It is not too late, one would like to say, but the work that is beginning to restore order and regain control of the situation, to dismantle the networks that have taken over our internal and external trade, is huge.
We have been waiting for this press release for years, the one on the pre-import control system for consumer goods. It was finally published to be able to take effect from October 17… the authorities responsible, even if they took time to promulgate it, ended up reacting. But since it lasts, a lot of damage has hit the national economy hard. It is not too late, one would like to say, but the work that is beginning to restore order and regain control of the situation, to dismantle the networks that have taken over our internal and external trade, is huge.
In fact, it’s a bit late, because many Tunisian companies have shut down.
They withdrew, riddled with debt, especially losing all hope of saving the thousands of families dependent on their employees. The products, more precisely the frills that the “importers” dumped on the market, coming from countries past masters in imitation and deception, have acquired citizenship within our walls.
Powerful and shameless
Well presented, having ended up becoming unavoidable in the absence of better quality Tunisian products, but not benefiting from the help of their government, they ended up completely occupying the ground.
We will come back to this role that the producers and the Tunisian State should have played in order not to lose these markets. It should be said that there was no political will to open this file. The published press release put an end both to doubt and to the ascendancy taken by suppliers who felt they were more powerful than the principals. But, to tell the truth, in spite of what we could put forward as arguments, these “importers” turned out to be real sharks devouring everything in their path.
Without pity, they opted, shamelessly, for easy gain, at the expense of national interests. They knew full well that thousands of Tunisians were doomed to unemployment. They don’t… don’t care about their last shirt. They imported everything, knowingly forgetting that the same items existed in Tunisia. And we have, on the market, brooms, buckets, incredible plastic stencils recovered, recycled transformed to deceive and tempt the eye of those who looked at the price and neglected the rest.
Going through the list of products that are prohibited, more exactly requiring authorizations and import conditions, there is something to die for.
Still, there was no laughing matter. A Turk, a Chinese, a Korean, or any sensible person, living intensely what this country is going through, will never buy these poor quality odds and ends which, while being the basis of the he collapse of many Tunisian companies threatens the health of our fellow citizens.
Bankrupt businesses
For the good reason that in the absence of any control, everything was permitted. There is enough to demand accountability from these people who have thought much more of their bank accounts than of the interests of Tunisians and bankrupt Tunisian companies.
Now that provisions have been made, we should jealously watch over their application. We do not know if those who took so long to make these arrangements will still be there, but we hope that the rigor will be there. Moreover, the trade balance figures that will appear as an echo of this rigor will tell us whether this very long period of economic escapades is over for good. Will this period of full decline of our protective will, infinitely harmful for the national economy, be behind us?
In any case and without the support of those who precipitated the dislocation of the Tunisian economic fabric, by their silence or their connivance, things would have been different.
Get back to work and…
Now that protective measures have been taken, Tunisian industrialists should get back to work and analyze the reasons for their failures. First, on the price side. Our companies miscalculate their margins. They give the impression of wanting to get rich in a few days. They should revise their calculations and become competitive.
A very simple shirt cannot be exhibited at forty or fifty dinars. Shoes that reach the summits and are out of reach for average Tunisians, what about those who are short of possibilities and who have families to make a living.
On the state side, a formula should be found to help those who export by supporting them financially. As do the Turks for example. They take away markets with the support of the authorities of their country. We should find the formula and hasten to put it to work.
Buy Tunisian
It shouldn’t be a vain slogan. This is currently the case. For the Tunisian to buy local, the quality should be as close as possible to perfect. It’s a question of mentality first, then of the will to become competitive, by occupying the market. Not through actions circumventing the laws and regulations in force, but by taking care of their image and getting closer to their customers. We agree that those who, for more than a decade, have made their nest, raked wide to invade and monopolize everything, but we should not lose hope that all these beautiful people come to their senses.
The ODC has a role to play. But it should be endowed with means and never be at the mercy of those who help it to function. And that she is totally free and influential enough to make her voice heard.
Unfortunately, she gives the impression of being too discreet. It is up to her to prove the contrary.
