“Deeds and building projects rather than political alliances”: that, in essence, is the message addressed to President Bassirou Diomaye Faye by Malick Mariko. Citing Rufisque’s structural lag behind the development of other communes such as Pikine or Guédiawaye, the president of the Taxaw Dëgër movement urges the Executive to prioritise local development and civic engagement in order to win over the population.

By Alioune Badara NDIAYE – As political figures flock to Kiiraay, the Taxaw Dëgër movement considers this momentum uncertain in terms of electoral gain for President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. That is the view put forward by Malick Mariko, the movement’s president, who urges the head of state to invest in infrastructure to secure a solid base in the old city.

“Today, we are calling on our authorities: the people are not just waiting for speeches, they are waiting for deeds, results and concrete answers to their concerns. The responsibility of leadership is first and foremost to serve (…) The President must bet on delivering infrastructure rather than on politicians if he hopes to win the support of the people of Rufisque,” Mr Mariko declared on Saturday.

“We at Taxaw Dëgër only support those who work for Rufisque, and that is also the feeling of the majority of the people of Rufisque,” he said.

Mr Mariko was speaking at the inauguration of two classrooms built with his own funds at the El Hadj Ousmane Mbengue School in Rufisque-Nord. For Mr Mariko, Rufisque, despite its status as a historic city, lags far behind in terms of infrastructure, and the people are waiting for solutions. “Let us make the development of our city a collective demand.

Rufisque deserves better, its young people deserve better and its future demands better. Rufisque can no longer be content to live on its past glory while other cities move forward and build their future,” he said. Rufisque, with adequate infrastructure, is a serious guarantee of commitment behind the President, he asserted, citing the examples of Guédiawaye and Pikine (under Macky Sall).

The new Rufisque he hopes for will not be built by the state and the town halls alone, hence his call for civic engagement from everyone to move things forward. It is in the name of this commitment, he said, that he built these two classrooms with his own funds, which increase the school’s capacity and provide better learning conditions. The movement also donated school kits to pupils at four primary schools in the area.

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