When Sonko refocuses the debate on economic emergencies (by Abdoulaye DIALLO) March 15, 2026
But this was not knowing the president of Pastef, who was reluctant to let himself be dictated on what to do: what to say, when, where and how. Thus remaining in control of your agenda and your communication.
Without dodging our colleague’s question and with remarkable courtesy, the leader of the Patriots made it clear that the symbolic framework of the Prime Minister’s Office and the current context, marked by unprecedented economic issues, called for a different posture from that consisting of fueling sterile controversies or political considerations.
“We are at very important stakes. This is not the place for a political debate and certainly, in another meeting, we will have to answer you. But today we are more concerned about the issues. Political debate in Senegal exists as in all countries, but it must not exceed certain limits. The current issues are not political: they are economic and social, and we prefer to concentrate our efforts on that,” he declared.
A brief but clear response, which reinforces the republican posture and the statesmanlike stature of the Prime Minister.
Let us be clear: this is in no way a matter of discrediting our French colleague, who simply did her job by asking a burning question. Only, here it is: in front of her, there was Ousmane Sonko visibly aware of the issues and determined not to let himself be drawn into a debate which would have distracted attention from the essential.
Through his restraint and his posture, the president of Pastef has shown that he knows how to separate things, clearly dissociating work time from that of politics.
Otherwise, the Prime Minister could have “vampirized” his own communication, to use the beautiful expression of our colleague Sidy Diop, political analyst. In this case, the major announcements made during this press conference, in particular the renegotiation of mining, gas and oil contracts as well as the first expected financial benefits would have been relegated to the background, to the great benefit of a certain press fond of sensationalism and political controversy.
Precisely, if we had to take away just one message from this Prime Minister’s outing, it would be this: there is a time for everything, and priorities must be clearly established. Patriotic activists are therefore called upon to understand the meaning of this instruction by avoiding quarrels and unnecessary verbiage on social networks.
Now is the time to mobilize around the project to effectively address the concerns of the Senegalese. Because the challenges are immense. The liabilities are heavy. The national economy is struggling to take off and the social front remains under tension. Concerns are increasing in an international context also marked by strong turbulence.
Israeli-US strikes against Iran contributing to increasing geopolitical tensions and driving up fuel prices on international markets. The anxiety is palpable on a global scale. Tehran has also warned that nothing would be the same again if the bombings continued on its territory, fueling a general climate of uncertainty.
In such a context, even the great powers are searching and readjusting to try to escape this zone of turbulence. So, what should a country in difficulty like Senegal do? Get lost in political debates or focus on national recovery?
Ousmane Sonko’s response is clear: work to restore the country. Politics will come later.
