Thursday , 28 March 2024
enfrit
Contrary to his partisans, the president of the High Authority of Transition has spared the Southern African Development Community (SADC) as he came back to Madagascar, in spite of his setback at the UN headquarters.

Andry Rajoelina exonerates the SADC

  

Some had expected a volcanic speech from Andry Rajoelina, president of the HAT about the SADC; they have got it wrong. When he emerged from the plane following the days of mission in New York and in Paris, Andry Rajoelina had rather vilify the “group of African dictators” that would allegedly be afraid of the Malagasy example, and that would be the instigators of the “blockade” at the United Nations headquarters. 

 

As far as the president of the HAT is concerned, the motion which hindered him from making his speech to the General Assembly originated from this group of chiefs of state. The SADC has been relatively spared from his critiques, whereas the partisans of the HAT in Madagascar have been infuriated against the regional group since the latest days.  

 

The Forces for Change, regrouping the political parties supporting Andry Rajoelina, pointed at the SADC following the New York incident and even intend to ban the group’s representatives from entering Madagascar.  

 

The Leader Fanilo, a party also represented within the HAT, recommends visa denial to representatives of the SADC meant to participate in the international mediators’ meeting of October 6th in Antananarivo. 

 

Some political parties close to the HAT have even already planned to demonstrate with streamers at the international airport of Ivato when international mediators will be due to arrive. As far as they are concerned, having kept Andry Rajoelina form the stage at the UN was an attack against the Great Isle’s very sovereignty from the SADC. 

 Andry Rajoelina rather acted with prudence. Certainly following his collaborators’ advices in Paris, where he has been staying for a short while after his setback in New York, the president of the HAT preferred to go easy on the SADC. Andry Rajoelina affirmed to have met high profile figures in Paris, without further precision.  

 

More probably with much reluctance, Rajoelina decided to let it go in order to follow the advice from his French friends. The African grouping actively contributes to mediation efforts to drive Madagascar out of from the present political crisis. The mediator designated by the SADC, former president Joaquim Chissano, had a big share in the success of the first summit held between the four mobility chiefs, a success represented by the signature of the Maputo agreements.  Putting the SADC in quarantine can only damage further more the current poor face of the HAT on the international stage. And Andry Rajoelina understood it.