Now, after seven years in power, six successive governments, and “warning after warning,” President Kais Saied has finally realized that “the cup is full” and that it is no longer possible to continue the war of national liberation except with those who truly believe in the people’s right to fully free themselves from the remnants of the hateful past, according to his own words.

After observing the scale of dysfunction in several public services and projects, as stated on the presidential page, the President of the Republic headed to the Prime Ministry headquarters in the Kasbah, where he met the Head of Government and told her in a raised tone that “the cup is full.” This despite the fact that he had already received her two days earlier and discussed at length with her, at the presidential palace, the stalled public projects.

So what is really happening? Are we witnessing the prelude to a deep cabinet reshuffle? Who is responsible for this societal paralysis, whether regarding major public projects or the daily lives of citizens, which have become a living nightmare amid soaring prices? Who is responsible for turning the country into what resembles an abandoned construction site? And what exactly was the President seeking during this unannounced visit to the office of the Head of Government, who in reality possesses no ministerial authority enabling her to act or make decisions independently from the presidential palace?

Constitutionally, she is not even authorized to “thread a needle” without consulting the President of the Republic, whom the July 25 Constitution granted all executive powers, including the formulation of public policies. State officials — and ministers are officials under his authority — are required to implement these policies to the letter. This clearly means that the President is directly responsible for every success if he succeeds, and directly responsible for every failure if he fails.

Frankly, it is difficult to understand his statement — which appears to be an attempt to shift responsibility — that “the cup is full” and that the war of liberation can no longer continue except with those who truly believe in the people’s right to liberation from the hateful past. Who exactly are these people the President now seems to be calling upon to continue this stalled “war of liberation”?

It must be recalled here that constitutionally, the President himself chooses his ministers — six governments over seven years — appoints and dismisses them without consulting anyone. His repeated failures in selecting state officials have become evident more than once, yet some of them still remain in office today. He is also the one who appoints governors, secretaries of state, and directors of public institutions and services.

Moreover, as everyone knows, he effectively dismantled intermediary bodies — parties, organizations, and associations — stripping them of their substance, despite the crucial role they once played in balancing relations between the state and society, especially during periods of political tension and instability.

Therefore, searching today for “scapegoats” to justify failures, explain setbacks, and conceal this widespread paralysis amounts to denial and absurdity.

Yes, “the cup is full,” but not for the reasons described by the President. It is full for the following objective reasons:

1. Failure in selecting government members — ministers and secretaries of state — most of whom lack competence and experience. One only needs to listen to their interventions in Parliament to understand their intellectual and political limitations. Many are incapable even of convincing public opinion that they deserve to lead their ministries.
2. The absence of a genuine oversight authority constitutionally capable of holding accountable those who fail or commit wrongdoing, and of combating corruption and speculators thriving in markets of plunder. Oversight institutions have been weakened and independent bodies dismantled without any credible alternative being established.
3. The legislative authority has been reduced to a mere chamber for passing draft laws submitted to it. It possesses neither the power of initiative nor real oversight or accountability powers. Its work has recently been suspended or frozen to the point where no minister or official appears before it until further notice.
4. The suffocation experienced by journalists and media outlets — written, audiovisual, and electronic alike. A media sector besieged by Decree 54, which has become an open gateway to prison through arrests and detentions, stripping the media of its oversight role and transforming it into a domesticated press forcibly returned to obedience, particularly public media headed by opportunists whose failures are evident, yet who remain in office. It was the President himself who appointed them without truly knowing anything about their supposed “competence.”
5. The weakening of the judiciary, which has become a source of suspicion and confusion, losing public trust according to lawyers themselves and many actors within the justice system, due to the political nature of the current phase.

Yes, “the cup is full.” This old Arabic expression, now largely forgotten, nevertheless captures with remarkable depth the state of political and social suffocation we are experiencing here and now.

Yes, “the cup is full.” One only needs to walk through ordinary markets to witness the suffering of Tunisians, their daily exhaustion, and the condition of public transport, healthcare, education, media, culture, and public services in general. All this drives people to cry out loudly: “the cup is full” — both in words and in reality.

But we must understand why this has happened if we hope to survive it, rather than searching for scapegoats on whom to hang our disappointments.

Only a few hours may separate us from a major cabinet reshuffle. Yet the crisis will continue — indeed the cup will overflow even further — if power continues to be exercised individually, without consultation or collective reflection, with expression separated from thought, as reflected in one of the President’s own sayings.

A President waging a “war of liberation” with soldiers who do not even truly believe in the seriousness of that war, as demonstrated by its heavy losses on the ground of Tunisian reality.

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Someone asked: “What does ‘الزُّبى’ mean?”
He replied: “It is the plural of ‘زُبية’.”

They asked: “And what is a ‘زُبية’?”
He replied: “A deep pit dug by hunters in elevated places to trap lions.”

Then they asked: “And what happens when lions disappear… or become rare?”
(No answer…!)