Parliamentary inquiry commissions: Mamoudou Ibra Kane warns against the empty chair policy

The hearing of Abdou Karim Fofana, former director general of the State's General Agency for Built Heritage, this Monday, has reignited the debate on the role of parliamentary inquiry commissions. For Mamoudou Ibra Kane, a boycott is not the solution. He also calls for citizen mobilization to shed light on sensitive public management issues.

Mamoudou Ibra Kane is urging political actors to prioritize participation in parliamentary inquiry committees rather than boycotting proceedings. In a statement, the leader of the "Tomorrow is Now" movement argues that the hearing of Abdou Karim Fofana this Monday illustrates the need to respond to summonses from members of parliament.

“The empty chair policy is not the solution. It rarely pays off,” he argues. In his view, those who contest certain parliamentary procedures would gain more by demanding the expansion of inquiries to other controversial cases rather than opting for a boycott.

In this regard, Mamoudou Ibra Kane points out that one of the commissions of inquiry, the one concerning the TRS (loans), is chaired by a member of the parliamentary opposition. He thus encourages the continuation of this dynamic of oversight of public action.

While defending the role of members of parliament in overseeing government action, Mamoudou Ibra Kane reminds us of the limits of their prerogatives. "The National Assembly must play its role as defined by the Constitution and the laws of the Republic. However, it is not the judiciary," he writes, emphasizing that this function falls under the purview of the Judiciary.

To support his argument, he recalls several precedents that have marked Senegalese political life: the commission of inquiry into the six billion CFA francs of SONACOS, the one concerning the case of the food supplies for the lull, the alleged case of the 94 billion CFA francs as well as the proposal to hear the heads of the construction sites of the National Agency of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (ANOCI).

According to him, these various cases have sparked numerous controversies without always yielding the expected results in the eyes of the public. "All these 'cases' fizzled out! Let's hope that won't be the case this time," he notes.

Beyond parliamentary oversight, Mamoudou Ibra Kane advocates for increased citizen involvement in the search for truth on matters related to the management of public resources.

He specifically mentions the need for what he calls "people's commissions of inquiry," an expression which, according to him, refers to the mobilization of citizens to demand that light be shed on matters deemed opaque.

In this perspective, he calls on students about the "One student, one computer" program and also cites the fishing, land and special programs sectors among the areas that would merit further examination.

The journalist and politician also emphasized the role of oversight bodies, some of whose reports, he said, are already available. For Mamoudou Ibra Kane, transparency in the management of state assets must remain a constant requirement.

"Transparency in the management of state assets should not bother anyone," he concluded.