ARAB SPRING: REVIEW OF FACTORS FOR PEOPLE S UPRISING IN TUNISIA

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1 International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET) Volume 9, Issue 3, March 2018, pp , Article ID: IJCIET_09_03_056 Available online at ISSN Print: and ISSN Online: IAEME Publication Scopus Indexed ARAB SPRING: REVIEW OF FACTORS FOR PEOPLE S UPRISING IN TUNISIA W. K. Mujani (Corresponding Author) Department of Arabic Studies and Islamic Civilization, Faculty of Islamic Studies, The National University of Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia S. N. Musa Department of Arabic Studies and Islamic Civilization, Faculty of Islamic Studies, The National University of Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia ABSTRACT Some years ago, the world was taken aback by the people s uprising or better known as Arab Spring. This historical event began in Tunisia and spread to a few other countries which were forced to deal with the people s demonstrations. The Tunisian Revolution or Jasmine Revolution witnessed the fall of President Zine El Abidin Ben Ali s regime. After 23 years under his rule, the society began to feel disgusted and united in an uprising against the regime. Thus, the purpose of this working paper is to identify the factors which led to the people s uprising in Tunisia in social, economic and political aspects. This research is a qualitative study with a document analysis approach to verify whether information is obtained from authoritative sources. Research results find that there were some factors in social, economic and political aspects which were the prime causes leading to the people s uprising. Keywords: Arab Spring, Tunisia, Uprising and Middle East Cite this Article: W. K. Mujani and S. N. Musa, Arab Spring: Review of Factors for People s Uprising in Tunisia, International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, 9(3), 2018, pp INTRODUCTION The wave of people s uprising, which triggered a revolution in the Arab world following a political conflict, attracted the attention not only of the society but of the whole world. The peak of opposition was seen in the Arab Spring phenomenon triggered in the year It was a historical event whereby some Arab countries were forced to confront the people s demonstrations demanding restoration of their civil liberties. One of these countries was Tunisia where the wave started and spread to other countries such as Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria. After 23 years of repression, Zine El Abidin Ben Ali s regime was finally toppled in December On examination, it is found that among the factors which led to the editor@iaeme.com

2 Arab Spring: Review of Factors for People s Uprising in Tunisia people s uprising was the dissatisfaction with the autocratic regime, centralization of powers, hegemony of military power and corruption. Added to these were the problems of unemployment and poverty which became increasingly critical thus raising the people s ire. The protest which occurred became a massive demonstration and later transformed into a riot. It caused chaos in the socio-economy, increase in death toll, destruction of property and national instability. Nevertheless, the situation which happened will open a new page to all the Tunisian people who voiced out their views and involved themselves in the process of making new policies which will benefit the people more (Mujani & Musa, 2015; Saidin et al., 2014). 2. MOHAMED BOUAZIZI SPARKED OFF THE REVOLUTION The tragic death of Mohamed Bouazizi in December 2010 in Tunisia is said to be the beginning of the wave of people s uprisings in the Arab world. Bouazizi, a 26 year old Tunisian youth, was a local university graduate. Serious economic recession and unemployment problem which afflicted Tunisia at that time had forced Bouazizi to sell vegetables and fruits to support his family. Bouazizi burnt himself in protest when he could not retrieve his possessions confiscated by a Tunisian enforcer named Farida Hamdi (Massy, 2013). The enforcer, Farida had given a warning and seized his pushcart because he had no licence to sell. Bouazizi was offered to settle by paying a fine but he ignored the warning. Before his pushcart was confiscated, he was humiliated with harsh words in a high-handed manner. An hour later, Bouazizi came with two bottles of benzene and burned himself in front of the Governor s office. He was rushed to Hospital Ben Arous in Tunis, however his condition became more critical and he died on the 4th of January 2011 (Kamrava, 2012). Subsequently, the people rose up in protest against the oppression and injustice by the government all the while. The youth who had been unemployed for some time took advantage of the incident by uploading a picture of Bouazizi burning himself alive on the social webpage of Facebook and YouTube to provoke the people s anger. Nevertheless, Bouazizi s act of suicide was not the main cause for the people s opposition. There were other factors ignored by the regime which angered the people (Mujani & Musa, 2015). 3. FACTORS OF PEOPLE S OPPOSITION The people s opposition following the conflict which occurred was caused by a number of factors as follows: 3.1. Oppression of the People For 23 years the people were oppressed by the regime of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. They could no longer bear to be shackled by the government s repression and injustice. The situation was exacerbated by the problems of corruption, inflation and increasing unemployment. The power of the leader was more of a licence to wrong the people. For victims of injustice, this had a deep impact on their lives, particularly the families of those who died in the hands of the authorities (Abdul Malik, 2012). Following this, the people held a massive demonstration and urged the President to resign. Ben Ali could not control the people s demonstration even with the help of the government regime. The unity of the people produced results when Ben Ali finally stepped down from power and this showed the victory and power symbol was in the hands of the people. In the Islamic religion, a leader is entrusted to look after the welfare of the people. He should always be just in his dealings with the people in all situations. This command enjoining justice by Allah SWT is in Surat al-nahl, 16: 90 which means: Verily Allah enjoins al-adil (justice) editor@iaeme.com

