Getting spectacularly kicked out remains an outstanding finish anyway!

Andry Rajoelina confronted the International Community, the SADC and the United States of America … did he not… first and foremost to enforce his participation into the incoming elections supposed to take place in the country he rules. The national sovereignty creeds only work when the speaker proves to be worthy of them. In the end, the leader of his transition gave in and had to give the ambition which he has been holding dear since 2010, although he publicly stated the complete opposite by then, when his credits as “Chief of State” were reaching peaks. His legion of diplomatic tricks proved to have failed. So be it. At least, he can draw satisfaction from self proclaiming victim, patriot and outstanding Chief of State, to whom the Nation’s interest has priority.

The speech appears in fact quite inconsistent considering that a solemn commitment publicly taken in 2010 is being called a sacrifice three years later. His supporters and other politicians who drew a substantial advantage from the transition emboldened Andry Rajoelina to break his commitment and he did. The rest of the world forced Andry Rajoelina to stay true to his words, and, willing or not, he did. Some media groups report about pending threats against the transitional leader’s assets abroadOne thing can be held for granted: Madagascar was on the verge of getting another long penalty in addition to what it’s be enduring since 2009.

The exiled president Marc Ravalomanana and a handful of his words ruined future candidate Andry Rajoelina’s ambitions for now. Rajoelina’s efforts to remain on top and to grant legitimacy to his rule claimed through a putsch were commendable. He accused the ousted president of planning a trick as recalling the episode in Dakar in 2002. A long string of examples stretching from the Maputo deals to the never fully implemented Roadmap undisputedly proves that no other mortal can best Rajoelina in terms of non respect of political agreements. Now, that things have radically changed, he is longing for fixing the electoral calendar to draw advantage for his political sphere.

The “Neither… nor” option, in other words, elections without Rajoelina and without Ravalomanana used to be rather insignificant until Marc Ravalomanana accepted it. The head of the transition consequently unsheathed his best speeches about the Malagasy people’s sovereign right to choose its country’s next leader. Andry Rajoelina’s candidacy was skillfully turned by him and his followers into a matter of national sovereignty. On the lips of an unelected head of state owing his national and international credit to a mere political agreement called Roadmap, the wonderfully heroic speech necessarily loses its efficiency, and merely reveals that Mr. Speaker is all for most a petty dictator struggling to keep in charge a little longer.

Could Andry Rajoelina’s pull out speech be heard, it could suggest that the transitional leader had given his notice, or even more, namely that got dismissed. The propaganda kept however with the events up… overlooking the couple of years during which the Malagasy people had to endure international sanctions, economic stagnation, growing poverty and unprecedented security troubles while leaders it did not choose were struggling to keep on top. Andry Rajoelina currently opens series of facilities erected with public assets managed by his transitional presidency all alone to serve his propaganda. Is this a glorious finish? Certainly, according to his standards.

Andry Rajoelina definitely missed out on a commendable finish in March 2011, when he unilaterally extended his transitional term. Prior to this, Rajoelina did what it took, namely a referendum, in order to make sure that his presidential candidacy would suffer no challenge, and to remain in charge until his foregone electoral victory. The speech might well address an outstanding chief of state, but as a matter of fact, certainly not his own self, regarding his deeds of the latest years. This putsch maker’s pull out of the incoming presidential race is neither a sacrifice nor a patriot act. It is simply a defeat and the end of a young one’s dream.