Pan concert and lower weight of the Yewwi coalition compared to BBY
Asked about the new discovery of the leaders of Yewwi Askan Wi, the minister delivered his analysis. “I interpreted the signals in a very simple way. The first thing being that the opposition wanted to bring the Senegalese out and draw them into violence. Because the signature of the coalition Yewwi Askan Wi, is a compendium of insults, rude talk and threats. Now they are inciting the population to invade houses and break everything. But those who instigated it were not followed by the people. So they turned to singing, dancing and the atmosphere to attract them. It’s another way of exercising democracy. In reality, the fact that we came out on top, at the last local elections, in 38 out of 46 municipalities, shows that we are in a different register and more audible to the Senegalese.”
The violence of YAW’s methods
In the political history of Senegal, there is no one who has used violence and manipulation and who has achieved his ends. President Abdoulaye Wade is someone I greatly appreciate because he has brought so much to our country. But you saw that power came to him when he stopped using violence in politics. In the years 1988-1993 during which he was more in turmoil, the Senegalese did not trust him. So what the Yewwi Askan Wi Coalition is doing is not new, we have seen and experienced it before. We have reached a stage where there is disagreement with our democratic culture. Our democratic culture is dialogue: sitting down and talking.
Communication and sense of responsibility at Benno
The need for adaptation to a new context and a new communication environment is taken into account. “As far as political communication is concerned, perhaps we should review our way of doing things because things are changing. social networks. Those in charge of communication are perhaps more comfortable with traditional methods, i.e. the media. But over time, there has been a destructuring. For example, the The 8 p.m. newspaper is no longer the main source of information. Indeed everyone with their telephone can give the information they want to convey without it being verified. Now there is a Maginot line. To be Republicans is not to use manipulation, which is the method of our adversaries. But being in power, there are things that we cannot afford, we have a responsibility. Those who are in the streets in are devoid.”
Parity on lists and YAW’s relationship to democracy
On the turbulent legal and democratic issues, Mr. Fofana wanted to be clear and precise. “When the electoral code, he recalled, says that we must not be mistaken about parity on the lists, they say that they want to do as they see fit. But the story around parity and the rejection of the lists was the same in 2014, the Supreme Court ruled against the Benno Bokk Yaakar coalition and there are also decisions that were taken by the Constitutional Council, for example what the Constitutional Council validated for the Yewwi Askan Wi’s lists do not win my support, but we are in a state of law. When the Constitutional Council takes decisions that suit me, I welcome it. But the day it does not take decisions that go the sense of my interests, I could contest but in the respect of the norms and submit to them. So the form of democracy that the coalition Yewwi Askan Wi wants to exercise we will not accept it. That is to say, when such a situation does not suit me, it is necessary to proceed in the way which suits me and if this is not the case the country will be set on fire and blood. This is something that a responsible state cannot accept.”
YAW inconsistencies
The minister also returned to the inconsistencies of the members of the opposition coalition. “Yewwi Askan Wi, he said, was not excluded from the elections, the list that was not accepted is a list that did not meet the standards laid down by the electoral code. They took aware of their mistake and even showed the proofs. When it happened, they said that Saliou Sarr had made the mistake, it was a Monday. On Tuesday, they came out to say that it was Déthié Fall who was wrong. Again on Wednesday they said that it was incompetence because it was Khalifa Sall who did not do what was necessary for the sole purpose of countering Barthélémy Dias. followed it was Ousmane Sonko himself who came out to say that there had been a mistake but a few days later they came out to say that they were not going to accept the rejection of the list, that it was a conspiracy. in a state, if we have to apply the law, we apply it in the same way as it was applied in 2014.”
Attempts to destabilize the country
Mr. Fofana referred to information related to attempts to destabilize the country and its institutions.
“While browsing the newspaper “l’observer”, he revealed, I read that the police and the gendarmerie arrested, during the events of March 2021, people who had in their possession firearms. fire. During these events, it was said that young people came out to demonstrate for Sonko or for the restrictions due to the Covid. But the Senegalese are not in the habit of taking firearms, robbing shops and set fire. If such acts were committed, it is because there were other implications. Moreover, the police and the gendarmerie demonstrated that in the events to come, an attack was planned in the centers of Cap des biches from a special squadron. Should the State of Senegal let this happen, let people burn the country under the guise of freedom through demonstrations? We heard them at the TV encourage people to go to the authorities on the pretext that billions of CFA francs are there often. People who invite the population to set fire to the prefectures, do these people really love Senegal? Senegal is a country which, since 1960, has been alternating standards. During past local elections, if it were up to us, we would have liked to win in the capital, in Rufisque or even in Ziguinchor, that was not the case but we accepted it. And besides there are people who want to take power without respecting democratic rules. What we can do is ensure that demonstrations declared peaceful will be peaceful. But on the other hand, if with the means of information available to the State, we learn that the so-called peaceful demonstration is only a decoy to do the opposite, we have the responsibility to take the lead and do what must be done.
Relevance of sponsorship
To the journalist’s question whether sponsorship is not lacking in democracy, the Minister replies: “what would be lacking is to go to legislative elections with 47 lists, of which the 40 cannot have the required percentage of 1%. Democracy is also representativeness. What has been said for sponsorship is quite simple: a person who has the ambition to lead Senegal and its 16 million inhabitants, must have the approval of 1% of those registered on the electoral list. It is a democratic method. In many countries, it is the financial assets that allow you to present yourself as a candidate and to give a guarantee, so it is the richest who is chosen. In France there is the sponsorship of elected officials. When a person wants to be a candidate in the presidential election, a significant number of elected officials must write to approve his candidacy. In Senegal we have popular sponsorship and it is a good thing.”
Majority in the legislative elections
Abdou Karim Fofana also said he was confident in the possibility for BBY to keep the majority in the National Assembly on the evening of the July 31 election.
“The legislative elections, he says, are somewhat similar to local elections in their departmental component since there are so-called majority lists which are the emanation of the will of the voters living in the departments. If we win 38 departments out of 46 as in the local ones, we will keep the majority without counting the proportional vote, so the debate is closed. In view of the latest events, it is the opposition which seems not to be confident in its behavior; call for demonstrations and marches to be beaten at the ballot box at election time and then talking about a conspiracy makes no sense.”
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