The February 7th case: the political weapon to finish president Ravalomanana?

The slaughter or the drama of February 07th, 2009 was expected but not avoided. The raid of the presidential palace from mobs was an opened trap for president Ravalomanana in case of retaliation. Whatever that had to happen did happen. Fourteen months later, the HAT failed to get the condemnation of the former chief of the state for his alleged leading role in the presidential guard’s retaliation in defense of the palace as well as in some controversial unidentified snipers’ action which led to casualties.  

The HAT Justice Minister is tackling the issue. Christine Razanamahasoa relaunches the propaganda campaign against Marc Ravalomanana’s reputation, as he is now being called a theft in relation to the field of Andohatapenaka, as well as a killer. Both indictments are charging Marc Ravalomanana whose guilt is still controversial. The minister longing for getting in control of the process, and a quick and lethal condemnation is a wee bit excessive. She is as a matter of fact pushing for a verdict in the February 07th case before the June 26th.  

As restricting her ambitions in no way, she is trying to get the extradition of the former president in order to trial him in Antananarivo in a simple criminal court. The expectation is a dead duck according to Marc Ravalomanana’s lawyers. The HAT leadership is actually punished by the African Union, Madagascar is suspended by the SADC and there is no judicial cooperation agreement between Antananarivo and Pretoria. 

 Marc Ravalomanana’s lawyers do not even believe in any possible trial on June 23rd, 2010, regarding all of the HAT’s latest postponements. But the minister keeps on pressuring the general attorney in order to push through. The defense is anyway still allowed to lodge an appeal in the Supreme Court. It is, however, only some time of reprieve regarding the HAT determination to politically condemn the exiled president. Time became a stake in this file. The HAT has better get this ultimate condemnation before the electoral show so that the issue is settled before the advent of a new president who will be someone else but Andry Rajoelina.  

The February 07th case is a way to deprive the president in exile from a likely amnesty in case of national reconciliation. Murders are actually excluded from this exceptional measure. The Marc Ravalomanana’s condemnation is expected to draw the international community to relax its grip and finally grant legitimacy to the year 2009’s coup. The political calculation has no more been being a secret since the brain washing operation conducted on the place of May 13th which led to the raid on the presidential palace.  

Marc Ravalomanana is mentioned in number 2 in the accusation on this business. The president in exile required for an international and independent investigation to define responsibilities in this sad event. Apart from the “raiders” and their leaders’ or backers’ responsibilities, the mysterious snipers’ identity is still to be defined . The deadly shots actually stemmed from the surrounding buildings and not from the palace of Ambohitsorohitra. 

Is a crowd manipulated by politicians allowed to attack a presidential palace? As the retaliation any legitimacy… the debate is opened. In 1991, the march on Iavoloha has been repressed far from the palace by the presidential guard but Didier Ratsiraka has not been condemned. On  February 07th, 2009, shots began when mobs launched by an insurgent government’s absent chief rushed to the gates.