Recent Data Reveals Tunisia's Economic Progress
Recent data indicating Tunisia's early repayment of its entire external debt three months ahead of the scheduled 2025 deadline, as well as the expected reduction in the budget deficit thanks to a debt strategy focused on internal resources, testifies to the solidity and consistency of the economic policy implemented since the start of the July 25, 2021 process. This is despite the recurring criticism from some detractors who, paradoxically, seem uncomfortable when the country is moving in the right direction. This attitude is regrettable on more than one level, even if the majority of Tunisians now perceive the true motivations behind it. This does not undermine the value of objective and constructive analyses from sincere experts, whose remarks contribute to the vitality of public debate and push the state to adjust certain policies. This is the essence of a free and democratic society.
A Concerning Attitude
What remains concerning, on the other hand, is the attitude of certain pseudo-analysts who persist in denying the tangible progress made on the socio-economic level, particularly the bold measures aimed at supporting disadvantaged classes, which have long been neglected. Worse still, these pseudo-analysts mock this social orientation, publishing on social media comments filled with contempt for the most modest individuals. One of them, based in Paris, recently wrote: "His allies (those of Kais Saied) are the poor classes, and that's terrible, because in this environment, his popularity rating remains intact. The more they are miserable, the more they are with him!" A remark to which a former high-ranking state official replied, not without irony: "They lack creative imagination!" It must be said that, far from the circles of power, some people confuse political analysis with personal revenge. For if defending the poor becomes a fault, then the very meaning of social justice will have to be reinvented.
A Troubling Paradox
Even more troubling, many of these commentators do not hide their admiration for countries they willingly cite as examples in their columns or on social media - countries where, however, no free elections have ever taken place, where the independent press is muzzled, and where the opposition has no choice but to remain silent. This paradox says a lot about the nature of their "democracy lessons" and the relative objectivity of their analyses. Seduced by the illusory promises made to them by these foreign capitals, they dream of finding support there to access power. But once they reach the helm, these apprentice politicians often become docile puppets.