3 W. K. Mujani and S. N. Musa and al-ihsan (doing of good /liberality) to kith and kin and forbids al-fahsha (all shameful deeds) and al-munkar (injustice) and al-baghy (rebellion). He admonishes you that you may take heed (Mujani et al. 2015a). In the above verse, Allah calls on his slaves to do justice and good to kinsfolk and forbids injustice. Likewise, a ruler must be just in administering a country. It is entrusted upon him to uphold justice and oppose repression (Ismail et al. 2012) Autocratic Rule The turbulence which occurred in Tunisia shows that the people wanted change in the governmental system of that time. The successful revolution in Tunisia may now be witnessed as spreading to other Arab countries (Nur-tegin, 2012). Every day in the streets in Tunisia was heard protests of dissatisfaction to overthrow the autocratic government. Among the people s demands were for their voices to be heard and their rightful interests to be fulfilled. They wanted a just government which would be concerned about them. The tendency of government to use its power absolutely and arbitrarily caused the uprising to oust the autocratic government which had been comfortable and taken its powers for granted for so long (Kolster, 2012). However, one of the causes which the people were uneasy with was the diplomatic relations between the leadership and the superpowers. In order to guarantee his position remain strong and established, this dictator had a secret pact which benefitted the superpowers. They channelled monetary aid for the purpose of perpetuating the government in power. As consideration, the Tunisian regime became the tool for their agenda to betray the Muslim people. This shows the cruelty of the regime towards their own people, the majority of whom are Muslims. As a consequence many lives were sacrificed (Esposito, 1996). The Ben Ali government was strong and stable and lasted for almost half a century supported by the military regime under it. Even more depressing was that government institutions were used as political tools to consolidate its position. The state police and security forces were deployed to suppress and persecute any groups and elements bold enough to criticise the regime (Mujani et al., 2012a). This forced the people to form new political parties to challenge and defeat the decadesold dictatorship government. Generally, the opposition movement appeared to fight for a changed system of government from a dictatorship or autocracy to a more democratic and just system. However, not all changes may lead to good. The people must have a definite idea of the kind of government system they desire; otherwise they may end up forming a government leadership similar to the one deposed (Yom, 2011; Ismail & Mujani, 2012) Rising Poverty Before the people s uprising in Tunisia, it was thought that Tunisia was a peaceful developing Arab country. Much praise and the title Tunisia s miracle were given for the country s success in weathering the economic downturn with a five percent per annum increase in economic resources. However, behind the success and pride touted was hidden the suffering face of the Tunisian people who all the while did not dare to voice their rights (Miller et al., 2012). One of the main factors which triggered the revolution was the poverty and inequality faced by the people. Before the fall of Ben Ali s regime, the Tunisian economic growth was in very worrying state. Based on statistical data obtained, 70% of the people lived in poverty and hardship. In addition, the high cost of living caused some people to be unable to afford a home and thus became homeless. Even more depressing, they also could not afford enough editor@iaeme.com

