Tunis — In a field visit on Monday evening to the governorate of Gabés, President of the Republic Kais Saied condemned the devastation caused by pollution and decried what he called "political pollution" in a clear connection between environment degradation and corruption.
Environment has become a "national cause," the Head of State said in Shatt al-Salam. The people of Gabès paid an "exorbitant price" as a result of the activities of the Tunisian Chemical Group (GCT). Certain circles, he added, had been plotting since 2011 to dismantle the industrial complexe in a bid to sell it a low price.
"Our institutions and public entreprises are not for sale," he was cited as sayingin a Presidency press release.
Only units that had been repaired and ungraded will be put into operation in line with the right of residents to a healthy environment, the President further said.
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"The people want to dismantle corruption and guarantee proper accountability," the Head of State said. Gabès, with its unique landscape featuring mountains, beaches and oases, is one of the most affected "as it is not only a victim of environment pollution but also of political pollution."
Tunisian citizens have the right to a healthy environment free from all forms of pollution "literally and figuratively," he underscored.
The President of the Republic also said the people of Gabès stood in the way of those who wanted to "profit from misery" and thwarted the plans of those who had not only sought to abandon this complex buit also incite discord.
"What the people of Gabès have accomplished will remain engraved in history," the Head of State said.
The President then headed to the headquarters of the governorate of Gabès where he has a talk with governor and the region's MPs. The country is "waging a war on all fronts" against plots targeting the State's stability.
The teaching hospital was another stop in the President's visit where he took note of the overcrowding of services and the lack of means. The solidarity demonstrated by locals who made donations to improve heathcare was lauded. President Saied also inspected a wadi neglected for decades with dredging works scheduled shortly.
For the Head of State, the "diagnosis is clear" and "it is time to start taking action."
"Those who fail to discharge their mission properly must step aside for those who will bear it honestly," he further said.
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Reciting a Quranic verse on the sanctity of commitments, the Head of State said "everyone will have to be accountable to the people for their responsibilities."
