Senegal Is A Sign Of Progress. It Should Be Portrayed As So

This weekend, democratic elections take place in Senegal. The incumbent, Mr. Abdoulaye Wade, is expected to win a second term in office. Not an unusual thing in Africa, owing to the fact that most nations are dictatorships.

But that is one of two factors which set Senegal apart from the rest of the continent. This is democracy. And a strong one. In 2000, elections passed off peacefully, and Mr. Wade won fairly after a good campaign. The second factor concerns religion. To many under the gaze of the Western media, 'Muslim' translates as 'undemocratic'. Many newspapers here in Britain (mentioning no names, Daily Mail) would like to have us believe that no nation where a large majority of the population was Muslim could possibly be a dictatorship. But in this respect also, Senegal is doing wonders. It is a nation that is proving Islam is compatible with democracy. (With respect to physically voting, Senegal is ahead of us here in Great Britain, as they trial a new electronic voting method this weekend.)

I'm a bit annoyed that there is not much coverage of these elections in the West. Granted, Senegal is not a major country when it comes to global politics, but it would be good to see the same newspapers that constantly report all the bad things in Iran, reporting some fair democratic elections in the heart of Africa. This election could be as exiting as the next election in the United States. As I stated earlier, the incumbent and octogenarian Abdoulaye Wade is expected to win a fresh term, but he is running against 14 other candidates in the first round of voting. With so many candidates, anything could happen.

Media coverage of the incumbents campaign has focused predominantly on rising unemployment, which has resulted in thousands of young men fleeing to Europe in search of well-paid work. Furthermore, Wade's campaign has made a lot of his attempts to improve the nation's transport infrastructure. He has promised a new airport and better sea links for the country, as well as commencing with building new highways for Senegal.

But, like most countries, Senegal has its fair share of terrorism.

The region of Casamance has seen more and more violence in recent months, as the Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) has stepped up attacks on innocent civilians. As he came to power in 2000, President Wade promised to end the insurgency in hist first 100 days. Seven years later, the violence continues. The MFDC is one of Africa's oldest rebel groups, and was unlikely to be split in just 100 days. After so many years under the rule of Wade, nothing had changed. Abdoulaye Wade has made little mention of the insurgency in his campaign for a second term.

But Senegalese politics aside, it important to look at the broader perspective. Democracy is a mainstay of Senegal. Other Muslim nations should look to it as an example of forward-thinking. Though it is not a financially rich country, it has placed its faith in democracy and has been rewarded with good ties to the United States, the United Kingdom, France &c. and continues to develop.

Yours, wherever you may be,
Daniel C. Wright.