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

3.  « EUNOIA » OR BENEVOLENCE

The eunoia, it is the benevolence, the attitude by which the speaker is ready to be made like from his audience.

It is what new rhetoric and the pragmatic modern one indicate under the concept of taking into account of the audience. Because the simple presentation of the image of oneself, if beautiful is it, could not be enough to hang its audience. Indeed, the promotion of the image of oneself can enter in conflict with the values of the speaker or carry damage to his image. According to Erving Goffman, (Goffman 1973 II), one of the pioneer in this field of research, the ordinary relation is conditioned by the consideration and the work of the faces of the interlocutors (it is it face work). Each one will have to make respect its face and its territory, while sparing the face and the territory of its interlocutor.

These «courtesies» underlie identity and relational stakes. Goffman distinguishes two concepts : concept of face, i.e. the image developed of oneself and to make respect, and concept of territory, corresponding to the goods, space and the secret garden. Prolonging work of Goffman, Brown and Levinson (1987), will speak about «positive face», which are the image of oneself brought up to date and developed on the scene, and about negative face, corresponding to the territory, at Goffman, and which refers to the private sphere, with the secret garden. They will make concept of face the central rule within the framework of the management of the interpersonal relations, by extending it in particular to the concept of courtesy. As such, the concept of face is indissociable of a procedure consisted the commonly called acts of language FTA (Face Threatening Act)^43(*).

The benevolence consists in showing, towards its audience, of solidarity and the kindness. We will study the demonstration of these two provisions through the concept of courtesy and the image of servant of the people which the speech projects.

3.1 The servant of the people

The Prime Minister, as a convinced liberal, could not be unaware of fears which its accession in Primature could cause within important fringes of the company. Indeed, in the collective representations, liberalism returns to a purely economic logic which would forsake social dimension. Also, the Chief of the Government takes it the care to specify contours of his political action :

The program of my Government is centered on the Man, on the Senegalese. It is our only concern, our only center of interest. We want to be interested in lived daily of the Senegalese rather than in the fluctuations of such or such curve. (Seck 2003 : 28)

It wants to be the servant of the people, that whose finality of the action would be to put itself at the service of all the segments of the company by improving their conditions of existence. For as much, it does not disavow its liberal convictions. Because for him, to put itself at the service of the people does not mean to ensure a social assistance which would have the paces of alms. On the contrary, it assumes the ideological dimension of its liberal convictions which require, not a simple policy of assistance, but the creation of conditions favorable to the blooming of each member of the company :

It [the program of the Government] aims, by the nutrition, health, the education and a healthy practice of the sport, to give to our children the tools which they need to face the life. It aims offering to the adult the optimal framework of blossoming of its talents, and at organizing for the Old one, a honourable old age, by means of a viable system of retirement. (Seck 2003 : 9)

It is thus there about a liberalism « with human face »^44(*) which does not exclude the assistance the most stripped with. Indeed, it « love » (Seck 2003 : 8) that it dedicates to the Senegalese people goes « beyond » of « differences of vision or ideology ». Thus its program « (...) also aim, if necessary, at lending to all, the heat cover of our national solidarity » (Seck 2003 : 9). Because its vocation, ultimately, is to put the majority of Senegalese under acceptable conditions. Also, the Prime Minister supports : « My ambition and my duty are, to modify the aspect of this chart, while answering the social request » (Seck 2003 : 8).

Like confirming the social dimension of its liberalism, measurements practice are announced, active in the direction to relieve the social layers most underprivileged. Thus the Prime Minister commits himself facilitating the access of all to the whole of the basic social services. In health :

The availability of drugs of quality, accessible financially, will be encouraged by promotion of the generic drugs in the public sector as in the private sector; generic counters will be functional as from this year. (Seck 2003 : 16)

Better, « more stripped citizens will profit soon from a free assumption of responsibility on the level of our medical establishments ». In the same way, the access of old to the medical infrastructures will be « supported by a policy of « preferential rates ».

In the field of education, the Prime Minister recalls that « each year, the State spends 127 billion in education, I.e. 35% of the national budget » and that « this percentage should pass to 40% in 2005 » (Seck 2003 : 15).

Being the access to water,

important programmes of realization of water points are in the course of execution through all the country. These programs firstly aim the equipment of all the chief towns of rural communities of motorized drillings. (Seck 2003 : 12)

To the measurements taken in the field of the basic social services comes to be added the massive recruitment of professionals in load of the good walk of these sectors :

I like it to announce a special programme of recruitment in the administration, and mainly in the strategic sectors of education, health, safety, justice and the financial controls. During the time 2003-2005, we will recruit doctors, male nurses, midwives, teachers, firemen, police officers, gendarmes, customs officers, inspectors, controllers and agents of the treasure and taxes, magistrates and personnel of Clerc's Office. (Seck 2003 : 18)

And like showing the serious one and the credibility of this promise, which could not be comparable for a purpose of advertisement, the Prime Minister recalls that these new recruitments come to supplement them « 11.563 recruitments in the Public office (...) which the State proceeded between 2000 and 2002 » (Seck 2003 : 18).

