Tunisian party rebukes president’s speech

Tunisian Labor Party issued a statement entitled “Essebssi’s War against People” criticizing the recent speech delivered by Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebssi on Wednesday, saying that it did not provide any solutions for the current increasing crises witnessed in the country. They stressed that Essebsi’s speech comes to deepen the crisis, accusing the presidency of working against the aspiration of the Tunisian people.
The party warned of the seriousness of the presidential decision to order the military units to protect the country’s economic institutions in which the workers express their protest against the governmental policies, saying that such a decision is considered a declaration of war. They warned of the repercussions of involving the military institution on the social and political situation witnessed in the country during the current critical period.
The party stressed that the president’s speech reflected the failure of his regime to meet the demands of people or to achieve development in the country during the current economic crisis witnessed in the country. It blamed the policies adopted by the government for its failure to provide job opportunities and the increasing rate of unemployment among the Tunisians.
Tunisia's President Beji Caid Essebsi has ordered the army to protect the output of the country's main resources following a wave of protests over unemployment and worsening economic conditions. This is the first time that troops in Tunisia have been deployed to guard industrial installations, including phosphate, gas and oil production facilities that are key to the national economy.
"It is a serious decision, but it must be applied to protect our resources," Essebsi said on Wednesday in a speech to the nation. "Our democratic path has become threatened and law must be applied but we will respect freedom. He who wants to go on strike can do it, but without disrupting work," Essebsi added. However, the coordinator of a sit-in at el-Kamour, near oil fields in southern Tunisia, remained defiant in the wake of Essebsi's speech.