A more and more troubling economic situation23/10/2009 | 13:07:18
Lost jobs, many others threatened, a negative growth and pay check delays, so is the economic face of the Great Isle made of, after 10 months of political crisis.
Some 100.000 direct jobs are threatened in first lines because of the crisis according to Christian Ntsay, the International Labour Organization's representative in Madagascar.The global financial downturn and the subsequent decrease of direct foreign investments are worsening the situation.
Besides, the pending risk of Madagascar's exclusion form the list of the AGOA beneficiary countries is jeopardizing tens of thousands of other jobs in the private sector.
This year is to become Madagascar's first ever year of negative growth since 2002 despite the 7% positive forecasts. The year 2010 is not very flashy either. A large number of private investments have actually been cancelled this year.
The latest report from the World Bank on Madagascar's financial situation has, moreover unveiled that the MadagascanState is starting to be seriously running out of cash. More than half of the public expenditures having been supported by the local financial market during the latest months. And the civil servants' pay check delays for the month of October is already appearing as a very bad sign.
In the meantime, large scale building works have thoroughly withered from Madagascar's landscape. All of the country's infrastructure projects have been indeed financed by foreign partners who have now suspended their help to the Great Isle.
The release of a certain amount of foreign funds will closely be hanging up to the outcome of political talks between mobilities bound by the signature of the Maputo agreements. The so named talks should normally come to an end with the next mobility leaders' meeting on November 3rd in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia.
Collaborators and hard liners supportive of the High Authority of Transition are longing for definitely getting rid of the roadmap drawn up by SADC, and preparing a fake putsch to this end. The main stake is the way to keep former President Marc Ravalomanana away from the island´s ground whatever it takes, although such a homecoming is allowed and required by the roadmap as part of the crisis settlement process.[See]
The Marc Ravalomanana sphere is getting ready to welcome milady Lalao Ravalomanana, the exiled president´s wife. She is supposed to reach Ivato´s airport on Saturday, February 4th . Having a member of the Ravalomanana clan recovering home soil seems to be boosting the former President´s supporters who have so far been waiting for almost three years. The movement´s leaders announced Lalao Ravalomanana´s homecoming as "great news".[See]
The meeting between the committe addressing the recovery of political stability and the transitional parliament did not meet the expectations. A couple of hours long talks proved not enough to agree on the possibility to turn any amnesty bill up to the end of this month[See]
Madagascar´s Union of Magistrates is intending to complain against the HAT´s Minister in charge of Internal Security, Arsene Rakotondrazaka, following the two months long and finally unsuccessful request of the national police chief´s resignation. The certain number of police officers in the run of the Rehavana Michel case proved not enough.[See]
The KMDT formerly devoted to the High Authority of Transition and to Andry Rajoelina, is now willing to stand out. This political group now requires Rajoelina´s resignation and intends from now on to play the hard way. The situation is increasingly complicated for the empowered political parties.[See]
The HAT´s justice Minister, Christine Razanamahasoa, holds the adoption of any amnesty bill before February 29th, as recommended by the SADC, as impossible. A far as he is concerned, Norbert Ratsirahonana, who represented the transitional leader, Andry Rajoelina, at the meeting in Pretoria, that Ravalomanana's return home before February 27th was off the point. Rajoelina´s collaborators fiercely opposed reports produced by Marc Ravalomanana´s supporters at the end of the meeting in Pretoria.[See]
Marius Fransman, the mediation´s number one nearly told the Malagasy political leaders off as if they were in a kindergarten, and described them as irresponsible; Marc Ravalomanana for having decided to return in spite of the pending jail sentence, and Rajoelina for having prevented this return in violation of the roadmap.[See]
The snapshot creates the stir after being published in a Malagasy capital city newspaper. It displays a foreign military, white skinned, standing alongside the forces summoned High Authority of Transition in Ivato to deal with Ravalomanana supportive demonstrators gathered in order to welcome the former president supposed to be back on Saturday, January 21st.[See]
On Tuesday, January 24th, following former president Marc Ravalomanana´s failed return home, the SADC summoned all of the main political leaders in this crisis, namely Marc Ravalomanana, Andry Rajoelina, the transitional regime´s number one, as well as Albert Zafy. The Ravalomanana sphere has already confirmed its participation. Andry Rajoelina, he who endorses the responsibility for banning Marc Ravalomanana from coming home, cannot expect roses from this emergency meeting, bearing in mind that the repression of the former president´ supporters at the airport in Ivato, led to one more casualty, another brick in the wall of the Malagasy political crisis.[See]
The possibility for Marc Ravalomanana to get diplomatic protection in the run of his come back is seriously startling the supporters of the High Authority of Transition. This possibility was addressed by the Viva Radio station, the station of the current leader of the transition, Andry Rajoelina. Absolutely nothing actually denies diplomatic protection to Marc Ravalomanana, for the international community is the one looking after the implementation of a certain crisis settlement roadmap clearly granting to each and every political figure exiled on political grounds the right to safely return to Madagascar.[See]
