Communication politique et séduction à travers la Déclaration de politique générale du Premier ministre Idrissa Seck à l'Assemblée nationale le 03 février 2003

2.  « EDGE » OR THE IMAGE OF THE VIRTUOUS MAN

We will study the manifestation of the edge in the Declaration of general policy of the Prime Minister Idrissa Seck with the ell of the one of its principal significances : the virtue. It will be a question of seeing how, starting from the statement, the image of a virtuous man is profiled. The virtuous character of the speaker takes support on the speech itself, through the choice of the words, of the assertions and bases of the argumentation. But the virtuous character is not limited only to the words and arguments. It integrates also their mode of variation into knowing, the posture of the body, the flow, the intonation and the gestural one.

By image of oneself, as specified higher, we hear less the real image of the speaker than that which shows through in and during its speech. Moreover, it is not a question of the passages where the speaker would be defined directly, but rather impression which it releases starting from his practice, standpoint and attitude at the time of his speech. Thus, it is a question of seeing in what the discursive contents and its mode of variation project a virtuous image of the speaker. It is thus a virtue projected in direction of the audience. In its Declaration of general policy, a certain number of representations, actions and assertions take part to confer to the Prime Minister a virtuous image through an attempt of incarnation and posting of values supposed to raise of the virtue like the faith, the direction of justice, humility and sincerity, inter alia.

2.1 The man of faith

In his Declaration of general policy, the Prime Minister projects the ethos of a man of faith, deeply believing. The image of the man of faith appears as of the second sentence of its speech: « Mr. President of the French National Assembly, Honourable deputies, our Constitution, as of his article first, invites the people to go towards his Goal, and with Foi » (Seck 2003 : 5). This ethos of the man of faith is all the more important as its audience, namely the Senegalese people, is composed, with more than 95 %, of believing, Moslem and Christian confused. A reality of which the Prime Minister Idrissa Seck seems fully conscious. Indeed, while recalling, in spite laic nature of the Senegalese political régime, the presence of the term « faith » in the fundamental law of Senegal, it justifies, of the kind, the possible importance of the faith in its speech and its acts. Better, the constitutional text, which is used to him as means of legitimation, will be, compensates as the speech spreads, by another text, monk this time, Coran. Thus on several occasions, the Prime Minister calls upon the basic text of the Islamic religion to support or legitimate his remarks. He is thus when he calls upon the whole of the members of the company for the development of Senegal:

(...) wisdom teaches us that the realization of the great intentions requires the mobilization of all the forces, beyond those which hold the command; and the Writing recalls it to us in these terms: «You will become exhausted yourself, and you will exhaust these people which are with you; because the thing is above your only forces, you could not only be enough there. (Seck 2003 : 8) 

The invocation of Koranic verses is not used only of ornaments or simply plated quotations. The Prime Minister appears as an individual who would like that the faith and the lesson of God are the base of all its actions as it supports it besides in a very obvious way :

It is thus to conform me to this invites divine that I will call some with a division right, balanced, and relevant of the loads related to our governmental mission. (Seck 2003 : 8)

The Prime Minister seems so convinced of the importance of the faith that it is not satisfied to make of them the discussion thread of his actions and matter. He goes until postulating a collective behavior in conformity with the divine lesson which would be the condition sine what nun of the development of the country:

It is thus for the good of this new Senegal that I wish, Mr. President, Honorables Deputies, to meditate with you and the Senegalese People this word: «I do not modify the state of people without this one not changing what is in itself^37(*). (Seck 2003 : 28) 

The faith of the Prime Minister also shows through through the thanks and the requests for assistance addressed to God for success obtained or discounted. By doing this, it returns the image of a conscious man believing that its only competence could not guarantee to him the success in the actions undertaken. A success which is completely dependant on the divine will:

I covet of God a bright victory in this new mission, with the image of that of which it gratifié me at the time of the first. (Seck 2003 : 5) 

By this attitude, the Prime Minister conforms to the proverb which would like that « the man proposes and God lays out ». Because believing it considers that the true power is divine. Consequently, the will for power, at the man, is anything else only one intention of power which should be validated or invalidated by God. It is all besides the direction of the last sentence of the Declaration of general policy of the Prime Minister :

Lastly, I will accompany, by my intention, in the night and the loneliness of his proximity with God, the pure man who requests for Senegal of peace, success and prosperity. (Seck 2003 : 28)

The Declaration of general policy is, essentially, pragmatic and performatif because supposed to take stock of the actions undertaken and to outline the achievements to come. By enclosing it by « the intention of an intention »^38(*), the Prime Minister reaffirms, of the kind, his anchoring in the middle of the faith and the religion. A faith and a religion which make that the man, even invested capacities, rely on a supreme authority : God. And it is all the direction of the granted place, at the end, with the prayer and what conditions its practice, namely the purity^39(*).

The faith appears, ultimately, like the base of the ethos of the Prime Minister Idrissa Seck. A base which requires, to be valid, observation of certain rules and adoption of certain attitudes which, without them, are likely to make null and void this posted faith. Among these rules and attitudes, we have, inter alia, justice and humility.

* ³⁷ In Coran, sourate the thunder verse eleven.

* ³⁸ The prayer itself is preceded by an intention. Thus its intention will come to join for the prior.

* ³⁹ At the same time physiological but such a spiritual purity.