DPG: Why Mamoudou Ibra Kane considers Prime Minister A Aminou Lô's speech "worrying"

Following Prime Minister Ahmadou Al Aminou Mohamed Lô's General Policy Statement (DPG) before the National Assembly on Tuesday, September 8, political reactions have been pouring in. Mamoudou Ibra Kane, president of the "Tomorrow is Now" movement, offered a scathing analysis of the Prime Minister's address on X, criticizing the speech as tinged with pessimism and openly questioning the wisdom of the recent cabinet reshuffle.

While praising the Prime Minister's "frankness", the former journalist and presenter of Jury du Dimanche on ITV deplores a lexical choice which he considers anxiety-inducing and indicative of a lack of ambition for the country.

Revisiting the statements of the head of Government, he points to a "worrying verbatim," listing several shocking phrases spoken from the podium: "We are a small open economy," "We are in structural adjustment," "Our country is worthless on the financial markets," or even "The Senegalese are (still) tired."

According to the president of Demain c'est maintenant (Tomorrow is Now ), describing Senegal as a "small open economy" is a major communication error: "The risk for a 'small' country is being eaten by the big ones, that is to say, the sharks. It's a serious lack of ambition on the part of a Prime Minister."

Faced with the explanations given about the high cost of living and rising prices, Mamoudou Ibra Kane rejects justifications based on "seasonality" and describes the repeated use of "it is necessary" and "it is unacceptable" as a "litany of pious wishes" at the expense of firm commitments.

Diomaye-Sonko co-responsibility and a call for co-construction

On the political front, the opposition leader questions the wisdom of replacing Ousmane Sonko with his former associate. Believing that the current Speaker of the National Assembly "should have remained Prime Minister," he points out that "Diomaye and Sonko share responsibility for the current economic, financial, and social situation." According to him, the new Prime Minister himself confirmed this by reiterating the principle that "Diomaye is Sonko and Sonko is Diomaye."

Beyond the criticisms, Mamoudou Ibra Kane welcomes several points of consensus in the intervention of the head of Government, notably the condemnation of "xenophobic discourse", the plea in favor of the "military programming law", the outburst addressed to BP concerning LNG, as well as the stated desire to reduce the state's standard of living.

In order to restore hope to the people, the president of Demain c'est maintenant reiterates his proposal to urgently organize "General Assemblies of the Economy, Finance and Social Issues" in a spirit of co-construction, acknowledging Mr. Lô's commitment to accountability: "Transparency is the price of trust. We will hold the accounts accountable."