The all-powerful regime at the head of Senegal has decided for some time to be hostile to all opposing speeches and to set itself the goal of silencing any speech other than the propaganda of the party-state. Everyone must be brought into line, no one has the right to contradict those at the top. Their words are marked with the seal of sacredness. Any sensible soul is forbidden to reflect, analyze or question public life or the untimely outbursts of the Prime Minister, who, it must be remembered, are far too often off the mark. Modern censors, galvanized by a pack of foolish haranguers and more than convinced supporters of a project that is struggling to come to fruition, have made it their mission to judge speeches and opinions so that the judicial machine can be set in motion to celebrate all the impertinent ones.

Read the column – The endless sharing of spoils

This circus of zealous emotionalists, with indignation on the surface, makes our new statesmen, starting with his « holiness » Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko an exceptional personality who overlooks the plebs and the little people. Any word coming out of his mouth must be seen as an offering of wisdom to a horde of wretches who have no choice but to applause or laudatorily pray. Praising a saviour or a « providential man » who, until now, has not shown at the head of our government any dynamic of transformation through work… So, this is the secret formula to be far from the jails, Senegal is falling very low. For serious feats of arms, we will have to go back again and again, a delay in ignition has passed by. Our heroes of a radical break and our singers of transformation are still looking for themselves.

In less than a week, the waltz of journalists and politicians with the country’s judicial police will have been played with a decadent rhythm. For a yes or a no, it is a manhunt in the middle of the urban jungle that is instructed with interrogations of a disconcerting lightness. Public figures are criticized for their comments and opinions on the statement of a Prime Minister who engaged in a spectacle to strip our senior civil service of all its dignity, by assimilating it to a vulgar caste of forgers who will have ruined our country, swallowed up billions in connivance with the political power and cheated development partners.

The Cheikh Yérim and Bougane cases closed without further action

Cheikh Yérim Seck and Bougane Guèye are accused of opinions that many civil servants certainly share, but their reserve and respect for authority prevent them from contradicting in public. This is all the more astonishing since civil servants who, regime after regime, kill themselves working for the financial and economic credibility of Senegal are being thrown under the wheels of a fiery bus. It is dizzying if we can say that such a far-fetched argument, coming from the mouth of the head of government, can prosper in a country that is rigorous in the management of its public finances. Still, we cannot be more astonished that the Senegalese who must be one of the first to thoroughly wet his jersey turns into a chief saboteur. It is regrettable by the clumsy and pernicious verb (because, coated with political intentions) to weigh down any dynamic of progress that could have driven our Senegal after two decades of a paradigm shift with the technical and financial partners (PTF).

Read the column – The art of diverting public debate with counter-fires

It will be amusing to see on what financial credibility and managerial legitimacy he will rely on to finance his famous « Project ». The actors who will be responsible for lobbying to polish Senegal’s image with the rating agencies must already be rubbing their hands. 

When the madness of power wins, the outcry and indignation of the masses remind political entrepreneurs that they cannot lead a country according to their fragile emotions. Justice cannot be used in ridiculous ballets that discredit it, reduce its authority and, above all, disrupt its very essence. The dismissal of the various prosecutions against Cheikh Yérim Seck, Bougane Guèye or Kader Dia by the public prosecutor shows that despite the zeal of the throne, the temple of Themis cannot be the place where one gives support to the prince’s acts. « When politics enters the Court, Justice goes out the window » said the prosecutor Ibrahima Ndoye during the trial of the businessman Bara Tall. I want to believe that these words are always a viaticum for him so that he renders justice without wax.

Read the column – Ode to the last of our Tycoons, Abdoulaye Baba Diao

In the permanent circus that our Republic has become, the restrictions on freedom continue more and more and on all fronts. The bans on leaving the country without any notification are done in perfect illegality, with a nonchalance bordering on the ridiculous. All it takes is a nose that is too big for the prince or to have spots for people to be prevented from moving around. Madiambal Diagne is the last public actor to face such indecency. The border police asked him to return an imaginary diplomatic passport before leaving the country last night. After checking and finding that such a document did not exist as the individual never benefited from it, the arbitrariness continued by simply refusing to allow him to leave the country. Arbitrariness can be ridiculous and borders on stupidity. You cannot blame a horse trained in hatred for charging headlong into a hedge.

Everything is being done to prevent us from thinking and acting freely. At this rate, our lives will be ruled by the whims of a political apprentice who sees the State as a toy. He must know that being free means giving up nothing. Whatever the price, there will always be people standing and ready to contradict him. And this, whatever the cost.

By Serigne Saliou DIAGNE / saliou.diagne@lequotidien.sn 

  • Translation by Ndey T. SOSSEH