But to be with the service of the people could not be limited to intentions. That requires an availability of the resources which passes by a good management of the existing sums of money. Also, the Chief of the Government insists it on the good management of the finance public, on behalf of the mode of the Alternation, and which justifies the catch of suitable measurements for the various segments of the company. A good all the more manifest management as the Government could be allowed not to use, in 2002, them « 10,5 billion FCFA » coming from « counterpart of the agreement of fishing signed with the European Union has » (Seck 2003 : 14).

From where of the expression «Thanks to the good behavior of our finance public and with the quality of the support of our partners, thus giving body to the will of the president of the Republic, it I like the recurrence to announce (...) » devoting this management « effective » and introducing the proposal for several measures intended to improve lived of Senegalese in various fields.

Thus in agriculture, the Prime Minister announces :

Thanks to good behavior of our public finance and with quality of support of our partners, giving thus body to will of president of Republic, it likes me to announce with Makhtar, with Goor and with Samba Gaye (country of Tambacounda I read the poignant laments in the press), that starting from tomorrow, Tuesday, all the peasants holders of goods, and previously listed by the governors, will be able to go provided near them, with their titles, to be paid. (Seck 2003 : 11)

In the development at the base, the Prime Minister who would like « that all the local communities are in building site », a policy of support to the local communities announces :

Thanks to the good behavior of our finance public and with the quality of the support of our partners, I like it to announce, giving body to the vision of the president of the Republic, that the State will place at the disposal of the local communities counterpart funds of 4 billion allowing to implement a policy of investment of 40 billion on all the extent the territory thanks to the financing of our partners the development and ONG. (Seck 2003 : 27)

The good behavior of the finance public also makes it possible to the Prime Minister to announce the next compensation for the victims of the shipwreck of the boat Joola :

Thanks to the good behavior of our finance public and with the quality of the support of our partners, I like it to announce that, thus giving body to the will of the president of the Republic, I' State is today ready to carry out the payment of the allowances. (Seck 2003 : 7)

Moreover, it makes possible the replacement of the boat shipwrecked man bus « the money is available, the ready technical dossier, twenty already seized brokers and the selected shipper » (Seck 2003 : 7).

But to want to serve the people could not say to have the exclusiveness in the interventions and the actions. The preoccupation with an effectiveness makes necessary « a division right, balanced, and relevant of the loads ». As, the Prime Minister is it conscious as it « a mobilization of all the segments of our company will be necessary to increase » them « chances of success ». From where the concern of the Chief of the Government of implying the local decision makers in the development of Senegal :

In a decentralized approach and of proximity, I retained to share the heavy load which is entrusted to me with 11 presidents de regional Conseils, the 4 mayors of city of the area of Dakar, the 43 mayors of district of the area of Dakar, the 63 mayors of the communes of the interior of the country, the 320 presidents of rural community. (Seck 2003 : 27)

The will to serve the people goes well beyond the average materials and financial available. It seems to take the forms of a vocation. Thus the Chief of the Government is not only satisfied to propose concrete and realizable actions at the time of his speech. He will be further while being to the sides of the citizens and actively implying himself in the various activities that they carry out :

That the peasant knows that I will be with him in the fields, I will accompany the student in the corridors by his establishment and the housewife in front of the stalls of the markets. That that which is sick knows that I seek the means to facilitate his cure. (Seck 2003 : 28)

And where the concrete action is not possible, the Prime Minister, as a man of faith, does not lower the arms. He proposes his intention^45(*) and his prayers :

(...) 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)

* ⁴³ The FTA (Face Threatening Act) are acts of verbal and nonverbal languages which threaten the faces of the interactants. One distinguishes four types of FTA: acts threatening the negative face of that which achieves them (offers, promise, etc); acts threatening the positive face of that which achieves them (consent, self-criticism, etc); acts threatening the negative face of others (violation of nonverbal nature, questions indiscreet, directing acts, etc)  and acts threatening the positive face of that which undergoes them (critical, refutation, etc).

The interaction is not only the place of a confrontation. It also a space of search of consensus and agreement. Consequently, we note, with with dimensions FTAS constitutive of the aggressive mark, the antiones or F (face flattering acts). They develop one or the other of the faces by carrying out a negative courtesy (by attenuation or screening of the FTA), and positive with developing acts or behaviors.

* ⁴⁴ This expression was used by the Prime Minister Moustapha Niasse at the time of his Declaration of general policy in 2000.

* ⁴⁵ The importance of the intention is very clear in the Islamic religion. Indeed, the Prophet, in one of his hadiths (matter), would have stressed that  «  the actions are worth only by the intentions  ».