tunisia after 14 january and its social and political economy - Refworld

II.2.B.b. How the bureaucracy works: between party allegiance, distancingand centralizationThe Tunisian administration since independence has been highly politicized, followingthe model of a perfect correspondence between administrative structure and partystructure: to have a responsible position and rise in rank, one had to swear allegianceto the party, in other words be a member or bow to the demands of the politicalsphere and the party hierarchy. To the extent that the law, still in force, stipulates thatone must have attained a particular rank in the administration to gain access to aparticular position of responsibility, and above all insofar as the decision has beenmade to emphasise stability, bureaucratic continuity, ‘moderation’ and the avoidanceof conflict, any renewal of senior management cannot be achieved. Specifically, keypositions and leadership positions are still in the hands of people linked to the RCD orwho, in any case, have been ‘formatted’ by the old system. Under these conditions, onecan sometimes see real resistance being organized, as shown by the drawing up of listsof new governors, sub-prefects or delegates; one most often finds the reproductionof prickly behaviours, sensitive to orders from above, including those in breach of thelegal stipulations. 142 Locally, different situations are widely divergent: some municipalitieshave been dismantled, while others have remained completely in the hands of RCDmembers. But whatever the configuration, the power of these authorities is now virtuallynonexistent in terms of administrative work and economic and social life, since politicalconflicts are so powerful and widespread. As for governors, coming from the previousadministrative and party hierarchy, they are often paralyzed by the tensions and evenhostility towards them, and share a bureaucratic ethos that lessens their desire to showany initiative in this period of uncertainty. This situation is problematic insofar as localauthorities are not playing their role as a link with the population, especially in the poorestareas where expectations are huge. Under these conditions, the state still appears justas distant from the population, remote, hierarchical and unattainable. In this respect, thesuccessive transitional governments, including the third government under Caïd Essebsi,are entirely in line with previous governments. It is striking that neither the Prime Ministernor any other minister have gone out to marginalized areas or have visited the families ofmartyrs. Even at the local level, these families or the families of people injured in cities likeSidi Bouzid and Kasserine, the places most heavily affected by the violence of repression,have still not been received by the Governor. No structure for listening to, analysingand gathering people’s demands has been established, while the situations are oftendramatic. Distancing oneself from authoritarian modes of government requires a wholeapprenticeship and a series of changes in political and administrative behaviour that willnecessarily take time.78142 Interviews, Tunis, March 2011. This was also openly revealed by the former Interior Minister, Farhat Rajhi,who also disclosed that he had himself been caught out by his administration, which had drawn up thelist of officials to be appointed and promoted.