Morroco, Syria, And Senegal

FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda)

29 June 2011

analysis

2011 shall be declared the Year of the sovereignty of the people. Foroyaa made concrete analysis of the situation in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain and Jordan and made recommendations on the way forward. We argued strongly that countries ruled by kings should move towards Constitutional Monarchies which embody government based on consent, balanced and proportionate distribution of power between the executive, the legislature and the judiciary and the separation of powers and protection of fundamental rights and freedom if they wish for a peaceful way forward.

Apparently out of its own experience the Morrocan King has come to the conclusion that Democracy is ripe for Morocco. This is a step forward and a warning to those who do not understand the laws of political science and keep on claiming that each continent has its own indigenous political systems which has motivated them to seek to transform Republics into monarchies.

Our position therefore has withstood the test of time. We therefore wish to reiterate that all countries with kings on the continent should immediately move towards constitutional monarchy and then proceed to a Republic as we commemorate the 50 Anniversary of the OAU/AU in 2013.This is the first point.

Secondly we indicated that the only system of government that could survive in the 21st century is one propelled by the consent of the people. We therefore recommended that countries like Libya should utilise a tool for peaceful political transition developed in Africa to ensure the settlement of their disputes. This entails the convening of a National Conference to involve all stakeholders in charting a way forward to the establishment of Governments based on the sovereign will of the people.

It is noteworthy that after 1400 protestors and 500 military personnel have been killed; the Syrian government has accepted to end the Baath Party’s monopoly of power and established a system where political leadership shall be determined by the consent of the people.

Ghadaffi could have taken this avenue to save lives and property in Libya.

Now that Libya is ungovernable, the AU and The UN should collaborate to call for an International conference which should mobilise stakeholders in Libya to attend to discuss the future of their country and take binding decision on how to manage a transitional government and pave the way to elections to establish a government based on consent.

Now just across our border, proposed constitutional amendments which were unpopular led to demonstrations which led to the withdrawal of the proposal.

The new turn of events where demonstrators have taken it upon themselves to burn tires, established barricades, ransacked the offices of the electricity providers has given rise to a tense atmosphere characterised by the deployment of Senegal troops to guard Ministries, the placing of armoured personnel carriers near the presidential palace and at least one helicopter gunship in the capital Dakar on Tuesday after riots over lengthy power cuts.”

Senegal is also ripe for a National Conference by stakeholders to map out a way forward for free and fair elections in 2012. Such a conference would build in the people that they do not have to destroy to put pressure on a Government to render services to the people. They have the power to change that government through the ballot box if they are dissatisfied.

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