State TV shocks Tunisians with religious song praising ousted president Ben Ali

Tunisians were shocked on the eve of the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday when their state-owned TV 1 aired a religious song praising ousted president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and wishing him success in his job as the president of the country.

The song, by Tunisian singer Faouzi ben Gamra, was taken from TV archives but was reportedly not reviewed before it aired.

Some Tunisian bloggers and activists on social media webistes called for TV employees responsible for the mistake to be held accountable.

Others expressed doubts that the song was played on TV by mistake and accused remnants of the old regime inside the TV of intentionally playing the song.

Mohammad Saeedi, general secretary of the technicians union, called on the TV’s general manager to resign, holding him responsible for the mistake.

“He commits serious mistakes and restricts free speech,” Saeedi said, adding that several TV employees were being paid without working.

He said that the state TV should be supervised by “nationalist individuals.”
Former President Ben Ali fled the country with his wife, Laila Traboulsi, on January 14 following a month-long uprising against his iron-fisted rule.

(Additional writing by Mustapha Ajbaili)