After 104 “intellectuals” signed a petition inviting President Macky Sall to “come to his senses”, a outstanding Senegalese government launched a “a million signatures” petition drive in response, as a result of for him there are a “million causes to proceed” with Macky Sall.
In a democracy, everybody has the fitting to an opinion. Nevertheless, making accusations with none nuance or relativism – – as did the President’s supporter in addition to the 104 intellectuals – quantities to mental fedayeenism – militant help for a place. This doesn’t advance the controversy and confirms the need of prudence and distance that was really helpful by Max Weber to students who enterprise into politics.
In his traditional The Politician and The Scientist , Max Weber properly tells us that by “taking a political place, one ceases to be a scholar”. For this reason the well-known sociologist provides: “As quickly because the society of scientists begin discussing peace and warfare, they change into non-scientific political associations.
The shortage of scientific rigor is flagrant when the 104 focus solely on penalties, forgetting that the reason for the courtroom case in opposition to the chief of the opposition, Ousmane Sonko, was his determination to evade justice utilizing the crowds and the road as a bulwark in opposition to arrest.
The petition of 104 intellectuals denouncing the “decline of the rule of regulation” and “human rights violations” is a political stance. A partisan place taken. If these intellectuals had been considerably involved with “axiological neutrality”, they may actually have denounced what they assume is the decline of the rule of regulation. However they’d not have intentionally ignored the excesses by Sonko, who publicly threatened dying to a democratically elected President of the Republic, insulted generals and threatened magistrates and mentioned “don’t give a rattling concerning the establishments” and the regulation whose respect ensures the survival of democratic establishments, in line with Cicero.
Justice, the one State service that bears the identify of a advantage, is a sacred establishment. Opposite to what the activist Alioune Tine says, the State doesn’t “shirk” as a result of a Minister has filed a grievance in opposition to the chief of the opposition. It’s the reverse. The prosecution of political conflicts is a criterion of the rule of regulation. Furthermore, the decision of the courtroom is a proof of the independence of this justice that the opposition and its supporters in society accuse of wrongdoings. Justice has clearly proven all through the proceedings that the timetable of justice will not be that of politics.
In India, the biggest democracy on the planet, the chief of the opposition has simply been sentenced for having defamed the Prime Minister. In the US, Donald Trump, now an opponent, may even reply to justice. Why would Senegal be the exception the place the chief of the opposition could be above the regulation? In a state ruled by the rule of regulation, the state is topic to the rule of regulation, as is the opposition.
If the 104 make the identical mistake as Martin Heidegger by supporting a small group that makes use of the principles of democracy to combat it from inside so as to destroy it, then the State of Senegal is not going to make the identical mistake because the Weimar Republic which, via legalism and weak spot, allowed the Nazis to make use of the weaknesses of democracy to infiltrate and destroy it.
The nation of Senghor is not going to fall into the arms of a small group that advocates violence and due to this fact is at odds with our democratic tradition and custom based mostly on dialogue. Our democracy has gone from the controversy of distinguished students – Léopold Senghor, Abdoulaye Wade and Cheikh Anta Diop – to the abusers of the web. The authorized battle that we expertise is extra worthy of our democratic normal and rank than the political tug of warfare within the streets, which is an anachronistic reminder of previous eras. It’s a web page that ought to have been closed by the cycle of reforms that started in 2000.
Sonko and the Mayor of Dakar have every acknowledged in movies beforehand that that the potential of a candidacy of Macky Sall for the Presidency is extra a political downside than a query of regulation. They admitted that the Structure legally permits it. Then they modified their minds. They’ve the fitting to do this. One can change one’s opinion in a democracy. As my professor at Sciences Po, Gerard Grunberg, mentioned: “there are solely relative options, by no means definitive options”, not like faith which “supplies easy and definitive solutions to complicated questions”.
“Apathy is the enemy of democracy,” mentioned Tocqueville. The interpretation battle of our structure between constitutionalists, politicians and even extraordinary Senegalese is proof of our democratic vitality as a result of democratic hubbub is likely one of the largest variations between democracy and dictatorship. Each Senegalese has the fitting to interpret the structure. However solely the Constitutional Council is empowered to determine the controversy. Not the President or the chief of the opposition or professors of regulation. Insurance policies and politics aren’t above the regulation they usually should not be under it.
Subsequently, the Minister of Tourism has the fitting to file a grievance for defamation in opposition to the chief of the opposition who accused him of embezzlement. This query will probably be determined by a decide. Equally, the legality of a third-term candidacy – if it have been to come up – can solely be determined by the Constitutional Council or on the poll field (by the individuals).
“Energy should stay with the individuals” grew to become the slogan of the opposition. At the very least on this level there’s consensus. The individuals solely determine in elections, and between them everybody can declare to be their very own spokesperson. Stopping Macky Sall from working for President is a political goal of the opposition and a sure section of civil society. Threatening to burn the nation down is a method of terror.
Whereas ready for the Constitutional Council to determine the regulation, the battleground that continues to be has change into the one which Sonko known as in his letter the “worldwide group”. However this battle is already misplaced as evidenced by the progress in the direction of a 3rd compact with the U.S. Millennium Problem Company, which may be very demanding with respect to governance. It is very important observe the massive presence in Dakar of the French media, which is now not welcome in lots of nations of the sub-region. For the 2024 presidential election, nationwide sentiment will take priority over worldwide opinion as was the case in 2000 when the Senegalese elected Abdoulaye Wade, who was not the selection of the Worldwide Neighborhood.
Senegal is the best bulwark in opposition to terrorism in west Africa and Western energy are nicely conscious of this. We’re the pillar of democracy, and we intend to stay so.
Within the 90s, Senegal was in a hoop of fireside due to everlasting stress with neighbours. In the present day, due to good-neighbour diplomacy, we’re experiencing peace. This new coverage is symbolised by the Rosso Bridge which connects the 2 banks of the Senegal River, in addition to the Farafenny Bridge over the Gambia River. The instance of the European Union, the place the economic system has been substituted for warfare as a method of regulating relations between states, reveals that democratic nations don’t wage warfare on one another. In addition to, nations that do enterprise not often select warfare.
President Sall is taking the identical method all through the area. Sharing sources with Mauritania, supporting the democratization of The Gambia and Guinea Bissau – these actions are constructing regional peace. As chair of the African Union, he spearheaded Africa’s integration into the G20.
By constructing bridges, the President has moved our nation from a hoop of fireside to one in all peace and soon-to-be prosperity.
Dr. Yoro Dia, a political scientist, is Minister Spokesperson of the Presidency of the Republic of Senegal.
