Simao: the openness imposed by the TGV at the consensus´ expenses

For the time being, only the Rajoelina sphere and its allies are openly satisfied by the roadmap put forth by Leonardo Simao´s mediation staff: a super president Rajoelina, political spheres weakened when entering institutions controlled by the TGV. The SADC led mediation´s proposal is sensibly similar to the one imposed by the dictating regime´s leader, and displays very little of democratic consensus and inclusiveness.

Simao´s roadmap is, however, still a draft. Each and every one has to buy it in order to make it effective. The Zafy and Ravalomanana spheres´ opposition and protests are actually making it go down like a lead balloon. According to the HAT´s former minister Gilbert Raharizatovo, the SADC would not be able to ignore that the referendum nationally would have granted legitimacy to Andry Rajoelina: “Keeping away from the roadmap is a political error” declared the RPM party´s president to the opposition´s three spheres.

Jean Andre Soja, the swaying politician, is now defending the draft which is defending Rajoelina´s authority. “Kaleta” rated that 90% of Simao´s draft was matching Ivato´s political deal signed by the Rajoelina sphere and its allies, and that president Ravalomanana´s return would have already been planned after the recovery of a stable political climate, namely after the elections in TGV words.

Now that Simao is “supporting” its views, the Rajoelina sphere would like the SADC to sanction and cast unwilling to emulate aside for good. According to Soja Jean Andre, the mediation should draw a red card for whoever is asking for anything else: “let the three spheres endorse the role of opponents and refrain from holding the Malagasy people as a hostage”. The LIARAIKE party, whose leader is a member of the CST is longing for legislative and presidential elections to be held on the very same day in July 2011.

The MONIMA party, previously an ally for the TGV before being rejected by the regime, did not pledge Simao´s draft, as stated by its leader Monja Roindefo: “we have been struggling against the concentration of power in only one figure, exactly what this draft is suggesting”. Regis Manoro officially declared that the Zafy sphere would absolutely not sign up to the roadmap in such a form: “we are holding it as completely opposed to the essence of consensus and inclusiveness”.

Alain Tehindrazanarivelo preferred to play Leonardo Simao´s draft down in order to lower tensions: “it is merely a proposal, each and everyone is allowed to put its views forward”. The former healthcare minister who pretended to be leading the Ratsiraka sphere prior to joining the TGV´s ranks, emphasized that the SADC led mediation is tackling the issue another way. Parties are being successively consulted instead of holding rounds of talks. Expecting any solution to emerge from such a process is very optimistic