Leadership Challenges of the 21st Century

For all Tunisians alike, young and old, rich and poor, from the north to the south, these are extraordinary times. And we face an extraordinary challenge. The leaders we will soon choose on October 23, 2011 will be faced with tough decisions in the months ahead. Their only responsibility is the commitment they have to serve our country and all of its citizens. No role in history could be more important or more difficult. Tunisians will stand for freedom, in all its facets. We seek a government for the people, from the people and of the people.
We, the citizens of Tunisia, need to be united in our belief, vision, and mission of guaranteeing full representation for all. From Tozeur to Tunis, Bizerte to Ben Guerdan, Kasserine to Kelibia, Sidi Bouzid to Sousse, we need to be united against any man, group, political system, or nation that is hostile to our freedom and a stable secure future.
Our revolution equals any great revolution in human history. Our young generation led us to emancipation. For that we owe them a brighter future to them and to the next ones that will follow. They seek an end to injustice, tyranny, corruption, and exploitation. More than an end of a corrupt despotic regime, we seek a new beginning.
Adversaries of freedom, some are still in power and others are seeking it, are now in quest of the fruits of freedom trees, irrigated by the blood of innocent young Tunisians. Their aggression is often more concealed than open. They have personally fired no guns. And they are seldom seen. They send their agitators, snipers, and militias to terrorize our kids, burn our businesses, and rob our homes. When we band together and march, their assassins kill and terrorize our sons, brothers, fathers, and sisters.
These adversaries of freedom plan to consolidate power, to control, and finally destroy the hopes of the bravest young men and women of the 21st century.
There is no simple single policy which will move us forward. Our commitment to freedom and street slogans are only but a beginning. What we need are intellectual maturity and wisdom, not destruction of property, in-fighting, and wealth-grabbing. We need to learn and allow for differences of opinions ideologies. For it is what separates us today, can make us stronger tomorrow, if we all have a better Tunisia in mind. There is much more we can do, and must do.
First, let us decide on who among us has the intellectual know-how to navigate us through these treacherous waters and uncertain times. This can only be accomplished through real, open, and honest dialogue. For if we are seeking a democracy, we need to begin now. Let October 23rd 2011 be the birth of an exemplary new nation that unites, not divides.