In an exclusive interview with AfricanManager, Minister of State Property and Land Affairs, Mabrouk Korchid said law enforcement and work are the only and best ways to kick-start the economic machine.
He also said that the fight against corruption, the digitization of the Tunisian administration and development are among the top priorities of his department.
Interview:
What do you think of the economic situation of the country?
At present it is not possible to make a diagnosis concerning the economic situation of the country. We still have things to do and we also need a complete process to conduct the evaluation.
It is true that public finance is ill, the payroll is huge, exports and imports, especially with Libya, have become weak, given the situation in this country, but we continue to work hard and to make every effort to save Tunisia.
Despite these constraints, there are very positive signs and this is proof that we are on the right path of recovery.
I am sure that with the means we have today, we will achieve economic growth in the short term.
I would like to point out that recovery is highly dependent on the common will of all stakeholders, namely the government, citizens, civil society, parties, organizations…
I also consider that the Tunisian administration is called to integrate the process of joint collaboration. We are able to achieve a good economic result.
It’s time for firmness, at least in the statements. This is the case with the protesters of the CPG, with secondary school teachers … The firmness and the application of the law, is this, in your opinion, a beginning of solution to Tunisia’s troubles?
I am convinced that the two solutions to get out of the rut are work and law enforcement.
Either Tunisia or corruption?
The national unity government has launched its war on corruption and will continue this long-term struggle.
As far as my department is concerned, I have recently suspended four senior officials from their activities for alleged corruption suspicions within the ministry and in regional offices. They were brought before the disciplinary council. I transferred corruption files to justice.
There is progress in this file, but I prefer to work in silence. In spite of that, I congratulate the administration, which has reiterated its commitment to move forward, but I reproach some officials for not wanting to move forward.
What are the new projects launched by your department?
The Department of State Property and Land Affairs is a major institution focused on developing and accelerating the pace of growth.
Since I took over as head of this large department, we have reduced land registration deadlines from 65 to 10 days.
In addition, we have recovered several public lands in many parts of the Republic. Our goal is to return these lands to the average and low social class as well as to support businessmen operating in the agricultural investment sector, and this is very important for our department.
I also recall the digitization of the Tunisian administration which is our concern to facilitate the procedures to the citizens, from Medenine to Bizerte.
Certificates of ownership are issued without passing through the custodian of the property.
This decision comes within the framework of the reform, which aims to lighten the administrative procedures and improve the quality of the service provided to citizens, a strategic project led by the Central Land Administration.
To check works of the administrations concerned, I made an unexpected prospecting visit to Jendouba to receive a certificate of ownership (my house located in Medenine) and I noticed that this measure is applied in the best conditions.
From April 1, 2018, it is also possible to access documents remotely via the electronic administration of land ownership.
It is true that we are a bit late compared to several European countries, but we are on the right track.
You won the case against Salim Ben Hmidane. Any comment?
He complained and he lost the case … I did not do anything.
