Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, is a researcher and journalist specializing in African, Middle Eastern and Latin American affairs. He is a frequent guest on various media outlets throughout the world., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Thu Mar 14, 2013 8:2AM GMT
To watch this interview with Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, over Press TV World News, just click on the website below:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/03/14/293510/tunisians-must-rebuild-economy/
Tunisia had been so closely allied with the West under Ben Ali. He had been very close to France and he had also been very much a part of the United States’ war on terrorism.
They have to break with this pattern in order to develop some type of independent orientation in regard to rebuilding its national economy and also bringing more political forces into the overall landscape of the country.”
Tunisians must work to improve the situation in the country and rebuild the national economy, a political commentator tells Press TV.
A Tunisian man who set himself ablaze in protest against unemployment and poverty succumbed to his injuries. The 27-year-old Adel Khadri died as a result of severe burns, said director of the Ben Arous Burns Center Imed Toiuibi on Wednesday. In December 2010, the self-immolation and death of vendor Mohammed Bouazizi sparked mass protests that led to a revolution which ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011.
Press TV has conducted an interview with Abayomi Azikiwe, the editor of the Pan-African News Wire from Detroit, to discuss the current situation in Tunisia. What follows is an approximate transcription of the interview.
Press TV: Are we looking now for a step in the right direction? Or is that going to defuse any tensions for Tunisia with this lineup?
Azikiwe: Hopefully that will be the case with the approval of this new government that is supposed to be a government more broad-based than the previous one.
It has been approved by a majority of the national parliament in Tunis and hopefully this can lead to more direct attention being paid to the extreme economic crisis that exists in Tunisia.
Since the overthrow of Ben Ali over two years ago, the economy has really not improved. In fact in many cases it has worsened for the workers and particularly the youth inside of Tunisia.
Also we have seen a lot of complaints from various segments of Tunisian society that supporters of the Ennahda Party have been less than politically tolerant of the inherent diversity that exist in Tunisian society.
Therefore, I believe this move on the part of the new interim prime minister to set up a new broad-based government will bear fruit in regard to stabilizing the political situation so that the government can focus on economic development.
Press TV: Well you talked about how the criticism has been focused in some ways towards for example Ennahda not being too tolerant politically but some are saying that it is not the case. So what do you have to say to those critics?
Azikiwe: Well it all depends where people are politically inside of Tunisia. There has been a tremendous amount of criticism particularly from women’s organizations inside of the country. More leftist and liberal organizations have complained extensively about the lack of political diversity within the overall culture inside of Tunisia.
We have to look at the assassination last month of Chokri Belaid who was an attorney, a leftist, who had been an outspoken critic of the political system inside of Tunisia.
His death was mourned broadly within Tunisia. In fact there were mass demonstrations and even rebellions inside of the country as a result.
Even recently there was another unemployed man who self-immolated because of the extreme economic conditions that he was living in and this of course sparked the initial uprising in December 2010.
The fact [is] that you have unemployment; many young people there who see absolutely no future under the existing system.
Tunisia had been so closely allied with the West under Ben Ali. He had been very close to France and he had also been very much a part of the United States’ war on terrorism.
They have to break with this pattern in order to develop some type of independent orientation in regard to rebuilding its national economy and also bringing more political forces into the overall landscape of the country.
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