Interview with Tunisia's left wing

Mohamed Kilani Tunis - Mohamed Saleh The head of the Tunisian Socialist Left Party (PSG) Mohamed Kilani said that some people use the word “unknown” in order not to scare the people, however the word “unknown” is civil war. Under the current pressures for a government of national unity, al Nahdah Movement (renaissance) has only two options left; either dialogue and agreement or authoritarian ruling. In an interview that was published on Friday in the Tunisian newspaper, Kilani spoke about the controversy on the major ministries and the refusal of the al Nahdah Movement to replace the Interior Minister and the Justice Minister by two independent ministers. He commented saying: "This is the greatest evidence that the movement is not capable of harmony and agreement, and that they will drive us towards authoritarian rule since everything stems from the major ministries. If these ministries were not agreed on, there will be no agreement at all, as the state is based on two major ministries (Interior and Justice), if al Nahdah Movement takes them over and controls them, this means that the movement refuses dialogue." Regarding October 23’s legitimacy and the controversy, Kilani said: " October 23 is an important date that is devoted to moral obligation. All political parties were involved in the Supreme Council for the protection of the revolution’s goals, political reform, and democratic transition. Our moral obligation is going to fail on October 23, and even on the personal level because they have turned their back to their personal, political, and partisan obligations." Concerning the possibility of organising public demonstrations in order to impose pressure on the current government and call on it to step down, the head of the Socialist Left Party confirmed: "Many forces and citizens will be present and I will be one of them, because we signed an agreement together. If the other party retreats from its promise, I will be present to protest against this retreat. Since the government has expressed its willingness to abandon unity and dialogue, then it is paving the way for dictatorship." He added that the al Nahdah Movement is heading towards authoritarian regime and will not return from that path. "We have agreed to all the compromises, while it did not make any compromises and is not ready to make any compromises. The movement has not viewed Tunisia in terms of national unity, and has not considered the earnings made by the republic and the Tunisian people. The movement only considers its own interests and the possibility of taking over and controlling the rule to impose an authoritarian regime under the guise of religion." Regarding al Nahdah Movement and its abandoning of the secret organisation, Kilani said: “Al Nahdah Movement has not given up anything as it has not given up its secret organisation or its previous doctrines. What the movement is doing now is only a manoeuvre in order to justify its political presence in order to gradually head towards its desired regime.