This is a picture worth more than a thousand words! Khalifa Sall, president of the Taxawu Senegaal movement, in the arms of President Macky Sall, smiling broadly, confirms that he is in a logic to respond favorably to the invitation of the head of Benno bokk yaakaar (Bby). The page of the management of the Caisse d’avance of the Dakar City Council, which opposed the two politicians to the point of bringing Khalifa Sall to his conviction and his ineligibility, is turned for President Sall and his opponent.
Khalifa Ababacar Sall assumes his position. And he is not afraid of his opinions. The honorary mayor of the City of Dakar was again present yesterday during the opening of the World Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy at the Grand Theatre. Behind the scenes, the president of the Taxawu Senegaal movement and member of the Conference of Leaders of the Yewwi askan wi (Yaw) Coalition, immortalized the moment when he shook hands with the President of the Republic. Should we say that nothing compelled him to do so?
This handshake, coupled with a hug, confirms the favorable response of the leader of Taxawu Senegaal to the dialogue launched by the Head of State. Indeed, Khalifa Sall, during the interview he gave to the Dakar morning news site, had clearly said that he wanted to dialogue, while waiting for the terms of reference.
The former mayor of the capital was accompanied yesterday by Habib Sy, the president of the Conference of leaders of Yewwi askan wi, Soham Wardini, honorary mayor of the City of Dakar, and Barthélemy Dias, Mayor of the City of Dakar.
The hug between President Macky Sall and his opponent turns the page on the legal dispute, which had opposed the two politicians to the point of resulting in a 5-year prison sentence for Khalifa Sall and his ineligibility, before he benefited from a presidential pardon in 2019. Yesterday’s scene could, for sure, further disturb the tranquillity in the ranks of Yaw. Indeed, the Pastef party, which has already formed an opinion on President Macky Sall’s « real intentions », will not go to dialogue, its leader announced during a press briefing. Ousmane Sonko, who obviously did not want to offend Khalifa Sall, said that the boss of the Coalition Benno bokk yaakaar (Bby) dangles the abolition of sponsorship for certain opposition leaders to isolate the Pastef party.
A point of view that the Secretary General for the communication of the « Patriots » certainly shares. El Hadj Malick Ndiaye recently said that it would be surprising for opponents like Khalifa Sall to participate in the dialogue, dissociating themselves from the Yewwi askan wi Coalition. Guest of the Le Grand Jury of Rfm, on Sunday April 30, El Malick Ndiaye took the opportunity to warn Khalifa Ababacar Sall. “I would be surprised if Khalifa Sall dissociated himself from Yaw to go to a dialogue alone. I’m waiting to see his reaction. Because at the moment, from what I understand, these are calls from his officials inside the country. Now, we are waiting to see if Khalifa decides to go alone”, the comrade of Sonko added. And stressed that following the decision of the leader of Taxawu Senegaal, Yaw and the Pastef party will assess …
Macky congratulates Barth’
If behind the scenes, the content of the exchanges between Khalifa Sall and President Macky Sall is the secret of the gods, in public, the Head of State delivered satisfaction for the mayor of Dakar. Macky Sall offered himself the luxury of paraphrasing his predecessor, Abdoulaye Wade, who had dropped this sentence for the attention of his son, whose quality of work he positively appreciated, during a visit to sites under the aegis of Karim Wade for the organization of the OIC Summit, in 2008, in Senegal. “I especially want to thank and congratulate the mayor of Dakar, Barthélemy Toye Dias. I said to him earlier, “Barthélemy, yangui dokhal deh” (Barthélemy, you are working in Wolof). And as the other said, I will tell your Dad Jean-Paul, who is with me, that his son has worked well”, launched the President of the Republic, to cheers and the proud gaze of Jean-Paul Dias, father of the city Mayor, who had a broad smile. This situation will not fail to be commented on when we know that it was the current mayor of Dakar who was the first to ask President Macky Sall to dialogue.
By Malick GAYE / mgaye@lequotidien.sn
- Translation by Ndey T. SOSSEH
