PRESENTATION OF THE PASTEF PARTY
HISTORY
The PASTEF Patriots party was founded in January 2014 by young executives from the Senegalese public administration, the private sector, liberal professions, teaching environments, and businessmen, most of whom had never been involved in politics. PASTEF is a legitimate aspiration of an entire people, crystallized by a generation deeply convinced of the seriousness of the situation.
The initiative committee that was the basis for the creation of what we reluctantly call a party, since we still consider it a dynamic, is composed of people who have shared youthful struggles. From school to the office, through the university, they fought with love and enthusiasm in battles that resulted in brilliant successes. From the formal authorization to build a place of worship within Gaston Berger University in Saint-Louis to the glorious conquest of the right to have a union in the higher administration, determination has always driven their actions.
Those who join the initial group present more or less similar profiles. They have never belonged to a political party, they loathed them. The trigger was the action taken by the one who was surprised to learn that his friends wanted to create a political organization.
Ousmane Sonko would become the president of PASTEF-THE PATRIOTS, he who had been reflecting for some time on a possible political commitment without determining the form it should take; which had led him to meet leaders to better ground his decision. He was far from imagining that his return from pilgrimage would be the start of a new life as full as the few days he spent at the holy places of Islam.
Perfect strangers, the founders have become, through the strength of their arguments, political actors who inspire hope.
MEANING
In Senegal, in accordance with the constitutional, legal, and regulatory provisions in force, a political party named African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics, and Fraternity, abbreviated as PASTEF-THE PATRIOTS, is created.
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
Motto and distinctive signs
The motto of the PASTEF-THE PATRIOTS party is: “self-sacrifice for the homeland”. Its colors are red and green. The emblem of the party is represented by a red loop encircled with green, within which is a capital letter “P” in white, marked with the head of a white leopard with black spots. The acronym PASTEF-THE PATRIOTS is written in green, starting from the “P” of the loop and separated by a thin red horizontal line from the mention Patriots of Senegal in red at the bottom of the acronym.
NB: In some Bantu tribes, particularly in Congo-Kinshasa, the leopard was considered a cunning, powerful, and resilient animal.
Purpose of the Party
PASTEF-THE PATRIOTS is founded to conquer political power through democratic means, in order to serve the Senegalese people with the economic and social program that will make Senegal a prosperous, supportive nation anchored in strong values.
Republican character of the Party
PASTEF-THE PATRIOTS, unreservedly adheres to the essential principles and values of the Republic of Senegal, as defined by the current Constitution, which the Senegalese people have freely chosen for themselves.
The Party commits to respect and defend the Constitution, to comply with laws and regulations, and to work towards strengthening national unity as well as consolidating Senegalese democracy.
Ideology
PASTEF-THE PATRIOTS is committed to promoting a pragmatic doctrine, which does not align with any historically recognized ideologies: socialism, communism, liberalism, etc.
The only cause that the Party intends to defend is the interest of the Senegalese people, which lies in the compromise between:
- the freedom of citizens, both in their private lives and in their professional activities, in their intimate convictions as well as in their public expression;
- the respect by each person of the public order guaranteeing social cohesion and the fulfillment of all;
- the recognition of the primordial role of the State in economic and social development, in the consolidation of the Senegalese Nation, in the maintenance of peace and security, as well as in the projection of Senegal throughout the world. PASTEF-THE PATRIOTS does not exclude working with any public or private organization, political or civil society, regardless of its official ideology, under the triple condition:
- of total convergence from the point of view of values; compliance with the laws and regulations of Senegal; and exclusive benefit for the Senegalese people.
Patriotism
The supreme interest of Senegal should be above any other individual or partisan consideration. Every Senegalese must participate in the endless construction of a prosperous, free, and proud Senegal.
Work
When work is elevated to a value, and when this value is embodied by quality leaders, work reveals itself to be a source of fulfillment, beyond the material compensation it provides.
Ethics
The ethical foundations of individual behavior can be drawn from religion if one practices it, from tradition if one is attached to it, or, even in the absence of an axiological reference, from the simple awareness that certain acts harm the collective interest.
Fraternity
Becoming aware of others, always trying to reconcile one's own interest with the interest of others, fraternity is the sentiment that allows one to achieve this, and everyone must strive to cultivate it.