Tunisia- Mohamed Abbou : “Number of farm workers and others may reach 90,000, and it is not possible to take any action against them” [Video]

In a statement to Tunisie Numérique, political activist and former minister Mohamed Abbou voiced his perspective on the issue of auditing recruitments in public service. Abbou noted that this is a complex matter that needs a considerable amount of time, and it cannot be achieved within two months given the current inspection capabilities in Tunisia.

According to Abbou, the auditing process is not considered a priority for the Tunisian administration, and senior officials view it as “futile and a waste of the Tunisian administration’s time.” He remarked that in terms of falsified diplomas, the number of fraudulent university degrees may be limited, as opposed to what has been stated. Nonetheless, the situation might be different for certificates acquired from private institutes, which would require a substantial amount of time to prob.

Abbou clarified that many recruitments were made earlier via political decisions, integrating numerous people into different sectors. The number of beneficiaries of these decisions could be as high as 80 or 90 thousand, making it difficult to make decisions concerning their status today.

He believed the entire auditing process to be absurd and foreshadowed that there would be no tangible results, drawing a parallel with the auditing of donations Tunisia obtained. Abbou admitted the presence of breaches in Tunisia but argued that the scale of the issue might not be as important as announced. He referenced the general legislative amnesty, which, according to him, was also done by law and included 6,000 people.

Abbou recommended that those seeking true reform should concentrate on more critical issues, such as addressing workers who receive salaries without performing their duties. He concluded that the outcome of the auditing of recruitments might not meet expectations, especially concerning university degrees, and that even those who were delegated outside of debates may not have their duties terminated, as the President of the Republic himself has repeatedly urged their recruitments.