Kais Saied proposes a new approach to lifting subsidies
Tunisian President Kais Saied has put forward a new proposal related to the lifting of subsidies, based mainly on the employment of those who benefit from it to avoid resorting to the International Monetary Fund, according to what was confirmed by Professor of Economics at the Tunisian University, Reza Al-Shakandali, after the meeting of the President with a number of university professors on Wednesday night at the Carthage Palace.
In a statement to Shams FM Radio on Thursday, Al-Shakandali said that the approach has been described as new and different from that of the International Monetary Fund, which demanded the lifting of subsidies as a prerequisite for providing funding, estimated at $1.9 billion.
President Saied repeatedly rejected the IMF’s dictates, particularly regarding the lifting of subsidies and the sale of public institutions, to repeat this at the last meeting.
Al-Shakandali stressed that those present at the meeting asked the President to “consult with specialists and to take into account the proposals and solutions that were reviewed by the university professors in the media.” He explained that the President “confirmed his support for unpredictable solutions, his rejection of dictates and solutions coming from abroad, and his support for Tunisian solutions.”
“Saied pointed to the crazy rise in prices, the difficulty of supplying basic items, and inflation and proposed an urgent program in this context,” he said.
He stressed that he proposed to the president the necessity of changing the monetary policy because of the fatigue it causes Tunisians and the state.
In a statement, the Presidency of the Republic said, “The meeting between Saied and the university professors touched on the issue of fighting corruption, which is still rampant in many sectors. It is also important to hold accountable all those who have corrupted and are still working in the shadows, so that they may serve those who have no choice but to provoke crises, amass riches, and undermine the people’s power and pension.”
The meeting also dealt with the measures that can be taken to achieve the desired financial balances on the basis of social justice.
The statement also addressed the issues of food security, alternative energies, opening new markets for exports, and reducing imports, especially if they burden the state and citizens without there being a real need for them. The trade balance is very different as a result of a number of agreements from which citizens have only benefited more from poverty and destitution.
In this meeting, President Saied stressed the need to rely on oneself, stressing that the solution lies in work, wealth creation, and the genuine contribution of all parties based on a feeling of responsibility and belonging to the homeland, and the right of all Tunisians and women to live in dignity in a state preserved in dignity and sovereign.
