Madagascar is celebrated for its unique biodiversity and fascinating culture that is made up of Southeast Asian and African origins.  However, Madagascar isn’t celebrated for effective governance. Like many former colonies, the effects of colonialism remain, and the fourth-largest island nation hasn’t been blessed with effective long-term political leadership and economic stability. Nevertheless, many Malagasy and foreigners saw new opportunities and the change Madagascar needed when Marc Ravalomanana was elected President of Madagascar, since the country’s prior president, Didier Ratsiraka, managed a widely unpopular and corrupt government.

I left Madagascar during the political crisis of 2002 and returned in 2003.  During my last trip to Madagascar, the country seemed to be doing well. President Ravalomanana appeared to be working hard to improve the country’s image, infrastructure, and to attract foreign investors. However, his policies of granting rights to foreign entities in order to develop Madagascar’s natural resources and his plan to lease a very large portion of Madagascar’s land for rice production to South Korea were viewed as controversial and unpopular by some opponents like opposition leader and mayor of Madagascar’s capital, Andry Rajoelina. Currently, the feud between President Ravalomanana and the 34-year-old mayor of Antananarivo are revitalizing “memories of past political volatility on Madagascar.”

According to the Financial Times, UK, Andry Rajoelina “refused an offer of crisis talks from Marc Ravalomanana, the embattled president, until the security officer he said had shot dead one of his supporters was brought to justice.” Furthermore, Rajoelina’s appeals for protest has resulted in widespread looting all over the capital city. More from the Financial Times, UK:

Diplomats said Mr Rajoelina, long a youthful antagonist of the island’s rulers, had used last month’s closure of his television station as a catalyst to bring supporters onto the streets. Observers fear a return to the unrest that followed 2001’s disputed elections when both Mr Ravalomanana and his predecessor, Didier Ratsiraka, claimed victory leading to months of political instability and legal battles in which Mr Ravalomanana eventually triumphed.

Known principally for the multitudinous species in its forests, Madagascar has begun to attract major investments, including Rio Tinto’s new $800m titanium mine, the biggest foreign investment in Madagascar’s history.

More contentiously, it held talks last year with Daewoo towards leasing as much as half of its arable land to cultivate food for export to South Korea. After initial enthusiasm both sides have stressed that the plan is only at an early stage and may even not proceed at all.

Mr Rajoelina, 34, has been a fierce critic of the plan. This may have won him support in rural areas where peasants are said to be aggrieved by the prospect of being removed from their land possibly with little or no compensation

The Cyber Observer discusses the lack of military and police force in Antananarivo:

Everywhere you go now, you will see a lot of people bringing with them stolen products from shops and commercial centers. They can go at their ease with no fear to be caught. I just have one word for this: ANARCHY

When the Army and police forces give up or decide not to implement instructions, it is the real basis of the nation which is affected.

The president Marc RAVALOMANANA has discovered that yesterday. What can he do more? Nothing! The only thing he can do is to step down and let the power to Andry RAJOELINA … we will see if the international community and the international donors will help them to re-build the country. I am particularly interested to see the ability of Andry RAJOELINA to lead a governement.

There is one and only truth: nothing of what happens now would have been possible if the Army has done its job: to protect the nation against its enemies wherever they are.

The Cyber Observer blog has more information and has posted images of the looting and riots:

Everything started with a news which I personally knew, will happen: VIVA Radio (which belongs to the mayor of Antananarivo, Andry RAJOELINA) has been shut down. Immediately after that, the TGV (political party of Andry RAJOELINA)opposition decided to use another radio station named Antsiva Radio (radio member of RTA Group – the former employer of Miss Lalatiana RAKOTONDRAZAFY, a journalist who recently became the led animator of all the demonstrations made by Andry RAJOELINA and the opposition).

Few hours after that (around 10.00am Madagascar time), thousand of young rioters set on fire the MBS TV and MBS Radio, all located in Anosipatrana (South – Antananarivo). 02 guards of MBS died while trying to protect the premises. Their guns have been taken by the rioters. MBS TV and MBS Radio then also ceased to broadcast. All the MBS premises burnt with all the materials, appliances, …

At the same time, other thousand of young rioters attacked the premises of RNM (National Radio of Madagascar) and TVM (Television of Madagascar) and set the whole stuff on fire. They both ceased to broadcast as well. There were something like fifty soldiers who kept the premises, who all decided to leave their weapons and run away.

Forbes discusses efforts to control looting and Ravalomanana’s fading political capital:

Gangs continued to ransack shops linked to the president, who has a large business empire, under cover of darkness.

‘The looting continued through the entire night’, said the city’s police commissioner Francis Randrianantoandro.

‘We have arrested 27 people.’

The violence comes as Madagascar is going through an oil and minerals exploration boom. Multinationals in Madagascar include Rio Tinto and Sherritt International, who plan to extract nickel, bauxite, cobalt and Ilmenite.

Madagascar has a history of volatile politics.

In December 2001, both Ravalomanana and his predecessor Didier Ratsiraka claimed victory in presidential elections.

Eight months of political instability and sporadic violence followed before a court upheld Ravalomanana’s victory.

Ratsirika fled to France where he remains in exile.

A local academic said Ravalomanana had lost support. ‘The president has little room for manoeuvre. It is he who must make concessions because he lacks popularity,’ said Jean-Eric Rakotoarisoa, law lecturer at the University of Antananarivo.

Video of looting in Madagascar via Spotlight Madagascar:

On the Net:

1. sobika.com le site des malgaches dans le monde
2. The Cyber Observer

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Photo source for attribution here, here, here, here, and here. The authors or licensors of these images do not endorse my work or me and their images are protected under an attribution license.

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