Press Conference of the Political Bureau of PASTEF Party Senegal - English Version 18/03/2023

English version of PASTEF press statement

 

Press Conference of the Political Burea of PASTEF Party Senegal - (English language version) on 18th March 2023 - Dakar, Senegal

 

"Le Temoin" Editorial on the Ousmane Sonko / Mame Mbaye Niang Libel Trial – by Mamadou Oumar Ndiaye

 THE HYPER-EXPENSIVE HONOUR OF OUR FRIEND, PRINCE MBAYE NIANG

Editorial by MAMADOU OUMAR NDIAYE, veteran journalist and Director of “Le Temoin” newspaper 17 March 2023

 

Never before has a libel trial required the deployment of battle tanks and the laying of siege to a defendant's home. Never has a plaintiff had so many privileges as our Minister of Tourism in the face of a defendant, a man blessed by the gods, a golden offspring, a "Coumba Am Ndey" (Refers to a Wolof saying; Coumba am ndey, Coumba amoul ndey – meaning; one rule for one, one rule for the other), a pampered plaintiff.  A Senegalese whose "honour", well, we suppose he has some, - is so priceless that one should not even venture to evaluate it. His value exceeds all understanding, all that one can reasonably imagine. This is why, when he intends to wash it away in court, the scales of justice go haywire, tipping outrageously to one side, his own of course, and Themis the goddess of justice goes into a panic. Are citizens equal before the law?

This is rubbish when the citizen in question is called Mame Mbaye Niang, when he is a deputy minister of the Republic and the darling of the First Lady! And when his 'honour' - since he tells us he has some! - is at stake.

In this country, we have seen the Minister of State Abdoulaye Wade  (in the role at the time, under President Abdou Diouf) bring a libel complaint against a the "Le Témoin" newspaper and it’s Director Mamadou Oumar Ndiaye. Before that, as a simple opponent, Abdoulaye Wade  had brought the late director of the national daily "Le Soleil", Bara Diouf, before the courts and then, in a gesture of grandeur withdraw his complaint at the bar of the court. We saw the wealthy Jean-Claude Mimran take the then all-powerful Sud Communication group to court. We saw the brothers Pierre-Babacar and Mansour, then at the height of their influence, sue a newspaper. Or, the then much feared French publisher Joël Decupper, owner of the magazine Africa, sue Béchir Ben Yahmad, whose newspaper 'Jeune Afrique' was - and still is a leading influencer on the continent.

All these defamation cases were judged by the Senegalese justice system. The law was ruled on, some defendants were convicted, others were acquitted. The fact remains that these trials were held in accordance with the rules of the game, with more or less large crowds, depending on the notoriety of the parties. But never, never, were the defendants and their accompanying lawyers in these defamation cases gassed, manhandled by the police and taken in an almost unconscious state to the courtroom! Never were any of them taken before the judges hand and foot, no matter how powerful the plaintiffs were. Never have their vehicles been carjacked by the police, never have their car doors been broken into, never have they been forcibly removed and transported in Police vans.

Above all, never during all these trials has the economy been paralysed, schools closed, shop shutters lowered, and the city placed in a state of emergency. Never has there been ransacking amounting to billions of francs - Dakar Dem Dikk bus company) alone has estimated its damage at 400 million with three burnt buses and three others stoned -, never has there been a climate of civil war, or at least of insurrection, marked by clashes between young people and the forces of order. None of these legal cases has ever brought our country to the brink of chaos. Never has a libel trial required the mobilisation of hundreds of police and gendarmes, the deployment of armoured cars, the laying of siege to a defendant's home. In short, never before has a plaintiff had so many privileges over a defendant.

The 2024 presidential election, the real stake in an extraordinary trial

In reality, everyone has understood that by choosing to file a complaint against the leader of the opposition and hyper-favourite candidate for the 2024 presidential election, Mame Mbaye Niang does not give a damn about his own honour because what interests him is to have an opponent convicted and his candidacy invalidated. We know such a conviction is not difficult when aware of, let's say, the “benevolence” of our justice system towards the Executive, and the resulting difficulty of escaping defamation suits!

In these conditions, this unusual case with the real issue at stake  being whether or not a serious presidential contender can take part in the 2024 presidential election, it is not surprising that the supporters of this candidate are putting up a fight. They are ready to do anything to ensure that  their champion is not the sacrificial lamb of the judicial process. Especially when this same Justice has already “slit the throats” of the two candidates (by disqualifying them through convictions) likely to constitute obstacles to the re-election of Mame Mbaye Niang’s boss in the 2019 presidential election!

 In any case, the supposed honour of Mame Mbaye Niang is worth more than the combined honours of all the illustrious civil parties mentioned above and is more important than the social stability of this country. Senegal can burn, civil war can take hold, human lives can be lost, infrastructures destroyed, the economy collapsed, properties ransacked... none of this matters as long as the honour of Mame Mbaye Niang is cleared! In Saudi Arabia, we know the super-powerful Mohamed Ben Salman alias MBS, the real holder of the throne, but in Senegal we have Prince MMBN!