The African Party for Solidarity and Justice (Adéma-PASJ), in addition to being a Malian party, also wears the African costume. Because created on May 25, 1991, its anniversary date coincides with that of the current African Union, formerly called the Organization of African Unity. “A Malian and African party in which the Malian people have trusted from the first hours of democracy.
A capital of trust that remains active thanks to the constancy and loyalty of its activists and executives,” declared President Marimantia Diarra about the party whose candidate was the first democratically elected president of Mali with the accession of Alpha Oumar Konaré to the head of state in 1992.
While democracy has never been so severely tested as in the times we are living in, Adema, given its longevity and experience, has deemed it wise to question the future of political parties in African democracies, particularly the case of Mali.
This was the theme of a high-level conference-debate on the sidelines of the commemoration of the 31 years of its existence. “You are not unaware that some of our fellow citizens discredit political parties, holding them solely responsible for all the evils that beset us, going so far as to advocate their abolition or their shelving,” recalled President Marimantia for whom, even if in Africa, the parties do not sufficiently play their role of controlling government action, of political socialization, the fact remains that the credibility of democracy depends on the vitality political parties to propose social projects and programs of competitive and alternative governments. “We will have to pass over our bodies to be able to dissolve the political parties”, warned Djiguiba Keïta from Parena.
For a more in-depth and high-level debate, Prof. Doulaye Konaté and Dr. Ousmane Sy were the keynote speakers. Making the genesis of political parties in Mali, they also made contributions with proposed solutions so that the political class can win back the hearts of voters. For Prof. Konaté, associations are the originators of political parties, the first of which, the Sudanese Democratic Party, was created in 1946.
From the observations of the former Minister of Higher Education, it appears that the “people have a negative perception” political parties for several reasons.
“They feel less and less represented by these parties. And it’s not just in Mali. The case of the Yellow Vests in France demonstrates that the problem is common to all democracies. There is a problem that must be admitted and to which it is necessary to find solutions rather than denying it”, he indicated.
For his part, Dr. Ousmane Sy was adamant that there is no democracy without a political party. According to the engineer, it is up to each country to forge its model of democracy according to its realities and that the political parties are consistent in their approaches with the aspirations of the people.
According to him, the breach opened up to a multi-party system has not been used wisely. “The plethora of parties is a problem. Parties should be encouraged to come together with territorial coverage criteria and well-defined projects that give meaning to a political party”.
To conclude, he underlined the obligation to improve the current democratic model in order to be in phase with the realities of the moment while advocating respect for the texts and the acceptance of compromises insofar as he considers that we are condemned to enter into dialogue.
Invited to the commemoration ceremony, the RPM, the URD, the Parena…almost abounded in the same direction and dared “the awakening of Adema to resume the role that has always been its” in the political sphere. “Faced with the challenge of preserving the achievements of democracy, Adema, like all political parties and organizations of the Democratic Movement, is challenged by our fellow citizens, all of which we must not lose sight of”, recognized the president of Adema who reassured that his party is and will remain this great party of committed militants, which each time the boat Mali pitches, has sufficient spring so that it does not capsize. A role often misunderstood, in his words.
This is why he called for sacred union in the face of the multifaceted challenges of the day. “No one should have as an agenda for the construction of Mali, exclusion, political recovery or diversion.
We must all adopt a unifying behavior to ward off the evils that beset our country, consolidate the democratic gains and participate in the recovery of the country”, he underlined while reiterating the support of the party to the authorities of the Transition for the defense of the integrity of the territory, peace and security.
