Senegal Referendum: A Glimmer of Hope in the Strive for Democracy in Africa

Senegal Country Profile. Source: BBC

Citizens of the Republic of Senegal both home and abroad on Sunday March 20th, exercised their constitutional right by voting in a referendum aimed at making a series of reforms to the country’s national constitution. According to usnews, more than 5 million people took part in the electoral process to trigger a total of 15 reforms in the constitution.

The proposed changes included measures to strengthen the National Assembly, improve representation for Senegalese abroad, provide greater rights for the opposition and boost participation of independent candidates in elections. Notable among the series of reforms though, is the reduction of the presidential term limit from 7 to 5 years to be effective in the next general election.

The referendum which was not only perceived at establishing the rule of law but also at strengthening and deepening the country’s already steady democracy, was eventually won by the ‘YES’ campaign at 62.9%. Credit therefore is due to the Senegalese people and their leader for spearheading such a historic constitutional reform in Africa. We very much hope that other countries in the continent will follow suit and replicate your laudable efforts.

Unfortunately though, such constitutional reforms are alien to Africa as it is in stark contrast to what we have used to witness in other countries over the years. However, even though democracy is still in its infant stages in the continent, it is fair to say that what Senegal have managed to accomplished truly bodes well for a hopeful future. Despite the debate surrounding the Presidential term limits with most incumbent Heads of State choosing to cherry pick constitutional reforms to suit their needs, there is a new phenomenon around the continent that is worth taking note of. African elections have been synonymous with violence for a very long time but this is the complete opposite to what is happening right now.

Dubbed Super Sunday, 20th March 2016 saw a total of total of six countries including Tanzania’s semi-autonomous region of Zanzibar held elections of different types. Presidential elections were held in Benin, Niger and the Democratic Republic of Congo respectively. And as already mentioned, Senegal held a referendum for constitutional reforms while Cape Verde conducted legislative elections. Voters in Zanzibar meanwhile went back to the polls for a rerun of last year’s nullified elections.

In what could only be described as a victory for African democracy, all but one of the six elections were carried out peacefully according to observers. Except for some reported communications blackout in DRC which escalalted no further. Still long way to go AFRICA but this is surely the right way forward.

Ivory Coast Beach Attack: Latest in the Senseless and Seemingly Endless Killing of Innocent People at Tourists Sites in West Africa.

Grand Bassa Resort, Ivory Coast. Photo Source: destinatioabidjan

Following deadly hotel attacks in Mali and Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast became the latest country in West Africa to be hit by blood thirsty maniacs. It is reported that Gunmen in balaclavas with AK-47s and hand grenades targeted the popular Ivorian tourist resort of Grand Bassam randomly spraying bullets on innocent guests leaving 21 people dead including three attackers and three members of the security force.

The group of bandits who refer to themselves as Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for the attacks. Alleged to be their third attack in the region in as little as five months, these barbaric criminals appear to be having a stronghold in this part of the world. However, it has to said that these senseless attacks on tourists sites in West Africa are becoming increasingly  worrisome, and is severely hampering the region’s tourism growth potentials.

What struck me the most in all this mayhem is the reported killing of a five year old boy. How on earth could anyone justify the killing of a five year old child whose only crime was to play on a beach side in his native land? And how terrified must that child have been gazing at his killer opened fire on his very young and fragile body! My heart bleeds every time I think about that poor boy. I know he was not the only victim of this cruel act but surely, no one child should ever witness such horror let alone being caught up in it.

But there you go, it is such a cruel world we are living in. We have seen it before and my wild guess is; we will continue to witness such sad occurrences. It is happening all over the world. Syrian children are senselessly dying in numbers through no fault of their own. So is the case in Yemen, Somalia, Burundi, Palestine and all troubled regions in the world. Until responsible authorities in the world stop playing double standards and act meaningfully to stop the atrocities, innocent people will continue to pay the price for something they never bargain for.

With a heavy heart, I hopelessly try to look into what policy makers in my part of the world have to say or do about all this mess. As expected, the African Union just issued a mere statement strongly condemning the attacks. That’s all well and good but where are the contingency plan to deal with any potential future attacks or to stop such attacks from recurring? We have heard enough of this useless statements over the years. Please put forward a strategic plan and robust actions to tackle this menace once and for all.

On a more positive note however, the Ivorian government announced the creation of a national coordination center for the fight against terrorism amongst ECOWAS member countries. Supported by the regional body, it is hope that the establishment of such a center will enable the exchange of information particularly early warning signs relating to terrorism in the region. It is also construed that through this center which will be identical in all ECOWAS member states, individual countries will be able to prevent and  better manage their own security threats. A very laudable initiative which I very much hope will help completely stem out such cowardly acts in the region.

The UNDP Human Development Report (HDR): Gambia Down Seven Places in Five Years

Human Development Report 2015, source: UNDP

Described as the most celebrated UNDP Flagship report, the Human Development Report (HDR) continues to champion the concept of human development as done so for the past 25 years. The Report which is also about enlarging human choices is published annually under a different theme with this year’s titled “Work for Development” focusing on the broader and deeper notion of work and people’s full participation in society.

