By Saliou Sarr,

Civil society actor and former member of the Senegalese electoral commission.

This modest contribution is based on two fundamental principles, one of which is undoubtedly at the core of any nation. It is the sacred nature of the principle of defending the property and individuals living in an organized state.

This mission falls to the state and its instruments, namely institutions.

In fulfilling this mission, every citizen should contribute within the limits of their means and the insurmountable barriers defined by the state.

The second principle is that one’s freedom ends where another’s begins. The freedom to undertake, to build, to manufacture, to conceive is not above the freedom to live in peace in one’s own country.

In the name of these two principles, I would very humbly invite my fellow citizens to contribute to the fight against so-called clandestine emigration, which, according to the media, has resulted in tens of thousands of human deaths.

A great thinker once argued that humanity only poses questions it can solve. This scourge of emigration is not a natural phenomenon that can be considered a case of force majeure. It is neither unpredictable, insurmountable, nor inevitable.

I even have the firm conviction that it is predictable, surmountable, and preventable. It is in this direction indicated by the aforementioned scholar that I would like, very modestly and humbly, to propose the following.

First Idea:

The thousands of people who engage in this dramatic and consequential practice use large-capacity pirogues (able to carry from 100 to 300 people).

Let us therefore decide, by law or decree, that the construction of any vessel capable of carrying X number of people and taking them to Europe and/or the United States will be subject to prior authorization. Authorization will be granted by the administrative authority (to be specified in the legal document) with the concurring opinion of the fishing dock management committee (to be established if it does not already exist in this form or another).

The fishing dock management committee will be set up at each dock or shipyard in the country. It will have a parity composition. Members will include:

– Fishermen

– Carpenters

– Women living in the locality.

Comprising a limited number of members (4 to 6), the committee will be allocated a small budget to provide a small monthly allowance to each member and to ensure its operation.

Second Idea:

The legal act that will be taken to establish this organization must include deterrent sanctions against:

1. Those who finance the instruments of death that are these giant vessels intended for this illicit and criminal trafficking; traditional pirogues are obviously not affected.

2. Carpenters who are accomplices if the order is not accompanied by the required authorization.

3. Members of the management committee if the issued authorization is a complacent one.

Conclusion:

Saliou Sarr
Retired Civil Administrator
Grand Cross of the National Order of the Lion

I sincerely believe that such a system could yield satisfactory results. Its financial cost would be insignificant compared to the enormous expenses incurred by the state in the event of a catastrophe in searching and rescuing survivors, and even in retrieving lifeless bodies and providing assistance to grieving families.

This expenditure should even be considered entirely legitimate when considering the enormous pain that the loss of human lives inflicts on the victims’ parents and the entire Senegalese population.

I earnestly hope that this contribution proves useful and can help save lives.

Saliou Sarr

Retired Civil Administrator

Grand Cross of the National Order of the Lion

Dakar