After the brilliant election of Bassirou Diomaye Faye at the head of Senegal, undeniably by the grace of Ousmane Sonko, hope was born for the Senegalese people, that of an emerging and truly democratic Senegal, open to the world. President Diomaye Faye even understood the games and the issues, which is why since his inauguration he began a tour of the sub-region to strengthen the links of cooperation between his country, considered a showcase of democracy, and the other countries of the region. sub-region with which Senegal shares the same destiny, the same interests. Isn’t Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and Diomaye Faye’s political mentor making things difficult for the President? Isn’t his One Man Show at Cheick Anta Diop University in Dakar out of step with President Diomaye’s approach? Doesn’t he still think he’s in the opposition?
After inheriting a country in crisis with a budget deficit close to 400 billion, a galloping demographic with its consequences on the quality of life, exorbitant unemployment, the Bassirou Diomaye Faye-Ousmane Sonko duo must instead face these challenges instead of continuing to give speeches with a patriotic overtone and totally out of step with developments in the world. The young couple at the top of the Senegalese state must remain humble in all their speeches and in all the actions they take. If Bassirou Diomaye Faye, humble by nature and although inexperienced, seems to understand how the world works as evidenced by his tours with his peers in the sub-region, his Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko is the polar opposite of this vision, hence its propensity to continue to go all out by opening useless fronts for a country considered a model and a good destination for investors. His go-to-war speech, characteristic of a good opponent, is completely out of step with the republican approaches of President Diomaye Faye.
In front of thousands of students from the Cheick Anta Diop University of Dakar committed to his cause and in the presence of the French opponent Jean Luc Mélenchon, Prime Minister Sonko engaged in a diatribe against France, thinking he was the cause of the underdevelopment of his country as during the presidential campaign. If he did not support the Sahel countries breaking with the Constitution, he seems to understand, even approve of the reasons which led the military to take power in these countries. He unequivocally condemned the embargo which was imposed on these Sahelian countries, especially by Africans manipulated by external powers. African youth in general and those of Senegal in particular like to hear this kind of speech, which moreover is a grand theory, but they will be happy to see their thorny employment problems resolved, the immigration problem, in short the actions taken in the direction of development. Let the Prime Minister understand that there is a time for invective, but that most of the time should be devoted to taking action, to working to relieve the suffering of the people.
Isn’t Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and Diomaye Faye’s political mentor making things difficult for the President?
Ousmane Sonko seems to completely overshadow Bassirou Diomaye Faye. And yet it was Diomaye who was elected, even if it was with Sonko’s blessing. At this rate, divorce cannot be ruled out between the two accomplices and this would not be new in Senegal; we saw the Senghor Mamadou Dia case. Bassirou Diomaye Faye will wait to clear her path first before starting to distance herself from Sonko. For any serious observer of the Senegalese political scene, Prime Minister Sonko’s speech is completely out of step with the approach of Bassirou Diomaye Faye who was last weekend in Ghana and Nigeria. Ousmane Sonko still cannot take off his opponent’s mantle to put on that of a ruler who faces the multiple challenges to be met. It in no way makes the task easy for Diomaye Faye, who will be the only one responsible to the people at the time of assessment and in five short years. The Prime Minister’s remarks break the momentum of openness to the sub-region and the world taken by President Diomaye Faye. It is up to the latter to take responsibility.
In short, Ousmane Sonko still believes he is in the opposition. It is high time he understood that one should not act the same way in a palace as in the cottage. The duo must tackle the daily problems of the Senegalese such as the high cost of living, endemic unemployment, illegal immigration and lay the foundations for the development of Senegal. Any other speech would amount to populism.
Youssouf Sissoko
