The ex-mayor of Dakar, yes let’s say ex-mayor, Barthélemy Dias, therefore paid the price for his political temerity in the face of the Pastef power. Let’s recognize it right away, the Senegalese often knows how to be both ungrateful and amnesiac.
Indeed, Barth’ has been on the front line of all political battles for democracy and the promotion of freedoms in Senegal, since at least the second term of the Wade regime.
The Ndiaga Diouf affair dates back to 2011, on the eve of the presidential election, when Wade and his associates sent thugs (including the late Ndiaga Diouf) to attack and assault the councilor of Sicap Mermoz… in the premises of his place of work.
In his instinct for survival and to defend himself, a terrible spectacle occurred! Barthélemy Dias drew his weapon and fired point-blank at the intruders. Unfortunately, fatally shot, Ndiaga Diouf succumbed to his wounds. In law, isn’t this called “self-defense”? Was it murder or a crime?
Yes, Wade had politicized the affair and quickly had Dias-son imprisoned.
From that moment, Macky Sall and the entire opposition at the time stood up against Wade. They all agreed with Barth’s right to self-defense.
In 2012, there came the democratic alternation and the election of Sall. Thus, one of the first decisions was to release the Sicap child from prison. The second act was to put him on the Benno bokk yaakaar national list to make him a deputy in 2012, like Khalifa Sall at the time.
But Khalifa and Barth’ were both opposed to the dissolution of the Ps in Bby, a wish of Tanor and company at that time.
So Macky, in collusion with Tanor, reactivated the “Ndiaga Diouf” file against Barth’, as retaliation against the reckless young political wolf with long teeth. What followed was the dismissal of the then deputy, Barthélemy Dias, to then strip him of his parliamentary immunity and deliver him to endless trials-judgments-convictions…
His mentor during these hard times, Khalifa Sall, also suffered the same fate, after he refused to support the dissolution of the Ps in Bby.
From that moment on, Macky activated the judicial machine to get his life. He was dismissed from his post as deputy, then convicted and imprisoned. He de facto lost his civil and political rights. Khalifa Sall would later be dismissed from his post as mayor of Dakar.
This act clearly sounded like political revenge on Macky’s part against Barth’ and Khalifa.
In 2022, the rapprochement between Pastef and Taxawu Senegaal arrived to form, with other political parties, the Yewwi askan wi Coalition, which achieved an unprecedented result in the political history of Senegal by preventing an absolute majority in the Legislature in power in place.
Macky had 82 deputies and Yaw 81. This scenario was unprecedented! Pape Diop had to betray Yaw in favor of Macky to see Bby win 83 seats and Yaw 80. Khalifa Sall was the president of the Yaw Leaders’ Conference.
Before the Legislative elections, Yaw had led the local elections in 2022 and Sonko had nominated and supported Barth’s candidacy for mayor of Dakar, to the detriment of Soham Wardini, Khalifa’s timid choice.
After his election, Sonko warned that Macky was considering dismissing Barth’. And Sonko had given Macky a stern warning that if he ventured to dismiss Barth’ from his post as mayor on the Ndiaga Diouf file, he would find Pastef in his way.
Today, the situation has immediately changed. A sad scenario is playing out before our eyes. Those who cried scandal yesterday regarding the possible removal of Barth’ have themselves removed Barth’ from his positions as deputy and elected mayor.
Beyond that, we can see at the limit an indescribable failure of our judicial system in the era of Jub-Jubal-Jubanti which was to invalidate Barth’s candidacy upstream, during the phase of submitting the lists of deputies before the campaign, when even the smallest Senegalese knew that if he were declared ineligible, nothing would have happened. The wine of the Constitutional Council was therefore already drawn. Pastef had to drink it down to the dregs to safeguard our democratic achievements.
Even if Barth’ and Khalifa had betrayed Pastef and Yaw once elected, this should not be a serious reason to activate the judicial machine, as Macky had done against Barth’ and Khalifa as soon as they had expressed their desire to keep their identity and the political legacy of the Ps by refusing to be dissolved in Bby.
The ethnic and cultural diversity of Senegal gives us an eloquent lesson that we are condemned to live together despite our polychromy which is a source of immense wealth. The political party that understands this will be the party that has the longest lifespan.
This is our analysis of the Barth case. We find that he is a victim of the Pastef regime, as he was under Macky, and also under the Wade era from which all this soap opera started.
Politically, what is happening will have no added value for Pastef who will only lose capital sympathy in the eyes of the People.
Mamadou Biguine GUEYE – Journalist Communication Consultant
