Assassination attempt: the Andry Rajoelina band’s latest expected bluff

“They wanted to kill our president “. So did a presidential security staff member summarize the alleged events of Wednesday evening, December 2nd, supposed to have occurred between the quarters of Ambodivona and Ambohimanarina, in the northwest of Antananarivo’s city center, by 19h15 local time. 

A press conference has been produced by Jean Marc Ranaivo, forensic police lieutenant, Francis Randrianatoandro, escort department official , and colonel Marotia, presidential security department’s chief of staff. They reported the so said “assassination attempt” against Andry Rajoelina. An official statement unveiled that the bullet impact is visible on the right side of the presidential armoured Mercedes’ windshield. 

Media groups close to Rajoelina repeatedly broadcast the information. Some even came up to drawing a list of possible condemnations for such a crime, namely capital punishment. The radio Viva, quoting a so said “expert” from the police, reported that “it is a sniper’s job”.  

However, change happened to have appeared as fast as cash in this new issue, which, in the end, proved to be more fantastic than anything else. Some journalists conducted investigations by themselves. Nobody heard anything on that evening, let alone a gunshot. Colonel Marotia’s response to this remark was brief: “There was a gunshot “. 

In order to make a clear point out of it, back on February 11th, 1975, President Ratsimandrava’s escort has been fatally riddled with bullets, and the shots have resounded up to one mile around.  

Then another journalist wondered : how come could a genuine sniper, logically with special military training, ignore that the presidential car is armoured when this island’s dummest idiot knows it? And here comes something more: would anyone with genuine intentions to kill restrict to sending one mere sniper to shoot a single pathetic bullet on an armoured car?  

At the time of the press conference, a journalist asked the following question: how would the shooter know exactly that the presidential escort would go by Ambodimita precisely at that time? Colonel Marotia went less and less convincing: “maybe should you ask the shooter himself”. 

Diversion is, on this account, a far more credible explanation. Andry Rajoelina actually has to turn out new excuses to turn the trip to Maputo down, and to miss out on the occasion to negotiate the erection of the new transitional government whereas the other political mobilities are already there. The loophole is not unprecendented. At least, this one has troubling similarities with the scenes of the makeshift road side bombs which blossomed out of the blue all over the Malagasy capital city in June. They served Andry Rajoelina as an excuse not to attend a meeting about the Malagasy crisis in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.