Original publication
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Open letter to the women and men of Tunisia on the sixtieth anniversary of independence:
The Nation First
20 March 1956 / 20 March 2016: sixty years have passed since Tunisia’s independence. As we mark this glorious anniversary, I wanted to address all Tunisians: those who lived through the event and shared in the greatest joy the nation has known, and those who have kept its memory alive, carried its flag and kept its flame burning.
1- Independence Day is an occasion to reject exclusion, marginalisation and every form of discrimination among Tunisians, and a call for unity, gathering and reconciliation among all the people of this nation… In our unity lies our strength; in our division, our weakness and humiliation… From the bottom of my heart, and from this platform, I call on Tunisians to choose a full and genuine reconciliation among themselves, with themselves, with their founding values and with their country… A reconciliation that we make the fuel of our battles against terrorism, poverty, unemployment and marginalisation.
2- Independence Day is an occasion to affirm, firmly and resolutely, the sovereignty and independence of national decision-making, at a time when external threats and dangers aimed at undermining the country’s stability and security have intensified… Today our country is waging a war on terrorism, the fiercest, most atrocious and most formidable external danger it has ever faced.
Independence Day reminds us that national sovereignty is a precious and dearly won achievement that cannot be given up, and that we must make every sacrifice to safeguard and preserve it… Our soldiers and our valiant security forces have begun to light the way with their blood and their lives; we must follow their path and raise the flag alongside them.
3- This anniversary reminds us that Tunisia, a country small in its geography and natural resources… has always been at the forefront in fulfilling its people’s aspirations to a decent life and to progress, thanks to the determination of its sons and daughters and their resolve to meet every challenge… The principle of “national will” has been a national constant, embodied in the struggles for independence and development, in building the modern State, in the emancipation of women and in the defence of human rights, freedom and dignity… “National will” has always been our weapon against every kind of determinism that would reduce our existence to the limits of our geography… I call on you, my fellow citizens, to make this “national will” our guiding light against despair, despondency and discouragement.
4- All those who lived that happy and powerful moment felt two joys: the joy of breaking free from the colonial yoke and ending suffering that had lasted three quarters of a century, but also, and above all, the joy of welcoming a new era and the hope of a better tomorrow…
Yes, my fellow citizens, the best victory over difficulties and crises, however severe, is to keep our confidence unshaken, to hold on to the hope of a better tomorrow and to our collective ability, God willing, to overcome hardship and face challenges… Great peoples have made “confidence in a better tomorrow” the fuel of their battles; let us make it a creed in Tunisia… the creed of the believer who places his trust in God and does not fear the future, however hard his situation…
5- The joy of independence did not make Tunisians forget the scale of the challenges awaiting them as they set out to build a strong, modern State that would meet their aspirations and be worthy of the immense sacrifices they had made in their struggle against the coloniser… For Tunisians, the day of joy was also the day they rolled up their sleeves to work, give and strive, so that their hope of a better tomorrow might be fulfilled…
My fellow citizens, there is no way out of today’s confusion, resignation and mediocrity except by restoring the value of work and giving it the place it deserves in a nation whose destiny is to work… to work harder than others… to work better than others…
My fellow citizens: national unity, national sovereignty, national will, hope and work are the constants and values that brought independence, preserved it, protected the country from every kind of danger and offered the world the Tunisian exception… Today I wanted to recall them, so that we hold fast to them and put them into practice once again… I wanted to share with you their symbolic weight and importance, and at the same time to commit myself before all of you, as I prepare in these days to launch and undertake with you a new and singular political endeavour, to uphold them, to work to safeguard, nurture and spread them, and to ensure that the principle guiding us all is:
“The Nation First”.
Long live a free and dignified Tunisia.
Mondher Zenaidi