Tunisia’s Ray of Light could Shine on Cote D’Ivoire

An unemployed graduate set himself on fire after police arrested him for hawking. He died from his wounds and days after. Ordinary citizens took to the streets (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12185055)asking for the resignation of President Ben Ali. He dissolved the entire cabinet hoping that could help pipe down anger among the people, mostly unemployed youths. But having failed to appease the people, he unleashed the security forces on protestors with the aim of bringing the situation under control. Unafraid and ready to take their protests down to the wire, the people began rioting and in the process, Ben Ali, who had ruled for more than two decades, to publicly announce he’ll resign from office at the end of 2014. He was wrong: The people took the fight to him and after mounting and persistent pressure from protestors unafraid to die, thanks of years of starvation and human right abuses, Ben Ali unceremoniously fled the country. His invincibility finally left him, leaving him in the middle of nowhere.

He soon realized he was not as popular as he has often believed he was. He won an election with a margin of 99%, something out of logical reason. However, his departure from the country and the persistent show of solidarity from the people had obviously silent the guns that had often been on his side. The one iron fisted bull fled the country like an ailing toad ready to be extracted from boiling water with its legs stretched in disbelief.

Though not many people expected that such a show of power could get the ‘bull’ out of his seat, Arab affairs analysts and political pundits studying the region now are of the firm mind that no leader in the Arab region is safe.: People are prepared to test the might of those weapons in the hands of misguided soldiers who have become play things for dictators. “The BBC's Arab affairs analyst Magdi Abdelhadi says Mr Ben Ali's demise may rattle the entire post-colonial order in North Africa and the wider Arab world,” the BBC wrote.

Leaders in countries such as Morocco and Egypt and to some extent Libya have will now start going to bed with one of their eyes fully looking into the ceiling, hoping no dirt drops on them. In Egypt for example where the happening in Tunisia might rattle the feathers of Hosni Mubarak (commonly referred to as PIG SWINE), opponents of dictator Hosni Mubarak have never been afraid of voicing their discontent except that those discontents have been expressed in writings. This time around and more likely, thanks to the events in Tunisia, the citizens will venture the streets hoping to stand up against any brute force from the security forces. That surely cannot be ruled out.

It is clear that what opposition political parties could not achieve through the ballot, the ordinary people have and they have done so in clear terms, even at the peril of their lives. Several leaders soon responded to the events in Tunisia soon as the government of Ben Ali was toppled. US President Barack Obama condemned the use of force against ordinary civilians by the security forces. “I condemn and deplore the use of violence against citizens peacefully voicing their opinion in Tunisia, and I applaud the courage and dignity of the Tunisian people.The United States stands with the entire international community in bearing witness to this brave and determined struggle for the universal rights that we must all uphold, and we will long remember the images of the Tunisian people seeking to make their voices heard.

He “urge all parties to maintain calm and avoid violence, and call on the Tunisian government to respect human rights, and to hold free and fair elections in the near future that reflect the true will and aspirations of the Tunisian people.Countries that respect the universal rights of their people are stronger and more successful than those that do not.I have no doubt that Tunisia's future will be brighter if it is guided by the voices of the Tunisian people.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy whose country is reported to have offered sanctuary to Ben Ali, which is not surprising to many considering the amount of money Ali has stashed into that country for the comfort of his family and cronies, asked all the parties involved to push for dialogue, adding: “Only dialogue can bring a democratic and lasting solution to the current crisis.”

Pressing the button further, the events in Tunisia could also serve as a catalyst to the people of Cote D’Ivoire who appear to be disenchanted with electoral fraud, Laurent Gbagbo who has made it his business not to leave power. He has obviously failed to see to reasoning and I’ll not be surprise should the people rise up against him. That certainly cannot be ruled out.