Soalala project: the HAT gets on with its propaganda, the opponents denounce

The first 50 million US dollars part payed by Wisco to the HAT Malagasy state is no good news for everybody. The case is being debated on the Magro square by the three mobilities and various other anti-HAT resisting forces. Pastor Edouard Tsarahamy from the Zafy mobility denounced the young transitional leader’s led violation of the traditional legacy. “Andry Rajoelina sold out the ancestors’ lands, we don’t want such an individual to rule our nation “, he protested.  

This committed pastor’s speech is more that radical. “Let us all be sent behind bars or killed, no matter, we’ll never ever agree on our own land’s sell out to the Chinese “. The HAT minister in charge of Decentralization is being required to resign for having contributed to trading Soalala.  

The Place of (an alleged) democracy and the place of May 13th has resounded through exactly the same speech in 2009. By this time, president Marc Ravalomanana was accused by Andry Rajoelina of selling out ancestral lands, although, the project with the Korean Daewoo was merely a renting of fertile but unused lands. The rented surface was ultimately remaining in Malagasy hands, but not the non renewable commodity to be exploited in Soalala.  

So, the HAT restarted its propaganda machine again. The HAT minister in charge of Decentralization and the minister in charge of Mining resources management tackled a tour through the Boeny region in order to sensitize the authorities and the population on the Soalala project’s advantages. “Everything must be completed so that positive returns impact on the society “, declared Hajo Andrianainarivelo. He subsequently called upon both of the Melaky and Boina regions’ communes and even fokontany to turn out their own development plan meant to be based on the iron exploitation’s returns. 

Minister Mamy Ratovomalala more pragmatically presented the project’s potential advantages. Soalala will be linked to Mahajanga and the outside world by a new 120km long road. This small town’s as so small harbor will be turned into one of Madagascar’s top seaport, operational capacity of which being dimmed to overtake 10 millions of tons. A thermo power station will be installed in 2012…  

Soalala’s first ever production is being expected in 2014. The Mining Resources Management ministry is straining to seduce the audience through outstanding figures for the administration. Communes would be benefiting from a” “long term development fund”  for the construction of schools, clinics and hospitals.  

The propaganda is also concentrated on job creation. Since a factory would be put in place, one thousand Malagasy workers would be granted training in China. “This is a major change compared to what has been going on so far; by then foreigners were coming here, but now, our youths will be sent to train abroad”, argued Mamy Ratovomalala.  

The HAT equally goes on with flattering virtual economic policy. The president of the Economy commission, Joseph Yoland, is drawing satisfaction from this evidence of a new economic and financial system supposed to setlle social problems by referring to product’s transformation processes dimmed to preserve added values for the country.  

“The Malagasy are going to be able to eat and get care correctly, civil servants’ wages will be increased”, promised the HAT member. The opposition is in no way denying the Soalala project’s potential. Fetison Andrianirina denounced, however, the signature of such an international trade agreement by a pariah authoritarian transitional regime without reference to any national assembly. According to the objectors, the HAT had neither the right nor the needed legitimacy to rent…sorry! to sell out Soalala to the Chinese.