Tunisia 2024,
« What will be depends on our freedom »
To mark this New Year, and to illustrate our wishes, we have chosen a text by Vladimir Jankélévitch, from ” L’Aventure, l’Ennui, le Sérieux “. This great philosopher shows that if “the modalities of the future represent the realm of maybe“, this question also depends on us… and on our ability to imagine the future, to make choices, to navigate the meanders of thought. In short, to be free.
The future of Tunisia, thus considered, is rooted not only in a will to reform motivated by a desire for economic independence, but also in the reaffirmation of its democratic values confiscated since July 25, 2021. The path is strewn with obstacles, but the objective is clear: to forge a resilient nation that can prosper independently, in harmony with its democratic principles and the aspirations of its people.
Democracy is a fertile ground for economic growth, thanks to its ability to establish stability and confidence, which attracts investors and stimulates business. It nourishes innovation and creativity by fostering freedom of expression, essential for technological and industrial development. Moreover, it promotes participation and inclusion, allowing for the development of policies that reduce social and economic inequalities and benefit the whole society, thus creating shared and sustainable prosperity.
Economic reforms and the promotion of a market economy prove beneficial in strengthening economic flexibility and efficiency, promoting entrepreneurship and international competitiveness. They also stimulate economic diversification, essential for resilience to external economic shocks, and make a country attractive for investments.
Together, a robust democracy, sensible reforms, and a well-regulated market economy can lead to a balanced and autonomous economic growth, thus reducing dependence on international financial aid.
2024 will be a gloomy year, marked by uncertainty. Our goal, as a think tank, will be to prepare the country for a better future based on inclusion and prosperity for all. The current policy of social class polarization is disastrous. Taking “the surplus of their money” from the rich to implement a social policy of aid to the poor is a non-sense. Far from being a gesture of social justice, this method could be described as a punitive intrusion into private property that risks undermining individual initiative, discouraging investment and ultimately harming those it claims to help, by weakening the economy as a whole. This bodes ill for the New Year and contributes to thickening the uncertainty for the future of the country.
I conclude this message by quoting Jankélévitch for the second time, “What is certain is that the future will be, that a future will come; but what it will be, that remains shrouded in the mists of uncertainty.”
At the dawn of this New Year, filled with uncertainties, our resolution is to look to the future with determination and confidence and to contribute with concrete propositions to get us into a constructive debate with our own initiatives and others’ without exclusion. As a firend said “there is so much to do and our resilience as a country is surprisingly high. We should funnel it to prosper not only resist, to thrive not only to survive.”
As a think tank, we are committed to cultivating progressive ideas and actions that will guide Tunisia to a future where prosperity is shared and inclusion is a reality for all, far from sterile and counterproductive populist policies. We firmly believe in our collective ability to overcome challenges and build a resilient future.
Ghazi Ben Ahmed, President, co-founder of the MDI