Essebsi's movement has scared both liberal
secularists and Ennahda supporters alike.
A return of the crooked, corrupt, and cruel former regime is everything
that they fought against -- not just in the past 2 years, but in the last 30
years. While Ennahda will point to the abuses against Islam, and secular
liberals will point to the harassment of human rights activists and infringements
on freedom of expression, both will point to the ultimate failure of the
Bourguiba/Ben Ali experiment to bring real progress to many parts of Tunisia.
While visitors to Tunisia's coastal areas can see the development and progress
of the last 50 years, it takes only a few minutes to get to villages that
remain poor, backwards, and lacking in any opportunities to progress. They will
point to the promises of Ben Ali to provide education and work, even while the
educational system declined and job opportunities dried up. They will point to
the fact that closer relations with the west only brought tighter visa
restrictions and low-wage jobs.