General Richard Ravalomanana took advantage from his predecessor’s mistake

The alliance between Andry Rajoelina and the armed forces is basically represented by senior officers post during the transition. The Minister of Defence minister, the joint Chief of Staff, the army corps’ officers, the regional State Police department’s commanders and their superior, the national state police department’s number one … they are all insured of a comfortable position as long as the HAT leader’s is.

The so named best of the best

Proud of having graduated from the military school, eager to apply on the ground his knowledge in national defense, the security genius gladly showing off as the class’ most legalistic and best educated officer already dared his boss to leave him the opportunity to settle his way the anarchic issue in the South. Since ending the HAT’s most fervent defender to the southern desert is however completely off the point, the best option happens to be his appointment as his department’s master and commander.

Such a tribute to General Richard Ravalomanana’s self proclaimed outstanding competence actually hints the rejection of his predecessor. General Bruno Razafindrakoto had to pay for the casualties suffered by the armed forces in the run of their campaign against armed zebu thieves and their charismatic leader, “General” Remenabila. The word “incompetence” was carefully avoided, although it sums up the genuine incentives for the state police’s former number one’s fall.

General Manakay logically got sacked as a result of a disastrous military operation led in the South. General Razafindrakoto’s recent rejection appeared however as far more controversial anyway. Still, the HAT’s logic remains respected, for an officer who contributed to its rise to the top is being replaced by an officer skilled into keeping it on top. Behind the scenes of this change though, some dirty business involving one of general Razafindrakoto’s relatives might have played a significant role and made the general’s image more embarrassing to the HAT.

The Razafindrakoto family’s mistakes

Since everyone linked to the ruling power benefit from the transition to stuff his bank account, why should a general, whose action has been so precious, be blamed by the HAT at all? According to a source, one of Madagascar’s greatest state policeman was reportedly arrested in connection with an illegal fuel trade in the north of the country. But this was no big deal yet, in transitional terms.

The state police’s number suffered a far more significant blow when losing his men’s respect, because of this … his wife. The latter would have indeed forced all of his men’s wives to dress the same way. The desperate housewives in question would have received the order to purchase 40,000 Ariary of garments, 2 m of fabric for the top and 2 m for the rest.

Bearing in mind that the fabric actually costs 10,000 MGF and not 10,000 Ariary per meter on the market, the state police department has therefore been forced to generously stuff one certain business with 40,000 Ariary per meter of sold fabric. Even trainees and single state policemen were forced to buy something for their… future wives. How ridiculous! The state policemen’s real wives lodged a complaint and presented samples of the litigious fabric as an evidence.

As a matter of fact, General Richard Ravalomanana is allowed to be very grateful to his predecessor’s mistakes. General Razafindrakoto, as far as he is concerned, can be grateful to the HAT for being merely relegated to the second division and not being straight away dumped in retirement.

A message for Alain Ramaroson

This change also provided Andry Rajoelina with the occasion to turn his back on the other false general, the politician Alain Ramaroson, who publicly accused General Richard Ravalomanana of having his nose poked into the illegal rosewood trade, as well as into the murder of his niece, the late “literally” transitional Population Minister Nadine Ramaroson. The transitional Supreme Council’s security committee’s president had to wave goodbye to his nine bodyguards, ordered to recover their barracks, as well as to the other five, ordered to emulate shortly after.

Guilty of attacking the HAT’s precious General Richard Ravalomanana, Alain Ramaroson is likely to bite the dust, could he fail to bring evidences to light in court. His wife, Olga Vaomalala, is on her way out of from the government. The Ministry in charge of the Population is on the verge of being taken away from the family.