It is an “unfortunate episode” that the President of the National Assembly under the 14th legislature no longer wishes to relive. Better, Amadou Mame Diop believes that the current context is giving MPs a hard time. Who, therefore, must carry out their mission.
Par Malik GAYE – An “unfortunate episode!”. Amadou Mame Diop did not look far to appreciate the spectacle offered by the deputies on September 12, during the installation of the Bureau of the 14th legislature. “We are watched and awaited by the Senegalese people and even, beyond, by all those who have had to regret these events beyond our borders. Quite naturally, we can have divergent points of view, but it is up to us to play it with responsibility and efficiency, under the particular seal of serenity during our work. And our Rules of Procedure are for that, one of our first allies”, declared Amadou Mame Diop yesterday, during the opening of the ordinary session of the National Assembly.
For Mr. Diop, the parliamentarian has his work cut out for him, given the current geopolitical context. “I would like to invite each of us to commit to making this marathon cycle a success in accordance with the mission assigned to us by the Senegalese people, namely the passing of laws and the control of government action”, he thus summarized the mission of a representative of the People. Alluding to the events which caused the intervention of the gendarmerie, the President of the National Assembly considered that “it is of course a particular context which marks our legislature and which is not only political. The very tense international geopolitical situation also impacts our daily realities. It also makes this year’s budget exercise a special test. We can already, while waiting to get to the heart of the matter, soon, rejoice in the government’s stated intention to give priority to a social budget”.
Is it necessary to specify it, the Head of State, Macky Sall, during his address to the Nation, recalled that he is the guarantor of the proper functioning of the institutions of the Republic. Without saying so, the President of the Republic waved the stick in case certain deputies wanted to continue to block the National Assembly.
Pointed out, the leaders of Yewwi askan wi, through Ousmane Sonko, had “300% endorsed the events of September 12”. They are also “proud” of their representatives.
On September 12, the opposition, which had 80 deputies, counted on the vote of the 2 non-registered parliamentarians, and possibly on a false leap of certain deputies of Benno bokk yaakaar, to seize the presidency of the Assembly national. When it learned that its maneuvers were in vain, the opposition wanted, by all means, to have the vote postponed. What Aïda Sow Diawara, president of the session that led to the election of the new president of Parliament, refused. She called in the gendarmerie to secure the vote. The spectacle was distressing. The furniture in the National Assembly was damaged, but eventually the vote could be secured and Amadou Mame Diop became President of the National Assembly.
mgaye@lequotidien.sn