(ANSAmed) - PARIS, FEBRUARY 1 - The Arab Spring has brought
significant political chance, but has not given a concrete
answer to the social demands and to social inequalities. This
emerged from a debate that was organised in Paris by the French
Development Agency, in collaboration with the Foundation for the
Analysis of Political Societies (FASOPO), aimed at making up the
balance of changes in the Arab world one year after the
revolutions.
In Tunisia, for example, there is still a wide gap between
the wealthy and developed coastal regions, thanks to tourism
revenues, and the western and southern regions with their
unemployment, school dropouts and poverty. ''The inland regions
have paid the price for the revolution, because they have led
the protests and have suffered the most violent response,''
explains Slim Tissaoui, trade union representative from
Jendouba, in the north-west of the country. ''But the media
attention has fallen away, despite the fact that the
demonstrations and strikes still continue." Cultural, political
and particularly social evolutions ''are not going to plan'',
the unionist continued, also because ''it is difficult to change
a system that has been in place for decades, moulded by Ben Ali
but also Bourguiba'', the first leader of the independent
Tunisia.
An emblematic example is the case of workers in the mining
area of Redeyef, in the far west of the country: ''We were the
first to stand up against the regime, in 2008'' says Adnane
Hajji, who represents the miners, ''but our conditions have not
changed at all and the promises that were made have not been
kept." The claims made by the miners were aimed at the State,
which ''does not let our region participate in the country's
wealth and development,'' but also at the Gafsa phosphate
company that manages the mines, regarding issues like
compensation payments to victims of work accidents or to people
whose house or land is damaged by the mining activities.
''Only at the start of January, after months of production
blockades and sit-ins, the new Minister for Social Affairs came
here to talk with us,'' he added. ''He has promised to do what
he can to support our cause. We have started negotiations, with
the support of his executive office, but they have had no
concrete effects yet."
The problem of Morocco is more complex. In this country, the
protests were rapidly bridled by traditional opposition forces
like the Islamist and left-wing parties. The protests failed to
get to the roots of the inequalities. A particular problem that
continues to exist is one that political commentators call the
'logic of income': ''Work is seen as a sort of manna, one that
people must try to get somehow,'' explains Irene Bono,
researcher at FASOPO, ''claiming all kinds of rights." Morocco's
young graduates are among the main protesters. They have
denounced this logic for a long time, because it keeps out a
meritocratic selection, but also support it by claiming jobs in
the public administration.
''The issue of unemployment in Morocco today affects the
community on different levels,'' she continued, ''on the
inequality of the available resources and access to
opportunities. The way the problem is dealt with, however, tends
to ignore these issues, mainly focusing on questions like
demographic growth as cause for unemployment, or ineffective
education." (ANSAMed)
