The recent statement by 143 signatories presenting themselves as "intellectuals", calling on the majority's deputies to vote for a bill to revise the Constitution, raises a fundamental question about the place and role of the intellectual in a democracy.

An intellectual, by definition, is someone who exercises their critical thinking, analyzes facts with perspective, and uses their knowledge to understand societal issues. They are not simply a mouthpiece for a political cause or an automatic defender of one side or the other.

However, the attitude of these signatories—many of whom cry manipulation after seeing their names associated with this petition, which they claim to have neither seen nor signed—raises questions, especially given its pattern. In August 2023, some of them had already signed a petition to denounce President Macky Sall and his government and to defend Ousmane Sonko and his associates when they were facing legal proceedings involving serious charges. At that time, their mobilization resembled a political stance more than an independent analysis of the facts and legal proceedings.

This repetition of commitments to the same political cause naturally leads to questions: are we dealing with intellectuals carrying out a critical mission in service to society, or with activists convinced of a political formation who use their academic status to wage a partisan battle?

Because a true intellectual should not be confined to a logic of perpetual support for a man or a party. He must be able to look at reality with the same rigor, regardless of the person involved.

In a Senegal facing major challenges: economic difficulties, youth unemployment, high cost of living, crisis in higher education, departure of many managers and skills to other horizons, questions about the country's financial situation, rational management of oil and gas, etc., the priority should have been to provide analyses and proposals on these essential issues.

But once again, their choice focuses on an institutional and political battle that seems to correspond more to the concerns of one side than to the daily emergencies of the Senegalese people.

Democracy needs free intellectuals, not opportunistic ones. It needs voices capable of criticizing both the government and the opposition, of defending principles rather than the interests of a particular group.

When intellectual engagement becomes inseparable from political activism, it becomes difficult for the citizen to distinguish autonomous reflection from partisan strategy.

Senegal expects its elites not to take positions dictated by political affiliation, but to make a lucid, balanced and courageous contribution to the national debate.

Ibrahima Baba SALL

Former Vice-President of the National Assembly

Mayor of Bakel