4 Arab Spring: Review of Factors for People s Uprising in Tunisia food to get by in life. The people s lives were shrouded in misery which led to the uprising in the demand for justice and a better life (Kolster, 2012). For example, according to Mr. Rtibi, a Tunisian labourer, he earned about 200 dinar ($121) a month which was not sufficient to support his family. His low income caused his children to be physically stunted with poor eyesight and lack of concentration power in school. That with simultaneous increase in prices and cost of living made his daily life extremely difficult. Further, the people s opposition also occurred because of inequality between the urban and the countryside. The villagers were as if marginalised, particularly in economic distribution. They experienced poverty and extreme difficulty in addition to lack of access and infrastructure whether in the fields of education and services. Thus, the people whose lives were shrouded in injustice and deprivation rose up in protest. (Mujani et al. 2015b) Rising Unemployment Based on a report of the Ministry of Interior (KDN), Tunisia had achieved a consistent economic performance with an increase of 5% per annum and a high record of 6.3% in the year This was proven when Tunisia was a major exporter in the year 2009 in the manufacturing sector which contributed 71.6% of total exports compared to 36.7% in Egypt and 75.4% in Jordan, which was the highest among the Arab countries. In spite of the fair economy, the rate of unemployment was at a worrying level (Achy, 2011). The problems of unemployment and poverty had long prevailed in Tunisia. However, the unemployment problem was one of the major problems which led to the Arab Spring phenomenon. Each year, unemployment increased due to bad economic policies. The crisis of unemployment had commenced three decades ago with a continuous level of unemployment at 14%. The number of unemployed rose to 700,000 from 500,000 at the end of 2010 and almost half of them were young university graduates (Achy, 2011). Further, if observed, the majority of the Tunisians who held street demonstrations were graduates disillusioned with their government. Many of them had not been employed since graduation. Based on statistical data obtained, the labour market for the educated youth, both male and female, declined since the end of the year Generally, the issue of unemployment was very bad as depicted by most of the graduates. The injustice and favouritism of leaders in providing employment further added to their anger. Rising unemployment is an important issue because it will reduce productivity and cause a decline in the country s economic performance. In consequence, national economic productivity is expected to slump in the short-term, particularly in the industrial and tourism sectors. One of the challenges for a good government is to generate job opportunities for unemployed youth (Achy, 2011). Figure 1 Unemployment in Arab countries in the year editor@iaeme.com

5 W. K. Mujani and S. N. Musa Figure 1 shows the unemployment rates for several Arab countries in the year The statistical data show that unemployment for the majority of countries was at a low level, especially Israel, Lebanon and Morocco. However, some Arab countries had high unemployment, namely Egypt, Palestine and Tunisia. The data shows that the highest unemployed were the youth in Tunisia compared to the other countries. The problem of unemployment could not be resolved within the short term because with each day the labours supply increases adding to the number of unemployed. This problem has to be given top priority by any new government to avoid the same fate. It requires good economic management, especially to create sufficient employment for youth. Thus, the issue of unemployment was one of the main factors which led to the people s uprising in Tunisia (Mujani et al., 2012b) Uneducated Higher Education Total rate of Unemployment Figure 2 Unemployment in Tunisia in the years Figure 2 shows the unemployment in Tunisia from the years 2001 till The unemployment for graduates increased with each year until it reached 23% in the year However, unemployment among the uneducated was lower compared to unemployed university graduates. The number for the uneducated unemployed decreased each year to 5% in the year This is because the uneducated were not particular about taking any jobs offered, while the educated formed a higher percentage because the number of graduates exceeded demand and job opportunities available. The situation became more complicated with economic inequality, which made job creation difficult for the educated, jobs which are not based on salary, remuneration not commensurate with job description, and increasing income inequality (Mujani & Musa, 2014). Figure 3 Unemployment for Young Men and Women Graduates in Tunisia in the year editor@iaeme.com

