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.
The State Police is progressively heading for the blockade. General Zafera, commander of the National State Police’s Intervention Force, has resigned. According to rumours, he would be expecting for the same move from General Bruno Razafindrakoto, State Police’s commander in chief.[See]
The High Authority of Transition is on its way to restructuring in order to capitalize the will to open its doors to the country’s other political forces.[See]
Jean Gabin, founder of the Vaovy group, famed in the world of Madagascar's southern traditional music, passed away aged 62 years old, on Saturday March 6th.[See]
March 8th's Women's day has been an occasion for both "first Malagasy ladies" to shine under the spotlights." Mialy Rajoelina, the High Authority of the Transition's leader's wife, and Lalao Ravalomanana, the exiled president's wife, both addressed cheering messages to Malagasy women.[See]
The present political situation's solution is exclusively a deal between the four mobility leaders. So reads Pastor Mailhol's conclusion. As pushing his stand further ahead, he subsequently predicted Andry Rajoelina's path from being leader of the High Authority of Transition to being a likely new political exile, could common ground fail to emerge, since the situation going even tenser. Pastor Mailhol took part in the "national debate" organized by the HAT, and described it as "despicable shambles". Pastor Mailhol openly displayed his desappointment in a interview granted by the Antsiva radio reporters. According to him, the debate has been baseless in the end, because Andry Rajoelina was expected either to capitalize what he said, namely the elections, and endorse whatever consequences, or agree with the other mobility leaders and assume the implementation of the Maputo deals which he signed. The stand obviously not to the HAT supporters’ liking at all.[See]
Talks have been engaged between state police intervention forces' elements (FIGN) and the armed forces' top commanders as well as the anti corruption office's representatives. Negotiations have been started following the military unit ultimatum. The State Police Secretary of State had better not underestimate Fort Duchesne's reaction. The situation is definitely critical. The anti-corruption office insured to the FIGN officers and to their men that the investigation of the embezzlement case was in progress. The FIGN base camp unequivocally required the State Police's commander-in-chief general Bruno Razafindrakoto to resign, for being suspected of having embezzled significant prime bonuses dedicated to them during 2009.[See]
In the opening speech of the national meeting organized by the High Authority of Transition, Andry Rajoelina confirmed his reluctance to join Addis-Ababa on the international mediators' bidding on March 08th and 10th in the run of the Malagasy crisis' settlement.[See]
The State Police's Intervention Force's officers and foot soldiers (FIGN) displayed their malcontent in broad daylight. Weapons in hands in front of TV cameras, they gave a 24 hours long deadline to the authorities for the publication of the inquiries' results concerning the embezzlement of the bonus prime dedicated to them in 2009[See]
The political mobilities supporting the implementation of the Maputo and Addis-Ababa agreements have a new strategy: support committees have been put in place throughout districts. One hundred of them have already been installed. The objective: keeping in touch with basic militancy.[See]
The political chiefs signatory of the Maputo agreements are invited to talks in Addis-Ababa Ethiopia from March 8th to the10th, but the HAT leaders' partisans are pressing him on end, not to take part into them. The round is, however, very likely to be cancelled, could any of the four leaders fail to confirm his presence. The African Union's Commission has taken the mediating process over from the International Contact Group by organizing this meeting. New international sanctions are expected to come into force from March 17th if the situation fails to evolve. Andry Rajoelina seems to hold on to his national consultation meant to take place on March 4th and 5th as a solution to the political crisis, despite the foregone boycott of his opponents[See]
