Dakar, Dec 27 (APS) – The Prime Minister promised, in making his general policy statement to deputies on Friday in Dakar, to bring about “a profound paradigm shift” in public policies, on the basis of ”seven major ruptures”.
”A profound paradigm shift in public policies is required, both in content and in method. In this context, our government has opted for seven major ruptures,” announced Mr. Sonko.
These ruptures have already produced “concrete progress and tangible achievements”, from the government’s taking office in April to date, according to the Prime Minister.
One of them will consist of ensuring that there is “logic” between public spending and its results. The most important thing “is not to spend billions, it is to spend well to change, in fact and for the better, the life of each Senegalese”, explained the head of government.
”The return of ambition” is one of the ruptures stated by the Prime Minister. ”We are capable of developing, and we will only do it by ourselves,” he said to explain it.
”We must […] instill in our children a culture of pride and ambition. We must also move away from mutual distrust and see the future with confidence,” continued the head of government.
”Rolling back centralism in favor of local management”
The Prime Minister also considers as a break the ”move from a logic of emergencies and short-term fragmentation to a logic of long-term vision and planning”.
In other words, ”if we want to be developed in one or two generations, it is now that we must define what we want to become, and begin step by step, mandate after mandate, to lay the successive bricks towards this Senegal of tomorrow,” explained Ousmane Sonko, promising: ”Our government will communicate honestly, transparently and responsibly with citizens.”
Mr. Sonko wishes to give the country’s national development program a “diaist dimension”, named after Mamadou Dia (1911-2009), his first head of government when Senegal became a sovereign state, politician renowned for his righteousness, which the current Prime Minister takes as his reference.
One of the seven ruptures promised by the government will consist of moving from “a logic of partisan management to a logic of citizen participation”.
”We no longer want a country where wealth is monopolized by one clan. On the contrary, we want a Senegal where the country’s resources are managed for the benefit of all, where merit is more important than family, ethnic or political affiliation,” says Ousmane Sonko.
”The fifth rupture marks the transition from excessively centralized management to a decentralized management logic [ou] territorialized. Indeed, our ambition for Senegal cannot be achieved without management closer to the territories,” he continued.
To do this, we must “roll back centralism in favor of local management”.
”Banish the logic of monopolization for the benefit of a minority”
”Our action will be […] to carry out profound reforms in terms of decentralization, taxation and budgetary management among others, in order to release the potential of our regions,” promised the Prime Minister. ”Within these poles, he explained, epicenter cities will be at the heart of the new strategy; they will benefit from significant investments in water and sanitation, electrification, waste management, transport and digital infrastructure…”
The Prime Minister undertakes, with the government, to ”banish the logic of monopolization for the benefit of a minority” and favor the ”logic of equity and justice”.
”Accountability, since that is what it is about, must no longer be seen as an exception to the rules of management of public affairs, but rather a principle of transparency and a requirement of governance” , he explained.
”The transition from a bureaucratic administration to a modern and efficient administration” is, finally, one of the seven ruptures. ”The administration must be the spearhead of driving the change to which the Head of State invites us. It will be more attentive and oriented towards user satisfaction. Clientelism will be abolished,” Ousmane Sonko promised.
He assures that ”corruption and extortion will be fought without weakness”.
MFD/ESF
