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 After the election
in Senegal in 2000 of President Abdoulaye Wade and the subsequent victory
of the Democratic Party of Senegal (PDS) and its allies in the
parliamentary elections in April 2001, the Liberals are in government.
The PDS has been a longstanding partner of the Friedrich Naumann
Foundation which has an office in Dakar. During a recent visit to Senegal
the Regional Director Africa of FNF, Rainer Erkens, had the opportunity of
meeting high-ranking...
... representatives of PDS and of exploring future fields
of co-operation between Senegal’s ruling party and the FNF.
Senegal is one of the rare cases in Africa in which a change of government
has taken place through free and fair elections. This occurred when
Abdoulaye Wade from the Party Democratic Senegalais (PDS) replaced Abdou
Diof as President of the Republic in the year 2000. This change was
confirmed in April 2001 when a new Parliament was elected in which the PDS
and its allies won 89 of 120 seats in an alliance called SOPI (“change”).
For the Friedrich Naumann Foundation the victories of President Wade and the PDS are a
source of pride. Over the past almost two decades the FNF and its office
in Dakar have worked closely with the PDS, which is a member of Liberal
International, a world-wide association of liberal parties in London.
Obviously the success of
our partner in Senegal is not only a victory for democracy in general and
the Liberal Cause in Africa in particular but it also presents the FNF
office in Dakar with new challenges. The key task is simple yet, at
the same time, demanding: To demonstrate to the people of Senegal
and to the continent of Africa that the political changes of the last two
years not only mean new faces in leadership positions but also a
fundamental policy shift.
A recent visit by
Rainer Erkens, Regional Director Africa of FNF, to Senegal gave him very
good insight into the present situation of the country, and helped to
identify those areas where the FNF can contribute to the democratisation
and economic development of Senegal.
One of the new
challenges which has been addressed from the outset by the FNF office in
Dakar, headed by Camille Sagna, is the arrival of a large group of young
liberal activists in Parliament who require special training. For many
years FNF has worked with the youth movement of PDS. This co-operation
has paid off. Today no fewer than 14 Members of Parliament (MPs) of PDS
are below 35 years old and come from the youth movement. FNF has helped
them to organise themselves under the name of “G 14”.
The enthusiastic
newcomers to Parliament have undergone intensive training both on the
working of Parliament and on political issues, particularly in those areas
which are of relevance to young people in Senegal, who form the majority
of the population. Special attention is given to introduce MPs to organisations from civil society which may serve as important resources
for parliamentarians in their respective portfolios while they themselves
require backing from MPs if they intend to promote their causes. Further
activities will deepen the knowledge of “G 14” members not only on the
basics of liberalism but also on capacity building such as methods of
strategic planning.
FNF co-operation with
the young MPs has the full approval of Youssoupha Diagne, President of
Parliament who particularly stressed the importance of FNF in
strengthening professionalism among MPs. The Minister of Youth and
Environment, Modou Diagne Fada was also very positive towards FNF
activities in Senegal. Fada himself is only 32 years old and has long
been in close contact with FNF. This contact continued after he took over
his function in the government. FNF assisted him and his staff to
organise his newly created department in such a way that the voice of
young people is heard in cabinet meetings.
Another important area
of FNF activities in Senegal is the co-operation with liberal local councillors across the country. In the city of Saint Louis, Camille Sagna
and Rainer Erkens were received by the local PDS branch headed by Ousmane
Masseck Ndiaye, Minister of Tourism and most likely the future mayor of
Saint Louis after the local elections that are due in April 2002. Saint
Louis, an old French colonial town which has been declared a Heritage of
Mankind site by UNESCO, made a very beautiful but vastly neglected and run
down impression. The local PDS has already organised itself in such a way
that soon after taking control of the city serious efforts for its
reconstruction and economic revival can begin. However, as everywhere
else, FNF was confronted with a request for further training for party
officials and party representatives whose numbers have vastly increased
due to electoral successes.
This issue was taken up
when Camille Sagna and Rainer Erkens met with Idrissa Seck, State Minister
in the Presidency and close adviser to President Wade. Seck expressed his
gratitude for the work FNF has done so far for the PDS. He informed Ms
Sagna and Mr Erkens that the PDS intended to establish its own political
foundation which should then address the training of all office bearers
and public representatives of the party in the country. For this new
initiative, Seck emphasised, the PDS needed support from FNF which had
gathered a wealth of experience and could provide plenty of expertise on
how to organise and implement political education.
Too often, Seck
complained, politicians lack competence and are neither equipped to nor
interested in doing their job properly. The PDS wants to have
professional representatives who are able to perform well and to deliver
those services which voters rightfully expect from politicians. Seck
invited FNF to join hands in designing a comprehensive agenda for skills
and capacity training for PDS office bearers and thus contribute to good
governance in Senegal. It goes without saying that FNF is willing to
follow this request which can help to transform Senegal in a success story
for liberal democracy and liberalism on the African continent.
A final word must be
added regarding FNF involvement in civil society. While the victory of
PDS has offered FNF many new challenges and opportunities FNF will
continue to support those partners in civil society, too, which share the
FNF liberal philosophy. Organisations from civil society must not only
buttress the new government with their knowledge and experience but they
remain an indispensable watchdog for human rights, rule of law and
democracy. For not even a liberal government may always be immune to the
temptations of power.
Incidentally President
Wade himself has recognised the key function of civil society in a liberal
democracy. Of the 26 members of the cabinet he nominated last year after
the elections, no less than eleven do not represent political parties but
organisations from civil society. This in itself is a step forward on a
continent where, until now, those in power have tended to follow the rule
“the winner takes it all”.
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