Tunisians celebrate freedom from colonialism

Veeramalla Anjaiah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 03/22/2011

On March 20, 55 years ago, Tunisians earned their freedom from French colonial powers under the leadership of Habib Bourguiba, the first president of the North African country.

Two months ago, Tunisians overthrew dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, earning a second chance at freedom in what was dubbed the Jasmine Revolution. Jasmine is Tunisia’s national flower.

Tunisians living in Indonesia celebrated their latest victory with a modest ceremony in Jakarta on Monday.

“Since our independence struggle, we admire Indonesia for its help in the 1950s,” Jamil Bellakhel, a senior lecturer at the University of Tunis, told The Jakarta Post.

According to the Ministry of Trade and the Central Statistics Agency, Tunisia’s trade with Indonesia surged to US$69.61 million in 2010, up 27.81 percent from $54.46 million in 2009.

Famous for its dates, the Muslim-majority nation also exports oranges, fertilizers, rock phosphate, glass, plastic and olive oil to Indonesia.

In investments, PT Medco Energi Internasional purchased a $10 million stake in Tunisia’s Anaguid oil and gas block in 2007.

After the Jasmine Revolution, some economic impact will be felt in the bilateral relations in the coming months, as Indonesian personnel in the oil and gas sector as well as students fled Tunisia during the political crisis.

People from across the globe raised eyebrows when the revolution ignited in the tiny but beautiful Maghreb country. Today, 80 percent of Tunisians are considered to be middle-class citizens with a per-capita income of $3,000. Around 78 percent of Tunisian families own their own homes and the literacy rate is very high. It was selected as the best place to do business in Africa, with a high competitiveness ranking.

Yet the corrupt and repressive regime of Ben Ali and his cronies plundered the country, leading to the surge in educated unemployment in recent years. On Dec. 17, 2010, a young, educated street vendor, Tarek el-Tayyib Mohamed Ben Bonazizi, set himself on fire in protest against the seizure of his shop. This ignited the outburst from Tunisians that cast Ben Ali into the dustbin of history.