace committees and trade unions
should be called at the earliest possible opportunity. Only such a body
would have the legitimacy to convene a democratic constituent assembly.
Workers and youth should continue and deepen their revolutionary
activities in sweeping away all the institutions and representatives of
the old regime. This is the only real homage that can be paid to the
martyrs that died for freedom, dignity, bread and jobs.

The next few days will be crucial. If the revolutionary movement does
not advance in a bold manner and poses clearly the question of taking
power, then, slowly but surely, the forces of the ruling class will
reclaim the authority they have lost. A situation of dual power cannot
last indefinitely. The Tunisian people have a rich revolutionary
history, but every uprising and general strike has been followed by a
period of concessions and trickery, and then the ruling class
reasserting its power again, through brutal repression. This is the time
to put an end to this cycle and throw the Tunisian ruling class into
the dustbin of history.

Long live the People; Long live the workers and youth; Long live the Revolution

Jorge Martín