Terrific minister of the information management for the HAT: Big Brother watches you

Press originated offenses from reporters are a contribution to democracy under a dictatorship empowered through a putsch. State led pressure from the ruling power´s communication minister is, however, a contribution to the security of this illegitimate power, and this kind of offense is on the brink of being made legal. 

Do what he tells you to, and not what he does himself 

How could any promoter of the year 2009´s putsch on the press front ever have any credibility again after betraying his colleagues and try to teach them the right path? The HAT´s Communication minister and muscleman of the TGV regime´s propaganda cannot help telling his fellow reporters whenever they breach the rules which he himself excessively violated. Reporters are behind bars, blamed for half worse than what he did, for having dared to challenge his deeds. Imitating the minister is no necessary; obeying him is the single required task. 

A value assessment, is it? 

In spite of the disastrous scandal that developed in the run of the political talks held in Gaborone, Laurent Rahajason is persuaded that some reporters intentionally spread false news in order to destabilize the ruling power. By this time, a single reporter, working for the MIDI-Madagascar newsgroup, dared to report the genuine facts, and by so doing, kept away from the HAT propaganda´s enforced version. The facts concerned the unconditional return of the politically exiled figures. The HAT´s minister for propaganda pointed at a deliberated manipulation of the facts and at publication of false news, and blamed the newsgroup´s editorial staff chief, namely for being the wife of one of the Ravalomanana sphere members. He went as far as insulting the concerned reporter, as an illiterate fool unable to understand… actually repeat… an official report. The official version of the SADC´s decision clearly matched the concerned report, but it´s author was not entitled to any shadow of apologies. 

Cooperation and flattery, so reads the law now 

Criticisms against the HAT´s leader are less tolerated with each passing day. Laurent Rahajason points at his fellow reporters´ alleged incompetence when reporting facts as a whole. The problem is, the expected crosschecking has absolutely no rationality. There are no facts in Madagascar, merely comments and baseless assumptions. Minister Rahajason actually aims at nothing else but preventing any destabilization risk for the ruling power, namely by deterring reporters from doing their job. That is the point of ceremoniously recalling ethics and press codes. The message reads: Cooperation and flattery are compulsory for Malagasy journalists during this transitional time; criticism and analysis are taboo. For example, declaring that the roadmap is prevailing compared to any republic´s constitution is correct, legally and politically speaking. This was an offense against the ruling power! 

Excess of goodwill 

The year 2009´s events were triggered by the order to close Andry Rajoelina´s private radio station which published news deemed to destabilize that time´s regime. The present HAT regime has so far repeatedly been doing the same, and as a matter of fact, with the use of violent police operation. So what about the Rajoelina supportive newsgroups? Minister Laurent Rahajason warned his former colleagues against any attempt to keep away from complying with the 100% cooperation and flattery trend. Horny situation, isn´t it? The VIVA station´s waves have not yet signed any cease fire, and keep on struggling as they did before. Stealing Queen Ranavalona´s crown was presented as a destabilization act arguably directed against the ruling power. Could there possibly be any princess yearning to put Madagascar´s royal crown on, and rule this strange transition? 

The ruling power hunting press freedom down 

A transitional break is normally the golden period for any of the press world´s puff of freedom, the HAT turned this one into a golden era for the VIVA station. One of the minister´s cabinet members is even playing the editor in chief´s role at the national TV station. A commission has been created, namely for the sake of keeping journalists under control. Bosses paying miserable wages, nepotism, misuse of transparency, press cards offered to mere advertisers, and denied to online reporters blamed for the international community´s rejection of the HAT, and reporters´ order deans still stranded in the past times are apparently operating their come back. And they dare arguing anything about ethics, do they? This fake ethics commission is nothing but the scythe for press freedom in Madagascar