POLITICS
SENEGAL: Ousmane Sonko affair: Abdou Mbow’s sharp response to Cheikh Bamba Dièye and Moustapha Guirassy “
Abdou Mbow, the first vice-president of the National Assembly responded to Cheikh Bamba Dièye and Moustapha Guirassy following their letter sent to the hemicycle, a letter which manifests their decision not to sit on the ad hoc committee. They consider it to be tainted with irregularities. 80% of the deputies who make up this commission belong to the presidential movement. A mechanical majority which according to them, will not be fair in their decision on the lifting of the parliamentary immunity of the deputy of Pastef Ousmane Sonko, accused of repeated rape and threats by the masseur Adji Sar.
“I would like to bring to the attention of national and international opinion so that no one is unaware of it, that the resignation of our colleagues at the level of the ad hoc committee (note, see elsewhere), does not in any way hinder the pursuit work already started.
For the past few days, our colleagues in the parliamentary opposition have been busy making the public believe that there has been a violation of the rules of procedure in relation to the procedure under way at the level of the ad hoc committee.
In the first place, they wanted to make the public understand that the documents sent to the National Assembly did not target Ousmane Sonko by name but rather X. To their surprise, when they consulted the documents in the office of the President of the commission, they realized that the named Ousmane Sonko is indeed the person concerned and better they even had access to the file which accompanied the request of the examining magistrate transmitted by the Minister of Justice, Keeper of the Seals.
After their disappointment in this failed attempt to manipulate opinion, they asked members of the ad hoc committee to hear from Adji Sarr and others to further clarify the work.
To use their words in their letter to the Chairman of the ad hoc committee, our colleagues said: “the committee must play the role of investigating judge of the parliament”.
Since when have our colleagues in the opposition, who have always shouted from the rooftops when talking about the separation of powers, suddenly agreed to combine the legislative and judicial power?
The organic law which governs the functioning of the National Assembly in its article 52 stipulates that: “It is constituted, for each request for the lifting of the parliamentary immunity of a deputy or for each request for suspension of proceedings already initiated, a Ad hoc committee of eleven (11) members appointed according to the procedure provided for in article 34. The committee must hear the deputy concerned, who can choose, as defender, one of his colleagues. During debates opened by the National Assembly, in plenary session, on questions of immunity, only the President, the Rapporteur of the Commission, the Government, the deputy or his defender and a speaker can speak against “.
Clearly, there is no provision in the work of this committee to hear another person besides the deputy.
My opposition colleagues are into manipulation and slander, their posturing is not based on any legal argument.
This is why, finally, having not succeeded for more than a week in getting public opinion to adhere to their game of manipulation, they decided to play the empty chair policy after participating in the meeting of the Commission which is doing its job in accordance with Parliament’s legal procedures.
My dear colleagues, as you know, if the aim of immunity is to protect the mandate of parliamentarians and to guarantee their independence in the exercise of their functions, this protective regime which derogates from common law is not intended to ensure impunity for the deputy or obstruct the exercise of judicial power.
Furthermore, waiving the immunity of a colleague in no way calls into question the presumption of innocence which prevails in favor of the offending colleague.
So, dear colleagues, let the ad hoc committee, set up by us, work in complete serenity while respecting the principle of confidentiality which necessarily surrounds the exercise of its mission.
In conclusion, I recall that when the request for the lifting of the parliamentary immunity of the Honorable Khalifa Ababacar Sall, President Madické Niang, then president of the parliamentary opposition parliamentary group, resigned and this did not prevent the Commission to complete its work.
To just say that there is nothing new under the sun.
Abdou Mbow
First vice president of the National Assembly “
POLITICS
SENEGAL – Harassment, food tampering, communication ban: the Diomaye Coalition President alert on the conditions of detention of his candidate
The Diomaye Coalition President warns about the conditions of detention of candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye. The members of the said coalition inform that his visiting days have been changed and he can only receive visits on Tuesdays and Wednesdays within the Court. He is also prohibited from telephone communications. The Diomaye Président coalition denounces this relentlessness against its candidate and holds the regime responsible for any attack on the physical or moral integrity of their candidate.
“Following the official launch of the Diomaye President Coalition and the massive adhesions of opposition leaders, it was expected that the government in power would reinstate the candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye in his rights, particularly in the context of a presidential election of which he is undoubtedly the favourite,” reads a statement.
However, the Coalition announces that the Prison Administration, under the responsibility of the Minister of Justice, has decided to unilaterally and without justification tighten the conditions of detention of candidate Bassirou Diomaye FAYE by:
“A unilateral modification of his visiting days now, the candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye can only receive visits on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and this within the Court itself. A ban on telephone communications under the pretext that the favorite candidate in the presidential election whose campaign begins in two days has conversations whose purpose is political. A continuous harassment of the room of the candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye is now searched at every turn.”
Moreover, she notes a «lack of security measures despite her status as a candidate in the presidential election of February 25, 2024 and multiple alerts on probable alterations of the food served to her. Candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye no longer has breakfast.”
The Diomaye President coalition denounces this relentlessness against its candidate. “We strongly denounce this umpteenth violation of the principle of equality between candidates in the presidential election of February 25, 2024. We call for the immediate release of Bassirou Diomaye Faye to actively participate in the election campaign.”
In any case, she stresses, «the State of Senegal has the responsibility to ensure its protection if it unjustly decides to maintain it in the bonds of detention».
In short, the Diomaye Coalition President indicates that «Macky Sall, Aissata Tall Sall and Amadou Ba will be held responsible for any attack on the physical or moral integrity of the candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye».
Source : PressAfrik
This Friday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Senegalese from outside, Ismaila Madior Fall, accompanied by Minister Annette Ndiaye Seck, will inaugurate the “City of the Diaspora” in Bambilor. This project aims to prevent the creation of new slums and encourage the mass production of accessible housing.
According to the Observer, the aim is to boost and diversify the supply of housing for low-income and/or irregular households, while facilitating access to adapted bank financing. With a clear vision of strengthening the construction ecosystem, this initiative demonstrates the commitment of the Senegalese government to its diaspora.
The 100,000 units planned in this project were developed in partnership with the Senegalese government and its collaborators, seeking to meet the specific housing needs and concerns of Senegalese living abroad.
Source: PressAfrik
Social entrepreneur Thione Niang is a candidate in the February 2024 election. In this exclusive interview, he reveals his vision, his projects in particular, “Give One project”, “JeufZone” which includes an agricultural component, training but also women’s empowerment.
It was an opportunity for the social entrepreneur to look back on his beginnings, on the process of returning to his country of origin, Senegal. He addressed the political question: his involvement in the political ring while giving his opinion on the Senegalese political landscape.
African politics is another aspect of this interview. The urgency of the industrialization of the continent, the urgency of helping African youth so that they have the same opportunities for development as other young people in the world, is close to his heart.
On the question of the African school, Thione Niang proposes a redesign of it, starting with a paradigm shift and especially the content of the teachings. According to him, we must return to our fundamentals, namely our own models of identity representations, notably Cheikh Anta Diop or Nkrumah.
Thione Niang, also told us about vision, his vision and not a program, to give each Senegalese what he deserves both in terms of education, health, but also on the development of infrastructure, which, according to him, necessarily passes first and foremost through food self-sufficiency, hence his return to the land for an assertive agricultural progress.
He ended up sending a strong message to all Senegalese.
The rest of the interview on this link:
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