It is believed that the 2015 Human Development Report comes at a time of major changes in the world of work, affecting when, how, and where people work. According to the new HDR 2015 report, there is dramatic increase of older people in developed countries, while developing countries are grappling with significantly bulging youthful population. It continue to outline that by 2050, the number of people older than sixty will, for the first time in history, be equal to those younger than fifteen. This has prompted countries and organisations worldwide to rethink the role of older people in the workforce, and explore raising the retirement age, the report affirmed.  

However, the report acknowledged that progress has been made globally and nationally in advancing human development but also stressed that, significant human deprivations still persists and huge human potentials still remain untapped. The Gambia’s HDI value for 2015 is 0.441 which put the country in the low human development category positioning it at 175 out of 188 countries and territories. Over the last 25 years, The Gambia’s HDI value has increased from 0.330 to 0.441, an increase of 33.5% or an average annual increase of about 1.21%.

For the past five years though, Gambia has just stepped up once in the annual HDI rankings. In 2011, The country was ranked 168 out of 187 countries and territories, jumping up 3 places to rank 165 out of 187 in 2012. However, the year 2013 saw us lose ground dropping to 172 out of 187 with a further declined in 2014 ranking 175 out of 188 - a position we also maintain in 2015. And sadly, according to the latest HDI Report, unemployment rate in the country remains as high as 29.8% with adult literacy rate as low at 52% posing significant challenge for The Gambia’s economy to transform to a high value production path.

Fortunately though, it's not all doom and gloom. Despite all the challenges and shortfalls, the report proposes some new and innovative policy options which recommends focus on national employment strategies as a centrepiece of national development plans. It highlights the importance of bringing Employment back to the centre of the development discourse. Three particularly important proposals were highlighted by the report that could also be relevant for the Gambia which are as follows:

• Establishing a new social contract between state, society, and the private sector to improve social protection and ensure that people, especially those working in the informal sector, are not left behind;
• Deepening cooperation between workers, businesses and governments around the world to craft a Global Deal to guarantee workers’ rights. The International Labour Organization’s recent convention for paid domestic workers points in this direction; and
• Promoting fair income, security in the workplace, and social protection for workers and their families through the Decent Work Agenda of the ILO.

The report also reiterates that countries especially in Africa should create sustainable work for their citizens. Adding that when employment is in the national plan, as in the case of the Gambia, adequate resources need to be provided to ensure employment creation. The only discouraging thing is that, such proposals and recommendations are usually scripted out nicely but their adaptation and applications always remained to be question. Here is hoping that something might change this time around.

One People, Two Nations: The Complex and Fragile Relations Between Two Sisterly Countries

Gambia/Senegal border, photo source: archtours

The Gambia - Senegal relations is indeed a very curious one. It is like a married couple who are separated, but both of whom are reluctant to seek for divorce. The deep cultural and ancestral ties which binds the two countries together makes it very difficult for one to easily walk away from the other. Almost every Gambian have a relative in Senegal and vise-versa. This fact is backed up by history which records that early settlers in Banjul came from the Senegalese Island of Goree.

People from the two countries often consider themselves as cousins if not siblings. Almost identical in every aspect of life, The Gambia and Senegal are two countries that cannot simply be divided by politics. The former being the smaller nation, is almost entirely surrounded by the latter on all sides of its national boundaries. Although divided by the colonialists (French-Senegal, English-Gambia), both countries share deep historical, cultural and ancestral ties that cannot simply be wiped out.

On the social front, the relations between Gambia and Senegal is like the case of two siblings or two great friends. Having misunderstandings from time to time in such relationships are inevitable but they are often resolved quickly and amicably. This is the complex scenario of the relationship. But when it comes to political matters, it is a different game altogether. The diplomatic and bilateral relations might seem appealing on the outside, but deep inside, there always appear to be some sort of mistrust between the two countries’ respective governments. And this is the fragile scenario of this unbreakable relationship

A post stamp depicting the Coats of Arms of Senegal and Gambia to symbolise the Confederation. Source: colnect

However, what is worrying is the constant border closure between the two countries. In an era when economic integration and border openness are foreseen as integral aspects of African development, these two inseparable countries are constantly having muted troubles over border issues. It has been recently reported that Senegal has closed its borders with the Gambia over ferry tariff charges and this has been going on now for the best part of three weeks. In fact whoever was task with the responsibility of demarcating these borders back in the days, did a very bad job indeed.

Considering the geographical location and the proximity of these two countries, there should never have been a border in the first place. These countries should have been unified as one long time ago! Of course one could argue about the functionality of a country with two different official languages but that is a non-issue really. Take the case of Cameroon for example where both French and English are spoken at the official level. And moreover, how many local languages are spoken between Gambia and Senegal? If we can coexist with various different local dialects among our midst, I see no reason why the Gambia and Senegal could not have been a one unified country with two different official languages.

We can lay the blame on the colonialists for dividing us but we had the chance to unify ourselves which we fail to take. The 1982 Senegambia Confederation was a very good platform for building an ever closer union between the two countries. However, our respective governments at the time had different agendas and did not fully trust each other. This led to the unfortunate collapse of the confederation in 1989 and I don’t think there will ever be a greater opportunity for Senegambia unification.

Whether unified or not, or whether the borders continue to close or remain open, the historic relations between the people of these two countries will continue to be fostered. One thing is for sure though, neither The Gambia or Senegal benefits from these repetitive border closures. So it is irresponsible for either party to instigate or promote such unscrupulous economic actions. The respective authorities should therefore swiftly sit together to find a lasting and meaningful solution to this constant menace in the region.