6 Arab Spring: Review of Factors for People s Uprising in Tunisia Table 3 above shows the unemployment for graduates in Tunisia based on specialization in studies. In fact, the high unemployment among graduates was caused by the irrelevance between the selected specialization and the reality of the job market (Achy, 2011). This is because most graduates would select the field of their specialization. In fact, a number of them would reject a low pay not commensurate with their skill and level of education (Stampini and Chouchane, 2011). Among the evidence, on average the unemployed were graduates, 47.1% with degree in Economics Management, 43.2% for those with a Social Science degree and 24.5% with an Engineering degree. Therefore, lack of job opportunities for university graduates and the tendency to be particular about job selection, were among the causative factors for increasing unemployment, particularly among youth in Tunisia (Achy, 2011). Anyway, in this globalization era of world development, graduates should adapt to all kinds of jobs and at the same time be multi-skilled. Unemployed graduates presented a serious phenomenon in Tunisia. The manpower statistics showed graduates of local higher education institutes in Tunisia could not qualify for job vacancies even though the number of graduates in a group of work force exceeded demand from employers. The graduates produced could not fulfil employers requirements. Some of the graduates did not meet the standards of quality and skills for the jobs. Graduates should be highly competitive and meet market requirements. Employability is an important aspect of student skills (Tibek et al., 2012; Mujani et al., 2015c) Corruption and Abuse of Power The revolution in Tunisia brought huge changes in the country. However, the revolution was focused on the problem of corruption as one of the main factors which led to the people s opposition. The increasingly widespread corruption had inhibited economic potential in Tunisia which could have ensured a balanced development and stable administration (Paciello, 2011). For example, one third of the economic resources obtained were channelled to the President s family to protect their interests. The President used the government s money to give 15 million dinar to the regime under his control as condition for supporting him in elections. In addition, Ben Ali bribed the Supreme Council of Judges who was appointed by him (Johnson, 2012). Regarding corruption, Tunisian leaders were certainly associated with superpowers such as the United States. America was said to have been the main contributor of aid to the regime in Tunisia in the form of military equipment including tear gas bombs. Corruption was not something unusual in the administrative affairs of Tunisia. It was reported that the police also used their powers to extort money from the people. This clearly shows the lack of transparency and rule of law of Ben Ali s government of so that corruption became rampant in Tunisia (World Bank, n.d.). Even though a comprehensive anti-corruption agency was set up to deal with corruption in Tunisia, corruption became increasingly widespread. Legislation could not deter this negative element. The legal system implemented was generally weak because of the lack of political will to uphold enforcement and apply the laws effectively (Yom, 2011). Although a lot of money was spent in efforts to counter corruption, Tunisia s position in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2011 issued by the Transparency International revealed that Tunisia occupied the 73rd place among 183 countries which practised corruption in their bureaucracy. This is totally unacceptable because too much money and energy had been spent to correct the system and reduce corruption. Therefore, the issue of corruption which was increasingly widespread in Tunisia was one of the causes of the people s uprising. The people demanded a clean and democratic government editor@iaeme.com

7 W. K. Mujani and S. N. Musa 4. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the people s uprising in Tunisia was a historical moment not only for the people of Tunisia, but for the whole Muslim Ummah. This uprising has become the inspiration to people in other Arab countries who are similarly disadvantaged. This is the first uprising in the Arab world which succeeded in toppling a national leader and government. The repression and injustice of the government for so long had finally triggered the people s uprising. According to this research, the factors which led to the uprising are identified as rooted in various aspects including the political aspect such as rampant corruption. In terms of economics, the inequitable distribution of income among the society interfered with national administration. This writing also finds that the autocratic or despotic government which oppressed the people could not withstand for long in spite of its pact with super powers and its strong military support. However, the issue arises as to whether the Ben Ali s resignation from Presidency would only end with the replacement of a new dictatorship or otherwise. Even so, the turbulent event which happened has had a huge effect socially, economically and politically on the people as well as the nation. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research was carried out under Project GIP (Managing Socio-economy and Political Issues in Islamic Contemporary for Community Well Being). The authors would like to thank the Research and Instrumentation Management Centre, UKM for funding this research. REFERENCES [1] Abdul Malik, Muhammad. Menanti Fajar Menyingsing (Awaiting Dawn). Kuala Lumpur: Telaga Biru, Sdn.Bhd., [2] Achy, Lahcen. Tunisia s Economic Challenges. Washington: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, [3] Esposito, John L. Islam and Democracy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, [4] Ismail, A. M. et al. The missing of moral entity in modern civilization: Values and social aspects. Advances in Natural and Applied Sciences, 6(6), 2012, pp [5] Ismail, A. M. & Mujani, W. K. Social learning factors: Exploring the dimension of peer relation in the development of human behaviour. Research Journal of Applied Sciences, 7(2), 2012, pp [6] Johnson, Elizabeth. Corruption Trends in the Middle East and North Africa Region ( ). U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre, [7] Kolster, Jacob. Tunisia: Economic and Social Challenges beyond the Revolution. Tunis: African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, [8] Kamrava, M. The Arab spring and the Saudi-led counterrevolution. Orbis, 56(1), 2012, pp [9] Massy, Perrine. Cruel Treatment for Ben Ali in Tunisian Macbeth, The Daily Star Lebanon. February 25, / cruel-treatment-for-ben-ali-in-tunisian-macbeth [10] Miller, Laurel E. et al. Democratization in the Arab World: Prospects and Lessons from Around the Globe. Cairo: Rand Corporation, [11] Mujani, W. K. et al. Leadership theories and models from the perspective of western scholars. Advances in Natural and Applied Sciences, 2012a, 6(8), pp editor@iaeme.com

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