Republic of Sénégal Republic of Sénégal Republic of Sénégal Republic of Sénégal
One People One PeopleOne People
One People----One GoalOne GoalOne Goal----One FaithOne GoalOne FaithOne Faith One Faith
Keynote Speech at Harvard’s Africa Development Conference by
His Excellency Mister Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Sénégal
Delivered at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government Forum
March 8, 2013
“Each generation must discover its mission, fulfill it or betray it, in relative opacity.”
Frantz Fanon
Honorable Dean Ellwood,
Distinguished Harvard faculty members and staff, Dear students,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon. It’s a great honor to be here this afternoon, in your prestigious University, with the kind invitation of Dean David Ellwood.
Thank you very much, Dean Ellwood.
Let me begin by reminding all of us that today is very special, as we celebrate The International women’s Day. I want to congratulate warmly the ladies here and around the world. Now, I have just one advice for us, men:
let’s adopt a low profile, because it’s women’s rule today.
Thank you all, ladies and gentlemen, dear students, for devoting your time to our dialogue.
I would like to pay tribute to your godfather, Pastor John Harvard. More than three centuries ago, he made an optimistic bet on the future by giving his library and half his estate to your University.
You have deserved the bet by it to a fabulous legend that has been known and respected throughout the world.
It is such tradition of openness and excellence that attracts here several generations of students and teachers of different nationalities, including my compatriot Professor Ousmane Oumar Kane, of Harvard Divinity School.
Anyone coming here brings with them part of their culture and heritage that enriches our humanity and enhances our shared future.
And I am pleased that my visit coincides with the Students’ Conference on the theme: « Visible Change in Africa: One Innovation at a Time ».
The topic of your Conference is indeed relevant -and I congratulate you so much- because change in Africa is an irreversible trend.
I personally welcome this momentum, as my own political itinerary is an integral part of it.
I am happy to be here because I come from a country that shares with the United States of America great values, such as faith in God, sense of family, cult of work, commitment to democracy and freedom.
This is why my fellow compatriots feel at home here, and our two countries always enjoy close relations of friendship and mutual trust, regardless of the Administration in Washington and Dakar.
Our relations are also reflected in cooperation mechanisms such as the Peace Corps, USAID, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA); a Compact of $ 540 million for infrastructure projects.
So, now, since everything is fine between the U.S and Senegal, I will focus on the homework that brings me here. You see, Dean ELLWOOD skilfully slipped into his invitation letter a topic, asking me to talk about my vision for Senegal.
Dean ELLWOOD, like every good teacher, you reminded me that a University invitation is never for free. This is also what democracy is about. And so much the better! Isn’t it?
My vision for Senegal is first determined by who we are: A small country in size, just 196, 700 square Kilometers (about 75, 900 square miles) for 12 million inhabitants and few natural resources.
Yet, there is something more important than size and natural resources. What makes a country wealthy is its people, the quality of its human resources; the greatness of its educational system, its freedom, its spirit of independence and resilience to meet challenges and protect its rights.
We are also lucky in Sénégal thanks to a strong and common believe that we all belong to the same Nation, well before our independence in 1960; which has spared us of divisions that often fuel conflicts in Africa and elsewhere.
This « shared desire to live together », is such that in our country, Muslims (95%) live together in perfect harmony with Christians (5%), in respect for our diversities.
And it is precisely because Senegalese people do not identify themselves in public affairs along ethnic and religious considerations, that the late Leopold Sedar Senghor, our first President, who was Christian and member of a minority ethnic group, would regularly win elections against his Muslim opponents.
Historically, our voting tradition dates back to the colonial era. As early as 1848, people from some Senegalese Cities started voting to send their Representatives to the French Parliament.
My own election, on March 2012, after two tough rounds, is part of that two century long heritage.
But we’ve come a long way in what was probably Senegal’s most controversial election season to-date.
The controversy was not in the outcome. No. the victory was clear; more than 65%, thanks to a large coalition of opposition political parties and civil society organizations united not only to support my candidacy, but also to defend our democracy and the rule of law.
The electoral process, including the results, was monitored and validated by all independent local and international observers, in addition to the Constitutional Council.
And my opponent gracefully conceded on election night, just as it would happen here, in the United States.
In that sense, this election was a turning point ; one that our people can proudly hold up as a shining moment for our country and our Continent.
The less proud moments came in the nearly three years before the election, during which our whole institutional system was severely weakened.
The Constitution was frequently modified to suit the agenda of the outgoing candidate, in preparation for bid for a third term largely considered as illegal.
There was a widespread sense that our democracy was losing its credibility, and our country was sliding down a slippery slope of bad governance, in a regional context of fragile peace and security.
In 2008, while Speaker of the National Assembly, our legislative chamber, my five-year term was abruptly cut short to one year. I was forced towards the exit and virtually excluded from political life by members of my own political party;
only because I had demanded accountability and transparency from the executive branch, on behalf of the National Assembly.
At the end, I gave up all my political mandates, created my own party, Alliance for the Republic, in December 2008, before running for local elections in March 2009 to recover my mandate as Mayor. Then, I went for a tour around the country and the Diaspora, reaching out to explain the reasons behind my forced exit. Yet, I still had faith in our political system even as our democracy and our institutions continued to be eroded. I must say that I have learned a lot from this unique experience !
Nevertheless, on June 23, 2011, we had to face a new amendment again, by the Government, to abolish the majority electoral system and to install a new system requiring a mere 25% of the vote to win an election.
