Political crisis: The civil society and the army to the rescue

Self respect has finally been hit. One yearns to “solve between Madagascans” the political crisis that has been raging since the beginning of the year. There we go with a new attempt then. In the end, some even felt so much humiliated of have been “reconciled” by foreigners, that they now want to find a solution before the emergency meeting of the international mediators programmed in Madagascar on October 6th.    

Political crisis never have never ever been lasting so long in Madagascar since the island’s independence in 1960. Both of the most recent ones, those of 1991 and 2002, have been solved in nearly six months. This time around, the political fight has already been lasting nine months. 

The political takeover by Andry Rajoelina and his team in March 2009 didn’t solve the problem, far from that. And the signature of agreements in Maputo, back on latest August 9th, didn’t manage to put an end to the crisis yet. The implementation of the agreements is actually blocked by interpretations of some and by the personal ambitions of some others.  

This bogged down situation has driven about twenty associations, all part of the civil society, to re-launch the negotiation process. These associations are definitely aiming quite high. They are actually intending to organize a new meeting between the four mobility chiefs, Andry Rajoelina, Marc Ravalomanana, Didier Ratsiraka and Albert Zafy. But, in order to achieve that, they will certainly have to get support from men in military fatigues.  

Some participants to a first meeting between the different political mobility representatives have, themselves, called upon a deeper engagement from the army. It could well be difficult though, since the army has hardly ever managed unity for months.  

The civil society’s step is a logical result of their subscription to the Maputo agreements. Nearly sixty associations have actually left their signature on the agreements, at the time of the visit paid by a group of mediators in Madagascar in mid-August.  

The civil society’s action has been engaged just as the international mediators were bound to unblock the process.  The meeting programmed by the international mediators’ group for October 6th in Antananarivo will try to extract an ultimate consensus to solve the Malagasy crisis.  

Since the signature of the agreements, by the beginning of August, no progress has been recorded. Each camp is still holding on in its trench.