Sunday, December 9, 2012

Madgascar III: Coup d’état

Madagascar faces an uncertain political future

In the African scheme of things, what is better than a coup d’état? A bloodless coup d’état! Watching the regime of Madagascar's ex-President, Marc Ravalomanana, come to an end was like sitting through a Sophocles tragedy in all its acts and nuances. In Madagascar, the protagonist – the king – deliberately turned a blind eye to the aspirations of his subjects and deaf to those aides who unsuccessfully tried to convince him that he was in deep mess.

Ravalomanana, too was warned in advance. But he didn't pay much heed. It is not that there was no case against the incumbent. He used his office to secure a near-monopoly of the dairy business in Madagascar and started to carve out an empire in tourism. In fact, the largest hotel in the country – constructed by the Chinese – was owned by him. That was too much for a nation, where 70% of its populace lives on less than $1 a day. But that does not necessarily mean that the power snatcher, Andry Rajoelina, had the mandate of the people. Experts believe that this ex-disco jockey is an untried leader who is too full of himself and is evidently disapproves of democratic establishments. At 34, he is full six years short of legal age for becoming President. Rajoelina, who doesn't even have two years of political exposure, led a rebellion in the capital Antananarivo that forced Ravalomanana to vacate office, after a majority of the army turned against him. “He is a non-starter. An upstart with little political experience; he also lacks the support of any political party,” says Stephen Ellis, an African affairs expert at the Free University Amsterdam, while talking to B&E. “With the exception of perhaps the metropolitan mob in Antananarivo, his support base is unsustainable,” adds Ellis.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

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