CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
Senegal - How to use a change in government
POLITICS
After the seismic
elections, Senegal is living on cloud nine.
The success of the new coalition will depend on
how it lives up to the expectations of the people
Senegal has been a multi-party democracy for 25 years but has never had an elected change of government, still less a coup d’etat. A real achievement in an Africa where universal suffrage is not the order of the day. Senegal’s change of government, which has come about calmly through open and fair elections, has had a seismic effect on a regime which has been in power for 40 years. For the victors it has produced a kind of intoxication. It was a real democratic shock. At the moment Senegal is on cloud nine. At last there has been a change of government. The atmosphere is out of this world, fabulous, fantastic..
At the Presidential elections held on 19 March, Mr Abdoulaye Wade gained 58.5% of the vote and ousted Mr Abdou Diouf (48.5%) who had been in power for 19 years. Thus the 40-year rule of the Socialist Party, calmly and fairly, came to an end. It was a victory for transparency, the private press, for the «democracy of the mobile phone» (the mobile phone was a determining factor in the transparency of the election) and for ordinary citizens. Thus a kind of euphoria has taken hold of the Senegalese (and it shows no sign of abating). Indeed, they had lost faith in a «democracy without change of government» which, up to now, had often been characterised by fraud and post-electoral disputes.
The majority of Senegalese are now saying that they feel they are living in a «historic time». A new era is opening up before them. Popular expectations is providing a sense of urgency. Senegal’s citizens feel a kind of deliverance, a breath of fresh air which they are greedily gulping down. The relief matches the tremendous hopes of most Senegalese — a thirst for change. (Indeed, Abdoulaye Wade had taken as his electoral slogan the Wolof word «sopi», which means «change»). The change in political power has provided the Senegalese with new strength to their hopes — a real «plus» for the nation. Nothing less than a Senegalese version of «Operation Restore Hope».
What kind of change?
What does change of government mean for the people and how does it affect them? Very tricky questions in the light of what’s happened to the Socialist Party. The Socialist Party feels as if it has been struck by an earthquake and has not yet come to grips with the situation -– if the internal postmortem within the party is anything to go by.
It is now admitted that high expectations or what has been called social demands, caused Abdou Diouf’s defeat. Those unfulfilled expectations were characterised by unemployment, poverty, poor medical and educational services. The government was also blamed for poor government, its arrogance and the endorsement of impunity. It was also said that theft, managing public property like a private or royal patrimony, corruption, etc., was typical of the government.
At the moment, Senegal is experiencing a kind of euphoria. «Change (or “sopi-mania” ) is all the mode», at least for the time being. This is exemplified by the fashion of wearing ... braces! It all began with the appearance of Lawyer Wade on television wearing braces. Incongruous? Greeted initially by whispers of criticism, it ended up by being a society thing. It became a tidal wave among the young for whom the 73-year-old Wade had a «trendy look». The demand for braces became so great that they were soon unobtainable in the shops. Something that had never been seen before in the tropics! And to complete the picture, it was recommended to have the head shaved «á la Abdoulaye Wade».
More seriously, though, in this running-in period, when it’s not always easy to make the transition from the habits of opposition to those of governing, there are real challenges to be faced.
Crucial transition period
As the days go by, if a new style of government is set up, with the sort of «public discussion» which has recently taken place between Mr Abdoulaye Wade and his ministers in the full glare of the Media, becoming a regular feature (a revival of the village «meeting tree?»), then it becomes questionable how free the new President will be to go his own way and make his own decisions. Don’t forget, it took a coalition of about 20 political parties, ranging from the extreme right to liberals of the right (of which he’s the leader), to get him elected. The new government will have to meet new deadlines and a period of transition when the stakes will be very high.
The problem is that the Socialist Party still has the majority in parliament and new parliamentary elections will have to be held as soon as possible, to determine the relative strength of the various political forces which will govern the country until 2007 (that is if Mr. Wade finishes his mandate, though he said during the campaign that he will relinquish power after five years). Thus the stakes are determined by a new political composition which will be elected in November, the date foreseen for the elections.
On the other hand, there are the social and economic challenges. During the electoral campaign, neither Mr Wade nor Mr Diouf were remarkable for consistency in their economic policies. They were rather discreet or evasive. For the time being, the new government is limiting itself to the essentials, such as the need to improve production in all sectors, and the provision of services in order to increase growth and the creation of wealth which should be «equally shared». The fight against poverty is seen as urgent. In particular there is the impoverishment of the peasants, growing unemployment among youth and widespread emigration. As a result, both rural and urban families, are demanding better wages, a reduction in the price of staple food, decent and more salubrious housing, better educational and health services.
Thus, there is a mixture of fears and hopes. There are fears of clashes and conflict of interests among the coalition partners, associated with scattered preparations for the parliamentary elections. The risk stems from differences in political, economic and doctrinal or ideological positions. There is also the danger that the partners who were formerly united by the slogan to «get rid of Mr Abdou Diouf», will be seized by the demon of sectarian political scheming. One can only hope that they will overcome the natural reflexes of their respective parties. It is often said that they must not fail, for the disappointment would be commensurate with the hopes placed on this coalition for «change and hope».
ENGLISH CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
PeaceLink 2000 - Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgement