The Year that Was in Madagascar : Part III · Global Voices
Mialy Andriamananjara

Earlier, Lova Rakotomalala gave us an overview of Madagascar in the first months of 2009 and the events that lead to the coup d'etat that brought Andry Rajoelina, former mayor of Antananarivo, to power.  Mialy followed with the next several months, which saw more protests, the boycott of Rajoelina at the UN, the strength of Malagasy citizen media, and a devastating toxic spill.  Here, she continues by taking a look at the events which marked the final month of the last decade.
December 2009
Negotiations in Maputo and yet another new Prime Minister
Only former Presidents Ravalomanana, Ratsiraka and Zafy attended the next round of power sharing negotiations in Maputo at the invitation of Mozambique's president, Joachim Chissano. The negotiations concluded with details on sharing the highest state offices and ministries. Rajoelina boycotted the negotiations and later called the opposition parties “putschists”. He then barred them from returning home. They were stranded first in Maputo, then in Johannesburg. Instead of negotiations, Rajoelina announced the organization of parliamentarian elections on March 20, 2010, as reported by Voice of America:
“Madagascar's leader Andry Rajoelina has called for parliamentary elections after rejecting negotiations aimed at ending the crisis caused by his military-backed take-over of the country earlier this year.
The head of Madagascar's transitional authority, Andry Rajoelina, announced on national television that elections would be held on March 20 for a new parliament which would choose the next prime minister and draft a new constitution.”
Meanwhile, the consensus prime minister agreed upon in October was removed, replaced by Cecile Manorohanta, a former Minister of defense under Ravalomanana, and Madagascar's first female Prime Minister. She did not last long however, as Rajoelina replaced her with a military official one day after nominating her. Madagascar's Prime Minister is now Colonel Vital Albert Camille. The BBC reports:
“The consensus Prime Minister, Eugene Mangalaza, was sacked by Mr Rajoelina on Friday and replaced by Col Vital Albert Camille. Mr Mangalaza's sacking came just a day after Mr Rajoelina called a parliamentary election for 20 March 2010.
But local observers, quoted by Reuters, have expressed concerns that an election organised unilaterally by a military-led government will lack credibility. “
On December 22, protesters are fired upon again in the capital.
Then a mutiny is organized but fails. Mydago.com publishes the mutiny declaration of some low level military officials. Avylavitra took pictures of the barracks where the mutiny took place.
Jentilisa thinks it was all for show, and the mutiny was somehow staged, a fake.
“Nandalo teny aho, tanaty fiarakaretsaka, ny alahady hariva ary gaga raha nahatsikaritra fa tsy nahita na dia vata-miaramila iray aza niambina ny vavahadin'ireo toby rehetra teny sy ny vavahadin'ny biraon'ny minisiteran'ny Fiarovana. Mpijerijery hatrany ny zavamisy ny tena, noho izany, efa niahiahy zavatra hafahafa sahady aho raha nanana io tsikaritra io. Amin'ny fotoanan'ny hotakotaka indray ve vao tsy misy miambina ny toby? Na misy fandrika mivelatra eo na efa misy fifanarahana miafina eo amin'ny samy miaramila indrindra fa eo amin'ny lohandohan'ireto miaramila ireto. Efa nisy fanomezantoky eo amin'ny fifanarahana hatao sahady angamba hoe ataovy amin'izay ny iraka nampanaovina anareo fa navelanay malalaka ny toerana hanaovanareo azy!
Tsy tena gaga loatra aho ny maraina raha nandre fa nisy fikomiana nataona vatamiaramila notarihina manamboninahitra lefitra tamin'ny toby iray tetsy Ampahibe ity. Vao maika moa tsy gaga mihitsy aho raha nandre fa voafehy vetivety ihany ilay
fikomiana sady nanaiky hosamborina mora foana ilay mpitarika ity fikomiana sandoka ity. Dia efa fandre sy mahazatra ihany koa raha malaza avy hatrany fa nahitana volabe teny an-toerana ary nanaiky avy hatrany ireo mpandray anjara fa nandray vola tamin'ny fanaovana ity fikomiana ity. Dia nisy koa ny solombavam-bahoaka notondroina no nanome ny vola hanaovana ilay hetsika. Hita avy hatrany fa fihetsiketsehana fotsiny no betsaka ary misy ny fandrihana”.
Madagascar is banned from AGOA
In a post titled “AGOA Obituary”, Ndimby writes:
“Pour 2010, sortie par la petite porte donc pour trois pays : la Guinée de Moussa Dadis Camara ; le Niger de Mamadou Tandja ; Madagascar d'Andry Rajoelina. Au niveau des chiffres de l’AGOA en 2008, les Etats-Unis avaient importé pour 324 millions USD de Madagascar, 106 millions USD de la Guinée et 44 millions USD du Niger. “
Twitterers had followed's campaign to ask the US government to spare Madagascar. Is it moral to punish ordinary citizens who work in the AGOA factoriesand who will lose their jobs, when the country is barred from the AGOA because of  non democratic acts committed by their leaders?
