By Salama A Salama The revolution of the Tunisian people was greeted with joy across the Arab world, but it's not clear what will happen next. Tunisia's fate, at least in the short term, remains uncertain. Only 24 hours after the formation of a national unity government, four ministers resigned. Three of the resigned ministers belong to the Tunisian General Union of Labour (UGTT) and one belongs to the Democratic Forum for Labour and Freedoms. The ministers said that they couldn't serve alongside members of the Constitutional Democratic Rally (CDR), the ruling party of former president Zein Al-Abidine bin Ali. Their resignation sparked off another wave of protests, adding to the political ambiguity. To defuse the situation, Prime Minister Mohamed Al-Ghanoushi and several ministers renounced their membership in the CDR; so did interim President Fouad Mebazaa. Meanwhile, the CDR dismissed Bin Ali and his relatives from the party. This is not going to be an easy ride for Al-Ghanoushi. Many Tunisians consider the prime minister to be Bin Ali's right hand man and blame the entire CDR as for what happened to the country. And many are worried that the former aides of Bin Ali will regain their hold on power. What makes this situation particularly difficult is the fact that the opposition parties are too weak to take over. Having been sidelined for so long, Tunisia's opposition parties are not in a position to introduce the needed changes in the political structure and institutions of the country. So everyone will have to wait until elections are held in six months time to make their move. It will take time for detainees to be freed. It will take time for a consensus on the nature of political reform to be achieved. And that will give time for counter- revolutionaries to act. No wonder, the atmosphere in Tunisia is not just one of turmoil, but of mistrust. There is a lesson to be learned from Tunisia; namely, that one-party regimes are a risky business. The CDR has been in power for more than two decades. Within that time, the Bin Ali clan and its friends have gotten used to running the country as a fiefdom. Now Al-Ghanoushi says that the Trabelsi clan, to which Bin Ali's wife belongs, should face trial. But where was Al-Ghanoushi when the clan was all too powerful? Where was he when country was being robbed blind? The current situation in Tunisia is still untenable. And I am sure that many want to see Al-Ghanoushi driven from power for his association with the previous regime. Now let's take a look around the Arab world. Most Arab countries have their own replicas of the CDR. Most have regimes that profess democracy but allow only the weakest of parties to exist. In most Arab countries, regimes suppress the opposition and use their security apparatus to muzzle public opinion. In most countries, the ruling party, led by the president, controls every aspect of life. Bin Ali wasn't an anomaly. He wasn't the exception to the rule. He remains the norm. The situation in Tunisia is not any different from the situation elsewhere in the Arab world. Regimes that rule unopposed, that stifle freedom, and that scoff at the idea of sharing or rotating power are all around us. Al-Ghanoushi is going to find it difficult to hang on to power. The pressure will keep building up until the CDR is disbanded. Only then will democracy have a chance.
