Global companies withdraw from Tunisian market: New failure of Brotherhood’s promises of luxury

Sarah Rashad

The decision taken by international investment companies such as the oil company Shell to exit the Tunisian market is inseparable from the political reality that the country has lived through since 2011. Although the dreams that had been haunting Tunisian youth ten years ago were all about economic development expected to achieve a high standard of living, the current economic reality indicates that conditions have worsened since from the time of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Far from the fact that this decision would increase the burdens on the Tunisian state, which faces crises of unemployment and the deterioration of citizens’ living conditions, the Tunisian citizen looks with accusation at the political elites who have been running the country since 2011 and have been involved in dispelling Tunisians’ dreams and worsening the political reality.

Perhaps this is what prompted Tunisians to demonstrate at the beginning of this year, coinciding with the tenth anniversary of the revolution against Ben Ali, to demand the overthrow of all parties in power with the election of a new administration.

Accusations against Ennahda

The Ennahdha movement, the extension of the Brotherhood in Tunisia, is the prime suspect in this regard, as the movement has always promised citizens a comfortable life upon their coming to power, which did not happen despite their leadership over the past ten years.

Contrary to all these promises, Tunisia is in a state of constant quarrel between Ennahda and its opponents, distracting from the movement’s economic and social promises.

The Brotherhood-affiliated movement is fighting a war against President Kais Saied, who defends the civil state and accuses Ennahdha of trying to hijack the Tunisian state for the benefit of the political Islamist trend.

Against the background of these facts, economic and social matters are the last thing of concern to Ennahda, which spends most of its time in political battles and in bills that guarantee expanding its powers.

Tunisian politicians expect that this caused the decline in the popularity the Ennahda movement, which neglected the concerns of citizens in favor of political gains.

Selling a delusion

Whenever Brotherhood supporters in Egypt talk about their experience in Egypt, they say that the impact did not help them and they did not get their full opportunity. The justifications promoted by the Brotherhood did not find support in the Tunisian experience, as the Ennahda movement has had sufficient time to make any improvement in the standard of living of citizens, but it has not succeeded.

The Ennahda experience repeats the same scenario of failure that faces Brotherhood entities throughout the region, such as Hamas in Palestine or the Sudanese Brotherhood, which failed despite the length of its administration.