Tunisia and India

The Arab country, Tunisia is in the news now. Its President has fled the country and the Prime Minister has assumed total leadership. I was curious to know what kind of country Tunisia is. I stumbled upon a Wikileaked cable from American diplomats in Tunisia. Here is a part of the cable : (Is India much different?)

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"The Problem: A Sclerotic Regime and Growing Corruption

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6. (C) Despite Tunisia's economic and social progress, its

record on political freedoms is poor.  The GOT can point to some

political progress in the last decade, including an end to

prior review of books and ICRC access to many prisons. But

for every step forward there has been another back, for

example the recent takeover of important private media

outlets by individuals close to President Ben Ali.



7. (C) The problem is clear: Tunisia has been ruled by the

same president for 22 years. He has no successor. And,

while President Ben Ali deserves credit for continuing many

of the progressive policies of President Bourguiba, he and

his regime have lost touch with the Tunisian people. They

tolerate no advice or criticism, whether domestic or

international. Increasingly, they rely on the police for

control and focus on preserving power. And, corruption in

the inner circle is growing. Even average Tunisians are now

keenly aware of it, and the chorus of complaints is rising.

Tunisians intensely dislike, even hate, First Lady Leila

Trabelsi and her family. In private, regime opponents mock

her; even those close to the government express dismay at her

reported behavior. Meanwhile, anger is growing at Tunisia's

high unemployment and regional inequities. As a consequence,

the risks to the regime's long-term stability are increasing."

No doubt India and Tunisia are not comparable. But monumental corruption is a common denominator between the two. Even if nothing else , the caption of this cable applies with equal relevance to India also.