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Imams call for boycott of electricity bills
Friday, 01 October 2010 15:29
As blackout returns to SenegalChaos is once again visiting the streets of Dakar as Senegal’s electricity officials decided to take to old habit.
Thousands of young people Thursday evening took to the streets denouncing the return of prolonged power cuts.
The authorities say two of their generators are down, forcing them to revert to load shedding, a similar situation that saw the country almost
plunged into unrest, following series of demonstrations recently. Thursday’s demos were reported in Dakar, Thies and Touba, with protesters causing damages to properties.According to Le POPulaire, at one point four buses belonging to the transportation company Dakar Dem Dikk were reportedly destroyed. The protesters want the transportation company to join in their protest.
Earlier the so-called Collective of Imams, a group of Islamic religious leaders who have been at the forefront of campaigning against government’s inability to resolve the electricity issue in Senegal called for the boycott of invoices from Senelec, the national electricity company.
The coordinator of the Collective of imams and residents of Guédiawaye, a suburb in the Senegalese capital, Imam Yousef Sarr, Wednesday dismissed excuses forwarded by Senelec for the resumption of power cuts, calling on Senegalese people to default on their bills in response to the development.
"The issue of electricity can not be solved by lamentation,” said Imam Sarr. “The solution is that the Senegalese people have finally realized that it is them who run for their money. They should keep their money as Senelec does not properly provide electricity. That is the solution."
Imama Sarr argues that the Senegalese people have a contract with Senelec, but that the electricity company does not keep it side of the agreement as regard the subscription policy. He said faced with such a situation, it becomes binding on the client to compel Senelec to respect the contract.
"It is imperative that people agree to abide by this motto not to pay the bills. Otherwise, we will always have to defy the law, burning tires and make unauthorized demonstrations. And in this case, it is in conflict with the law, which is not good," he stated.
Meanwhile, through its committee, the group of Imams is set to plan a strategy to mobilize the entire population along its line of defiance.
"We're organizing ourselves to see which way we can revive the slogan of refusal to pay the bills and convince people to join. It is the only solution," said Imam Sarr.
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