Transition’s Government: Rough battle for the Education Ministry

The negotiations for the education ministry are one of the most recent stumbling blocks in the completion of the new government. The stake is actually political and strategic. On this account, the Andry Rajoelina mobility is absolutely carving for this ministry. And the Marc Ravalomanana mobility’s incentive to put this department on top of its priorities is more or less the same. 

For decades so far, the Education Ministry has been serving as a launching pad to get militants for political parties in the various parts of the Great Isle. 

For the Rajoelina mobility, the official motive to require the education ministry in the present power sharing situation is the start of the academic year. According to the sympathizers of Transition’s president, the nomination of a new minister and various other especially regional officials, could have some backlashes on the school year’s good progress. 

The truth is that education ministy has always been strategically paramount for the different political formations of the country. 

Indeed, at the time of Didier Ratsiraka’s presidency, under the second Republic, the Arema party learnt at its own expenses that the disciplinary and arbitrary affectations of  MFM party based teachers later granted a strong basis nearly everywhere in the Great Isle to the political opposition . 

By the end of the 90’s, the MFM party was the unique political formation of the opposition having a widespread presence up to the district level in Madagascar, a second to none achievement until now. This advantage empowered the MFM party to lead, in collaboration with other objectors, the popular movement of 1991. It has relatively melted down ever since.  

In the camp of Rajoelina, the present struggle for the education ministry is attributed to the MFM to put the grip on the department. A few more than ten years ago, Germain Rakotonirainy, Chief of Staff of the MFM, was minister for education. It allowed the party to strengthen its basis even more. 

The MFM being currently integrated in the Ravalomanana mobility, the battle for the department is definitely clear. Andry Rajoelina and his collaborators are conscious that the ministry of the education, once controlled by the opponent’s camp, can constitute a political danger, more especially not that far away from anticipated elections.