In the same post, Ndimby asks :
“Les 100.000 employés des entreprises franches avaient les moyens de peser dans la balance : pourquoi ne sont-ils pas sortis dans la rue pour manifester de manière visible ? Car 100.000 personnes et leurs familles qui protestent pour protéger leurs emplois, c’est quand même plus noble et plus crédible que 5.000 à 10.000 pelés et tondus sur une place publique, qui se prétendent « peuple malgache »”.
Achille52 writes ironically that new technologies will now be substituted for the AGOA :
“Maintenant que l’AGOA est parti sous d’autres cieux, on se demande que faire de ces milliers de chomeurs qui vont affluer
dans les mois à venir. Mais faut pas s’inquiéter ! La HAT a trouvé Ze Solution… Les nouvelles technologies !! Je ne voudrais
pas toujours jouer l’oiseau de malheur, mais cette idée est digne d’un conte de fée. En premier messieurs, il faudrait
essayer de réduire la fracture numérique pour que tout le monde puisse se connecter…et travailler le cas échéant. Ensuite, il faut des formations sérieuses, et non pas ces centres à la con où l’on apprend juste à utiliser le clavier. “
Avylavitra has a different take, criticizing international agreements and organizations that come with strings attached:
“Nosoniavina ity AGOA ity, hay izy ity rehefa taty aoriana, lasa fitaovana anankiray hanaovana “pression politique”  avy
amin’ilay tany matanjaka mifanaraka amin’ny tena.”[…]
“Tsy misy nifampieràna fa tonga dia mambran’ny SADC isika, hay ity SADC ity aty aoriana: “handefa miaramila izahay e”,
“hanaovanay ’sanction’ ianareo e”, “hanaovanay ohatran’izao ianareo”.[…]
Mazava izany ny politikan’ny firenena matanjaka e, ny fanjakàna izay tohanany ny azy no problemany fa tsy ilay vahoaka
mahantra ao amin’izany firenena izany. Resaka fotsiny ity ilay hoe: “lutte contre la pauvreté” e, tena izany dia hypocrisie
internationale, fihatsarambelatsihy eo amin’ny sehatra iraisam-pirenena. Anisany ity  resaka droits de l’homme ity, izay
champion amin’ny fiarovana an’izany  ny Amerikana. Ary maro amin’ny organismes international no miady amin’ny firenen-dehibe amin’ity fanaovana embargo ity, satria ny fanaovana embargo dia midika ho  misy ampahan’olona maro “victimes”, lasibatra noho izany embargo izany. Noho ny inona. Noho ny caprice politique, ny hoe “tsy mety aminay ity fa ity no mety aminay“, dia ny firenena manontolo no atao takalon’aina ao anatin’izany.[…]
Tena Andry Rajoelina ve no problème? Ratsiraka ve? Ravalomanana ve? Zafy Albert ve no problème eto amin’ny firenena? Sao dia mba tsara jerena tanteraka mihitsy hoe fa inona marina no tena véritable combat atrehantsika eto Madagasikara amin’izao fotoana izao?”
Sad news kept coming. Jacques Sylla passed away. Jacques Sylla, the heir of a prominent political family, had been a Prime Minister under Marc Ravalomanana, later his chief negotiator during the crisis. He then joined the ranks of Rajoelina's supporters and was seen with Rajoelina later on demanding that Ravalomanana quit.
This about face was severely judged by some, but a more measured opinion is expressed by Patrick, who also thinks Sylla's case illustrates the complications of Malagasy politics.
“Jacques Sylla était foncièrement un homme du centre, et les hommes du centre peuvent être aussi bien considérés comme des médiateurs qui rééquilibrent la balance lorsque le moment le nécessite, que critiqués par les radicaux comme étant des opportunistes prêts à manger à tous les rateliers.
Durant l’essentiel de sa carrière, Jacques Sylla aura démontré qu’il n’était pas un simple beni oui oui. Cela fut
particulièrement visible lorsqu’il était Premier Ministre de Marc Ravalomanana, et lorsqu’il ne le fut plus, par contraste
des situations et du comportement de l’exécutif. Élu Président de l’Assemblée, il prouva également qu’il n’entendait
nullement encourager cette institution à être un organe godillot, quitte à être
incompris.
[…]
C’est pourtant le même homme qui en 2002, prit d’assaut le palais de Mahazoarivo malgré la signature des accords de Dakar et organisa des milices que l’on appelait pudiquement « réservistes”.
A small consolation in this deluge of bad news during what is truly a “annus horribilis” (Ndimby) : the shipment of protected but pillaged Malagasy rosewood was successfully stopped due to international campaigns.
Since March 2009, there were reports of pillages :
“Armed gangs are logging rosewood and other valuable hardwoods from Marojejy and Masoala parks in Madagascar following abandonment of posts by rangers in the midst of the island nation's political crisis, reports marojejy.com and local sources. “
The Madagascar Rainforest Massacre is illustrated by a compelling video on youtube. Madagascar Rainforest Massacre
But this one shipment was stopped :
“The shipment, which would have been transported by Delmas, a French shipping company, had been scheduled for December 21st or 22nd out of the port of Vohemar.”
To continue with ecological and positive news, Patrick, of FOKO, participated via video conference to COP15 and did some truly amazing awareness rising campaing with a local NGO, Jade.