Jaajef all on G-l,
PART2
This is the second posting following from Halifa's posting and the
discussion of subregional inter-government relations and politics.
As I said, I thought it was useful to post two differing views from Senegal
on the future of Senegal's foreign relations in the light of the Mauritania
crisis (where Senegalese nationals are being expelled)and the Casamance war.
I am sending these two postings (which came from the discussion list hosted
by the And Jef party website www.ajpads.org/) without comment. The The
transalations are my own, and I take full responsibility for any mistakes
(those wishing to read them in french or follow the debate should visit the
website (forum des immigres).
PART 2
The second is from a contributor named Matar Gueye
Yeenduleen ak jaama'
Tony
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DDEMOCRACY
OR WAR
Posted by: Matar GUEYE on June 10, 2000 at 06:41:57:
I don't know what type of historical curiosity it is that makes certain
people choose to enter history backwards. Is the democracy, which makes up
the well-being and strength of the developed countries, so unimaginable and
threatening in the tropics, that it's appearance in Senegal sows such panic
amongst African Leaders?
It only took 55 days for the precursors of war to appear on the frontiers of
the country of democratic "alternance". I recall in passing the bloody
developments in Gambia, the border difficulties with Guinee Bissau and now
the noises orchestrates by the Mauritanian authorities. This is neither an
accident nor a coincidence. There is a manifest desire to transform
Senegal's democracy into a "war democracy" (démocratie de guerre) by
drowning it in the waters of a frontier river. We must refuse this "offer".
We should rise to the democratic challenge by showing ourselves to be more
intelligent than those provocateurs who aim to divert the public away from
their aspiration for change.
We don't have the right to respond to those martial temptations by
precipitously entering into a military conflict which will bring us nothing
good. Reading other contributions in this debate one cannot but be struck by
all the turns that such a debate can take...even between Senegalese. The
negative and negating judgements we make on our alter egos risk bouncing
back on us like a boomerang, as, during a debate, when we start to make
personal attack, it is because we have started to run out of ideas...
Senegal does have a problem at the moment in its relationships with its
neighbours and with the southern region. Now is the time to start a
democratic discussion on these questions for as long as it takes to find a
just and durable solution. This is what we could call a "democratic war"
rather than the "war democracy" that some would want to impose on the
Senegalese people. In a critical situation it is not enough for us to be
happy with giving lessons, but rather looking to similar examples.
Here are a few examples:
Present day Senegal reminds me of Lebanon during the 80s. A haven of peace
and prosperity, which became in less than the time taken to say it, the
battleground for rival military, religious and political forces with the
logical outcome being foreign occupation and tutelage. We should be under no
illusions, the Lebanonisation of Senegal is a possibility. As is its
dismemberment. It is with the conscience of these multiple disastrous
possibilities that it is necessary to support the government, not to make
war against it neighbours, but to avoid responding to provocations, which
have no other aim but to precipitate it into a target for.
Between us, we know that everyone can get hold of weapons, even on credit
basis. Let us not engage in a mad arms race with our neighbours. This would
lead to our ruin without producing any sensible modification of our
relationships with the neighbouring states. A war with Mauritania would
weaken our southern borders and precipitate possible offensives by the
"rebels". We all know that the rebels will not sit and wait for the return
of the Senegalese army. No they will rearm, attack, take and fortify
strategic positions.
We don't have to look far afield for other examples; Sierra Leone and
Liberia. Both destroyed by civil wars in which the civilian populations were
the greatest losers and remain without any concrete resolution. Look at
ex-Zaire, engulfed in a similarly pointless war, and, despite its great
potential (or maybe because of it) forced into the humiliation of foreign
occupations. And Angola? Ethiopia? Eritrea?... Supporting the government
in an intelligent way is to give it the moral and political strength to
avoid being drawn into a "war of fools" where the only winners will be the
arms merchants and the enemies of African democracy. I can already hear the
cynical voices saying "see...these blacks are not ready for western style
democracy". Democratic change is a challenge, and like all challenges it
challenges you before you have time to consolidate your positions. But the
weapons of democracy are not the same ones as those of despotism,
authoritarianism and militarism. The moment that the Senegalese people
mobilise to achieve the financing of a true and lasting development, they
will find it
hard to accept an imposed war without clear objectives. They will not easily
accept a war, which will easily devour our limited development budgets. Arms
or computers? Arms or pensions? Arms or schools? How will we meet our
commitments and promises to the country? What will we win if we allow
ourselves to be dragged into a poor peoples war?
To support the government is to enable it to see, analyse, and un-mask the
traps of our enemies.
Mauritania has more to win in the war, which it wishes to provoke. A closing
of borders will permit it to permanently neutralise its external opposition.
It would permit it to reduce to silence its internal opposition by playing
the patriotism card, forcing it to fall into line behind the militarists,
under threat of being considered treacherous. By expelling Senegalese
nationals the Mauritanian leadership is seeking to pull us into a tit for
tat game, expelling in turn their nationals before they can become effected
by the "virus" of Senegalese democracy and become tempted to demand it's
implementation in their own country. The other effect of such a war is that
the Mauritanian leadership will also be able, after their call to "return
home" and the closing of the border, to strip those remaining on Senegalese
soil of their nationality. What an easy way of washing ones hands of an
"inconvenient" population.
Let us not give them any such satisfaction. We should do everything to
ensure that the Senegalese population give an even warmer welcome to the
Mauritanians that live amongst us, whoever they are.
That would be the democrats’ response to dictatorship, the response of
justice against injustice. We should remember that "war fever" and support
for wars do not last long. Neither the Senegalese people nor the Mauritanian
people are predisposed to war with each other. The provocations of the
Mauritanian leadership should be met with calmness and moral superiority. If
there are means to examine the disputes between the two countries we should
make use of them. Let us not enclose ourselves in a narrow nationalism
without a future. We know that nationalism, whatever its origins, whatever
its motives, and in whatever form it takes, leads to war. We should not
ignore the possible scenario that our own army could take over power as a
result of a war lasting several months without a decisive victory.
Yes, power could also come from the barrel of a gun welded by Senegalese
soldiers. It would ridiculous to see the experience of democratic change
destroyed under the boots of the Generals, after being bogged down the sands
of a desert war. Can you imagine the consequences of war on the Senegalese
population? Famine, the protruding eyes of the children, the swollen
stomachs, the flies around their mouths, disease, skeletal bodies, death,
death and more death. Thousands of innocents condemned to an absurd and
pointless death...
At the present time the only moral reasons for going to war are in defence
of our liberty, our democracy and our dignity. All attacks against these
values should bring a swift and firm response. Even this should be as a last
resort, as a question of life and death, the least bad of a bad choices.
Matar GUEYE
>From: foroyaa <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: LETTER TO THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL
> ASSEMBLY ON THE STATE OF GAMBIA, SENEGAL, GUINEA BISSAU RELATION
>Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2000 15:51:20 +0100
>
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