In an exclusive interview, Kamel Jendoubi, Tunisia’s minister in charge of relations with constitutional bodies and civil society, says that his government has started to dissolve or close down any groups and associations suspected of supporting terrorism.

Jendoubi also believes that there are some activist groups in Tunisia whose main aim is not to achieve positive change but to cause social unrest and to distract the government.

In an exclusive interview, Kamel Jendoubi, Tunisia’s minister in charge of relations with constitutional bodies and civil society, says that his government has started to dissolve or close down any groups and associations suspected of supporting terrorism.

Jendoubi also believes that there are some activist groups in Tunisia whose main aim is not to achieve positive change but to cause social unrest and to distract the government.

In the aftermath of the recent terrorist attacks, the Tunisian government has decided to ban or dissolve any associations that are suspected of having terrorist links. How many are there?

In October 2013, 157 suspected associations were identified based on accurate security information. In August 2014, the case was presented to the government’s general secretariat which, in coordination with regional authorities, stopped and suspended the activities of 131 associations strongly suspected of having connections with terrorism. The suspension decision left out 19 associations while seven others had ceased to exist.

Among the 157 associations, there were 42 illegal associations. The case was brought to the administrative court and final judgment is expected in the near future. Currently we have more than 70 suspicious religious associations and we are working to dissolve them legally.

There have been leaks about an upcoming ministerial reshuffle. Are they true?

Since Prime Minister Habib Essid assumed office [in February], everyone is talking about a cabinet reshuffle. The rumors about that reshuffle existed even before the government was endorsed.

What is your evaluation of the performance of the Tunisian government now that one hundred days have passed?

I consider the government’s performance positive – and firm, especially in respect to combating terrorism.

There were mistakes made but these mistakes do not obscure the fact that the government has succeeded in running the affairs of the nation and in bringing back some state of normality to those tasks.

What are the government’s weak points?

I believe that the most prominent weaknesses are those related to the absence of an effective political message and dialogue. Up until now, we haven’t had a political narrative that introduces the government’s program. However, the Prime Minister is aware of these issues and is trying to enable an effective communication plan.

What are your thoughts on activist movements like the “Where is the oil?” campaign? The campaign “claims that due to mismanagement, or even corruption, Tunisians are being cheated out of much of the wealth generated by the country’s oil and gas fields”. Now some have said campaigns like this are simply an attempt to disrupt the country and unbalance the government.

That campaign is asking the right question but its being used for nefarious purposes. That campaign was launched from outside Tunisia and, more specifically, by a country which sells oil itself.

The campaign is suspicious and its aim is to sew seeds of discord and sedition in southern Tunisia. During our field visits there, and during our conversations with the citizens there, I felt that they were treating us as though we were a colonizing government, not their own national, Tunisian one. And there are parties working to encourage that feeling.

So you believe there are parties that are using this movement to try to overthrow the government?

There are certainly political movements, both overt and covert, that tried to use this movement to create confusion. That confusion was often manifested in things like targeting government offices, and included arson in security offices. These suspicious actions occurred in the country’s southern border in areas adjacent to hotbeds of Libyan conflict.

Does this mean that the recent social crises have exhausted the government? Has the government been distracted from other important or urgent files?

I do not like the word “exhaustion”. But yes, it has distracted the government and taken a good deal of time. In my opinion, these crises occur because the social issues underlying them were never properly addressed.

There’s been a lot of unrest in Tunisia. Do you feel as though generally speaking, the country is moving toward a more relaxed situation, or do you think tension is ratcheting up?

At present, we can say there is a kind of political stability. But we are still in the throes of a democratic transition. And the relationships between local political parties are not the way they should be in a normal democracy.

So I think that the tension in the country will continue. To eliminate this would require positive steps from all parties as well as a common resolve based on transparent relationships between the government, the people and social or activist groups.