POLITICS
SENEGAL: Ousmane Sonko case: Moustapha Guirassy and Cheikh Bamba Dièye throw in the towel
The two deputies Moustapha Guirassy and Cheikh Bamba Dièye of the Senegalese Democratic Party PDS who were to sit on the ad hoc Commission in favor of Ousmane Sonko on the lifting of the the latter’s parliamentary immunity threw in the towel. They talk about the irregularities of the committee whose composition is dominated by a mechanical majority of deputies belonging to the RPA party in power. Below is the letter sent to the President of the National Assembly Moustapha Niasse.
Mister President,
The ad hoc Committee for the examination of the lifting of the parliamentary immunity of the Honorable Member Ousmane Sonko, which you head and of which we are vice-chairman and member, began its work on February 19, 2021. Meeting at which we have participated.
During the proceedings, we noticed, Mr. President, options which, without a doubt, will call into question one of the fundamental pillars of the rule of law: the separation of powers and the independence of the National Assembly.
Indeed, the functioning of the commission sufficiently shows that the National Assembly is in the process of strengthening and devoting its subservience to the executive power through the public prosecutor’s office which dictates the conduct to be taken.
Thus, you refused to the commission to play its role of “investigating judge of the Parliament to better inform it in the serious decision which it is brought to take.
Mr President, the decision to lift parliamentary immunity is not trivial and it is for this reason that the rules of procedure of the National Assembly have given important powers to the ad hoc committee to make all the information necessary to enable him to make his decision calmly and with full knowledge of the facts. You have decided not to use the powers available to the commission, thus fundamentally calling into question its sovereignty.
Mr. Speaker, parliamentary immunity is the Member’s ultimate bar to protect himself against conspiracies, lawsuits and slander. It has become evident that the unilateral approach and the haste with which the ad hoc Committee wishes to rule do not carry any guarantee of respect for the presumption of innocence and the rights of all citizens (would he be a Member of Parliament, especially if he is a member) to be judged in accordance with the rights of the defense. The investigation must be carried out with the charge and the defense and the National Assembly must be informed of the reality of the facts. Parliamentary immunity is the essential guarantee of freedom of expression and the responsibilities of parliamentarians as elected representatives of the people and representative of the nation.
Ousmane Sonko is an elected representative of the people and a representative of the nation; and we cannot accept being complicit in the killing of a legally and legitimately elected member; which killing is not based on any evidence.
Mr. Speaker, for all these reasons, we have decided, we undersigned members of the ad hoc committee to resign from this said committee with immediate effect.
We allow you to be the only ones to take full responsibility for the crime you are preparing to commit. In the name of the rule of law and ethics, we cannot participate.
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
POLITICS
SENEGAL – 100.000 Housing: Ismaila Madior Fall á Bambilor for the inauguration
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
POLITICS
SENEGAL – Thione Niang “I have no program, I have a vision”
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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