Global Arab Network | Tunisian President Ben Ali takes oath of office

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Tunisian President Ben Ali takes oath of office

Thursday, 12 November 2009 15:12

President_Zine_El_Abidine_Ben_Ali__Tunisia

Opening session of the Tunisian Chamber of Deputies and Chamber of Advisers was held on Thursday during which President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali took the oath of office after his re-election for a new presidential term.
During this session, the President of the Republic delivered an address to the nation.

Here is the full text of the address:

“In the Name of God, Merciful and Compassionate,
Mr. Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies,
Mr. Speaker of the Chamber of Advisers,

I am pleased to convey to you my greetings and congratulations on being re-elected as Speakers of the Chamber of Deputies and the Chamber of Advisers. I also wish to offer my congratulations to all members of the Chamber of Deputies on being elected for this new parliamentary term. I also would like to convey my greetings to all members of the Chamber of Advisers who are present with us today. I take this occasion to reaffirm our deep consideration for the legislative branch, with its two chambers, as it materialises the values of the Republic and consecrates the people’s sovereignty and free will.

Since the early days of the Change, we have been keen on rehabilitating the republican system, restoring the people’s sovereignty, and anchoring the rule of law. Alongside the Chamber of Deputies, we established the Chamber of Advisers so as to consolidate the legislative power, enrich political life, and promote the democratic practice and pluralism. Pluralism has, in fact, become a tangible political reality in the makeup of the Chamber of Deputies where the national political parties hold today and for the first time 25% of the seats.

This is, in fact, a firm and irreversible political choice which we are consolidating and promoting at each stage, so as to expand the scope of participation and increase the presence of national political parties and civil society components in public life.

We, once again, affirm that we do rely on the national political parties and their role in guiding citizens, raising awareness of our national tenets and providing the necessary mobilisation around them. We also reaffirm our determination to make sure the diversity of visions and approaches constitutes a source of enrichment for our country’s democratic climate.

We consider the differences of opinion as obvious and even necessary to enrich public life and promote consensus around the constant principles which are embraced by our people and which we are committed to adopting and defending. Patriotism and allegiance to Tunisia alone are at the top among these principles.

Patriotism is indeed an integral part of faith. Attachment to the country, commitment to defending it, and faithfulness to its foundations and specificities, constitute an authentic education and a deep-rooted culture that are born from the early years of schooling, and are then nurtured in the family, in society, and in all fields of life.

Patriotism cannot be subjected to blackmail, outbidding or personal calculations because it is a reflection of sincerity and honesty, devotion and sacrifice, and a sense of honour and belonging.

An authentic Tunisian is one who never accepts that any party causes harm to his country, and never accepts to be party to this harm, in whatever form and for whatever reason.

A true patriot never takes his disagreement with his country abroad, to distort its image and seek foreign support. Such a behaviour is ethically, politically and legally unacceptable.

It brings its perpetrator nothing but contempt, even from those he tries to incite against his country. Moreover, this behaviour does not give its perpetrator any immunity vis-à-vis Tunisian law which remains the fundamental reference for all citizens.

Some individuals believe that the titles they attribute to themselves allow them to violate the laws of the country and to cause harm to it, so that when they are held accountable they seek a political cover with which they justify their acts which, in reality, fall under the common law and have nothing to do with their affiliations and views.

In this context, I would like to point out that the principle of equality before the law is provided for in the Constitution, and is incompatible with any notion of exception or immunity that those individuals might evoke. The law is above all, and all citizens are equal before the law.

To all those who do not respect the Nation’s sanctity and integrity, and who continuously attempt to do harm to their country, speak ill of it, and persist in casting doubts, fabricating lies, and inciting others, we say: the people are the only arbiter; they are the true deciders and have the final say. The Tunisian people have asserted their position through the ballot box, within a context of rigorous respect for the law, clarity and transparency. They have, once again, proved their awareness and maturity, their faithfulness to their country and its gains, and their confidence in its leadership and its policy guidelines.

In the same way as it accepts and welcomes constructive criticism and honest difference of opinion, Tunisia is committed to its independence, sovereignty and freedom of decision, rejects any interference in its affairs, and does not accept that anyone speaks ill of it or damages its reputation through false allegations and fabricated lies.

Such interference goes beyond the violation of the sovereignty of our country as it affects the sovereignty of the Arab Maghreb Union and the African Union to which we belong. We have submitted this issue to the presidents of these two organisations in order to adopt the necessary position and protest against those abuses which are contrary to the principle of respect for the sovereignty of states and non- interference in their affairs.

From this rostrum, we reaffirm that our hearts are open and our hands are extended to all Tunisian men and women, without excluding or excepting anyone. Tunisia is indeed the strong and durable tie that binds all of us one another. Our prime duty toward Tunisia is to serve it with devotion, to enhance its status, to sacrifice for its sake, to defend the independence of its decision and to place its interest above all considerations.

With optimism and ambition, we will pursue our action in the service of our people and our country. We have placed our programme for the coming five-year term under an ambitious motto:”together we meet challenges”. We want it to serve as a catalyst for all of us to acquire the abilities and capacities that allow our country to join the rank of developed nations.

We were TOGETHER when we saved the country. TOGETHER we established the plan of reform, development, and modernisation. TOGETHER we defined our country’s major political, economic and social orientations. TOGETHER we successfully went through all the stages our country has witnessed over the past couple of decades since the Change. TOGETHER we managed to accomplish numerous and various achievements that have conferred on our country the civilisational and development dimension it deserves.

Today, we move TOGETHER toward the future, determined, as never before, to meet challenges and win stakes. We have conceived our programme for the coming five-year term on the basis of a comprehensive strategic vision that takes into consideration the aspirations of all social categories and all regions in all fields.

We rely on all Tunisian men and women to adhere to our programme for the future, particularly the constitutional institutions, national political parties, organisations, councils and civil society components.

It is a programme with a rich content, tightly linked to Tunisia’s present and future. It requires that we all be fully mobilised and provide all types of support that contribute to achieving its objectives. For we are stepping into a stage marked by a difficult and complex world juncture that will confront us with huge challenges in all the economic, cultural, environmental, scientific, communication and technological fields. We have no other path but to show more vigilance and to be equipped with a strong resolve for transcendence and success, so as to overcome difficulties, smooth out obstacles, and move always forward with confident and firm steps.

It is a delicate stage in which there is no room for hesitation, routine, failure, deficiency and minimum effort; it rather requires intelligence, knowledge, audacity and a maximum degree of effort and diligence.

Historical experiences show that nothing takes place in this world fortuitously and that the progress of peoples is not offered randomly, but is rather the fruit of a long process of diligent work, earnest action, and efficient performance. In fact, what you harvest depends on what you sow, and the reward depends on the amount of effort you put in.

The people’s adherence to our policy guidelines and to the various programmes we have proposed to them has made of Tunisia today a modern country that is fully integrated in the dynamic of this age. This has qualified Tunisia to be ranked today as the best country in the world as regards the pace of evolution of the Human Development Index since 2000.

These gains and achievements can only strengthen our people’s ability to successfully pursue advancement on the path of progress and development.” (TAP)

Global Arab Network

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