Mauritania's revolution is looming

Saleh Ould Hanenna Nouakchott – Mohammad Sharif Aabidi The head of the Mauritanian Union and Change party, Saleh Ould Hanenna, told Arabstoday that the Mauritanian opposition has a strategy on how to end the regime of Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. “This strategy is not a secret, and has been announced,” said the opposition leader of the West African country. Following is Arabstoday's interview with him: AT: What is the position of the Hatem party in terms of the recent constitutional amendments? OH: Our position is to reject, then reject again. This is due to four main reasons. Firstly, the institutions that the constitution has referred to are no longer relevant. Their missions have been appointed by a constitutional body which has already expired months ago. Secondly, performing constitutional amendments is a matter that requires a comprehensive national dialogue and the existence a consensus by all political actors, especially those that are in power and the opposition. Unfortunately this has not happened. These changes were made at a time when political outrage and social tension reached a tipping point. It was also when severe political confrontations resulted in people demanding the president resign. The third reason is that the nature of the amendments is of no value at all. It ignores the constitutional demands that were subject to debate, which included the president’s powers, judiciary independence, army exclusion from political life as well as giving the Prime Minister powers that commensurate with the executive responsibilities that he undertakes. AT: You have asked for the overthrow of President Ould Abdel Aziz at many rallies and meetings. Do you have a strategy to achieve that? OH: The Mauritanian opposition has a strategy that it is working on to end the regime of Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. This strategy is not a secret. It has been announced. Moreover, it has undergone debate and open discussions. In addition, a plan of action has been set up and announced to implement the strategy. During all this, the opposition has adopted different means of peaceful struggle such as festivals, marches, demonstrations, sit-ins and strikes. AT: How do you see the consequences of the dialogue that brought together the majority of parties and some opposition ones? Do you consider the president’s call to dialogue honest? How do interpret the withdrawal of some parties from supporting the orders of President Ould Abdel Aziz? OH: We consider the consequences of the dialogue the same as what we expected. They were a sham, the fact that does not benefit but rather hinders opportunities to resolve the proliferating dilemmas that Abdel Aziz's policies have brought the country to, as well as the marginalisation of important issues. As for the sincerity of his call to dialogue, he said during his visit to Nouadhibou in front of the media that he does not want dialogue and that he has closed all doors in this respect. There are many reasons for the withdrawal of some parties from supporting Abdel Aziz. The regime has raised bright slogans that people thought were genuine, but they soon were surprised to learn that they were false and only propaganda that is belied by acts. The slogan of fighting corruption resulted in the head of the regime being corrupt himself, as well as sending opponents to jail while fining, intimidating and extorting them. The slogans of fighting poverty resulted in the increase of the number of poor, as well as their suffering due to high prices, widespread unemployment, the inability of the governmental departments and the failure of economic and social projects. As for providing security, it has been undermined by continual wars inside and outside the country with al-Qaeda. Add to all this the nature of the regime's leader which is unilateral and exclusionary of all political partners. This system also mocks the national, administrative, social and cultural elite. The regime has become unconvincing in being able to achieve reform. It has even become unable to convince anyone that it wants to achieve it. Moreover, the regime despises its collaborators and supporters, and considers them just followers, who are lucky enough to be accepted in its circle of trust. AT: In Knights of Change, you attempted a military coup on the regime, through which you called for radical change and the establishment of democracy. So why after you entered politics, did you support Ould Abdel Aziz in his coup on Sidi Ould Sheikh Abdullah? OH: At the time the country was suffering from a bitter conflict between two factions within the main party itself. I was then part of the opposition. When one of the two won, we found our options limited; either to believe the message of Ould Abdel Aziz and the generous promises and commitments he was undertaking, or to stand by the side of the legitimate civilian regime that had already been toppled. After studying the different options, we decided to give the man and his slogans a chance to prove his credibility, especially as these slogans are the same slogans the party raised but struggled to achieve. We might have been wrong, but when the reality of the regime revealed itself, and when its slogans, promises and commitments contradicted its practices, we reconsidered our position and decided to get out of the regime’s circle. AT: What is the vision of your Hatem party and its future aspirations for Mauritania? OH: Hatem’s vision is to see Mauritania enjoy a sound political life away from the dominance of a single individual or group, where the state stands neutral towards political contests, as well as fight corruption and see the implementation of real reforms at all levels. Our country has enough resources to implement the required reforms. It is not fair for our people to keep suffering from poverty and deprivation while their country is rich enough to provide for everything. AT: In light of the Arab Spring and the problems Mauritanian is experiencing, do you see signs of a revolution on the horizon? SO: Yes I see them, and I see that he who close his eyes in order to not see the revolution, is as he who closes his eyes in order not to see the hurricane and thinks that this is enough to not be affected by it...The [Arab] Spring is a wave that will engulf all the Arab yards. Everyone should carry out the appropriate reforms before the wave comes and pulls them out of their chair.