February 07th: the canon flesh in expectation of “justice”

In Ambohitsorohitra, this day’s star was the standing piece of rock erected in remembrance of February 07th’s victims . The official ceremony has been held all around it. A religious opening, a flower sheaf show and the victims’ speech have been, as usually, scheduled. Andry Rajoelina does not intend to make the February 07th case a classified file. “All of the guilts will be prosecuted by the justice”, he protested. The HAT Justice ministry is, for the time being, carefully keeping this card up its sleeve for harder days. The official version: investigations in progress. 

On February 07th, 2009, the demonstrators militating for President Marc Ravalomanana’s resignation moved from Analakely and their place of May 13th toAmbohitsorohitra. The target officially was the presidential palace in order to provide any shadow of institutional symbol to that time’s insurgent government. Indeed, Andry Rajoelina, the self proclaimed leader of the High Authority of Transition indicated the presidential palace of Ambohitsorohitra to be his government’s workplace instead of the street. “Prime minister” Monja Roindefo was, for a short while, noticed leading and infuriating mobs, before miraculously vanishing during the assault.  

The former Prime minister of the transition has publicly widened the gap between himself and Andry Rajoelina. Monja Roindefo was anxious to pay tribute to the victims of February 07th, and to “express his emotion outside any ceremonial circle”. “I directly took part to the events”, himself dixit, recalling that Andry Rajoelina was, as a matter of fact, far from Ambohitsorohitra and from “the popular struggle for change”. 

Andry Rajoelina sent his accomplice to the frontline. And when digging came to shovel, the whole nation has been “upset” by an young man’s cry…wolf. He said that he could not understand the necessity of so much repression to the defence of four walls. President Ravalomanana was actually no more in the palace of Ambohitsorohitra, rather entrenched in Iavoloha. That time’s chief of state promised an independent investigation commission to bring light on the shoot out case. He affirmed that the shootings which caused fatalities were stemming from the surrounding buildings’ roofs, and not from the presidential palace’s defenders. So who did shoot? Both camps are arguing about it until now. 

The officers in charge of presidential security reported that only 18 bullets have been shot from the palace. Besides, most of them were pointing at the ground, and impacts on the concrete were, as a matter of fact, clearly visible, and recorded on video. Marc Ravalomanana affirmed that gunmen deployed on surrounding heights were not elements from the presidential guard. The discreet presence of foreign fighters basically supposed to protect their nationals’ interests was adding up to the confusion.  

The HAT is showing the minimum evidence of gratitude to the martyrs who gave their lives to boost its rise to power. 200 000 ariary (a wee bit less than 100 euros) per month is being offered to the victims or their family until the end of the transitional period. This financial “manna” would be the cause of the dispute between the victim’s association’s designated president and its elected president. “I have been clearly elected in September 2009, but I failed to make the 100% unanimity”, argued Bona Jean Pierre Rafaramandimby as an explanation of the screaming noticed in Ambohitsorohitra. According to him, his predecessor would have promised to provide membership to some people. Etienne Andriamahefarisoa is boasting his de facto endorsement by the members. “Who is the president of the AV 7?”, he conceitedly asked his supporters in front of cameras. “It is you”, resounded the response. Would you find it, as we do, unfair and strange to have a non elected individual claiming “voters”‘ endorsement? Welcome to our lives.