Following the presentation by Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko on August 1 of the Economic Recovery Plan, Treasury Inspector Ma Diakhaté Niang, president of the Alternative Citizen movement, And Sopi Thiès, during a press briefing, shared what he considers to be an "essential prerequisite" so that "our country and our compatriots can not only fully benefit from its benefits, but also accept the sacrifices it requires."

For several years, Senegal has been experiencing a political crisis that has deeply divided society. We are now judged "good" or "bad," "acceptable" or "unacceptable," solely based on our political choices. However, he emphasizes, political affiliation should never be a factor of division.

And he continued: our democracy, won through the sacrifice of entire generations, obliges us to accept all positions and all opinions as long as they are expressed in strict compliance with the laws and regulations that govern us. This tolerance, believes the Treasury inspector, is not a weakness; on the contrary, it is the strength of nations that move forward.

For Ma Diakhaté Niang, "our nation will never be built on division. We must learn to respect each other's positions, while keeping in mind the Senegal that we have in common."

He calls on the government to be an agent of peace and unity. He also calls on leaders and political parties alike to strengthen the training of their activists in order to instill the fundamental truth that no citizen should be rejected because of their beliefs or affiliation.

It is at this price, he said, that we will be able to build a peaceful democracy and a united nation. Because intolerance and the rejection of others weaken our democracy and jeopardize our chances of collective success.

Finally, he addressed all his compatriots: let us know that national unity cannot simply be decreed from above. It must be rooted in our daily realities and built patiently, day after day.

Mr. Niang believes that unity first takes shape in our families, when they are united by mutual support and respect. It is strengthened in our neighborhoods, through neighborly solidarity and living together. It is also expressed in our workplaces, through collaboration and mutual recognition. And today, in the digital age, it must also be reflected in our social networks, which should not be spaces of division, but places of sharing, dialogue, and fraternity.

It is, he says, through these everyday actions that we will give substance to national unity and make our diversity a true asset. He believes that each of us must be a guardian of civil peace and an actor of national unity, by refusing hate speech, rejecting stigmatization and always placing the interests of Senegal above partisan quarrels.

In his view, this national unity, based on respect for democracy and diversity of opinions, is the true prerequisite for any recovery effort and any sustainable construction project for our country.