That was the boldest of all constitutional changes we had to face. And that’s why the people across the country, political parties, opinion leaders and the civil society, rose up to say “No”.
Young people and grassroots organizations took to the streets to strongly oppose the proposed change, resulting from time to time in riots.
But the good news was that on Election Day, people went out to cast their vote in a free and fair process, and peacefully waited for the result and a happy end.
I am recalling this recent experience of Senegal to stress that democratic change, both in Africa and anywhere else, is not an easy task.
The ideal of democracy may still be fragile even after years of practice. Democracy is not just about rules and regulations. It is also and most importantly about values and respect of the natural right of people to freedom.
And this brings me back to your conference’s premise and theme. Democracy and Development in Africa face many challenges.
I would like to single out three, that, I believe, most urgently deserve our attention, and the energies of the future leaders in this audience and around the world.
In my view, one of the main challenges for Senegal and Africa is the governance challenge. We must build institutions that are strong, stable and progressive, by virtue of the fact that they serve the will and the interests of the people.
Building strong institutions requires going far beyond the usual rhetoric of democracy and elections.
Our duty as leaders, members of civil society and citizens, is to strengthen these Institutions and leverage them for the betterment of our people.
The duty of academics and scholars, here and on the Continent, is to help us understand these Institutions better, and build on a system that goes beyond the buzzwords of “democracy” and “elections”.
Thus, I insisted on putting good governance as a priority in my Program of Action
« Yoonu Yokkute » -The Path to Prosperity -which I proposed to my fellow citizens.
And as soon as I took office, I initiated urgent measures to downsize the Administration, reduce the expenditures, streamline the Institutions and suppress all irrelevant Agencies.
I also introduced the Declaration of assets for the President and some senior officials, to which I have already complied.
Moreover, I initiated an institutional reform, to reduce the President’s term of office from currently 7 years to 5 years, renewable only once. This reform will be applicable as soon as it is adopted.
This means that although I was elected for 7 years, I will serve a five-year term. A good reason for working fast and hard !
Finally, we have set up new monitoring bodies aimed at promoting transparency and combating more vigorously corruption in the management of public affairs; in addition to the ongoing process to recover illegally acquired public assets.
Now, I am aware that it is easier to speak about good governance than to implement it. Because as a new paradigm, it calls into question huge interests that cannot even be thought of at the beginning, it challenges established certainties of impunity and laissez-faire; and for some, it creates unusual inconveniences.
Nevertheless, I am firmly committed to going forward for this qualitative change in our public Service. I will do so because it is an ethical and democratic requirement. I will do so because it is one of the strong demands expressed by the voters in the 2012 elections.
The second challenge for us is to establish greater social justice, a Senegalese
“New Deal”, so that nobody is left behind in our quest for progress and well-being.
In addition to the reduction, already in effect, of payroll taxes, my Government is currently implementing two innovative measures: Family allowances, to support the most vulnerable segments of the population, and Universal Health Coverage, to ensure that everyone has access to minimum healthcare.
I am convinced that social justice and improvement of human condition are integral part of the ideal of democracy.
This is a requirement for human dignity and for the protection of the social bases that support the foundations of democracy.
It is also a necessary condition for peace and stability. Indeed, all too often, extreme poverty leads to revolt, extremism and instability. As one of your illustrious Alumni, the late President John F. Kennedy rightly said: “if a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich”
Finally, the third challenge for us is to go beyond eradicating poverty, to create durable wealth and prosperity for our people in a peaceful regional context.
As Senegal aspires to become a middle income country, my team and I are committed to implement the policies that improve governance, increase our resilience to external shocks and create the conditions for a sustainable growth, while protect the most vulnerable.
My economic program clearly outlines our quest for Senegal to emerge as an African Tiger by focusing our efforts in agriculture, energy, including renewable energy and infrastructures. I am convinced that we can reach this goal through hard work and by preserving and promoting a culture of justice and integrity.
This is what a transformative leadership is all about.
But in working to improve our living conditions, we should also bear in mind the regional and continental challenges.
The situation in the neighboring Mali is of course, one of these big challenges.
Right from the beginning of this crisis, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has repeatedly warned that it is clearly a global threat to peace and security. We cannot allow terrorist groups to occupy a sovereign country and use it as a safe haven for their criminal activities. That is why I have sent troops in Mali to join African and international efforts to fight terrorism and help the country to restore its territorial integrity, in accordance with United Nation Resolution 2085. And we should not give up the fight until the job is done.
Throughout Africa, we need peace and stability to devote our energies to the efforts of economic and social development.
Last January, I was elected by the African Union as Chairperson of the Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC) of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). This high level body of twenty African leaders provides policy guidance for the implementation of major infrastructure projects in the Continent, from Dakar to Djibouti, from Cape Town to Cairo and elsewhere.
This will be part of my duties during my Chairmanship of NEPAD for two years.
In all regions of Africa, we must lay down the weapons. We must put aside what divides us and continue to talk about what unites us. We should build roads, railroads, bridges and ITC networks that link our countries and our people together.
This is a critical priority in taking forward our countries and Continent to meet today’s challenges of peace, integration and shared prosperity.
This is what matters for our generation.
And this reminds me the words of a great and wise man, Nelson Mandela, who says: “Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that generation.”
And now, I am reaching out to each one of you, as a citizen of the world and future agent of change, regardless where you come from. Let your greatness
blossom beyond “your personal legend”. And bring the needed change to your communities, to your Nations and to the world.
Thank you very much. And God bless you.
