spotlight madagascar

AFP Analysts were hard at work yesterday, trying to figure out what the root causes of the crisis in Madagascar might be. Citing poverty, shrinking freedoms, the prospect of the Daewoo land deal going through, and the loss of democracy, they take it back to 1972. Doesn’t it go farther back? Perhaps these coups have all continued to take place, not because they are ‘institutionalized’, as one analyst notes, but because they are ingrained and encouraged by the colonial, and then neocolonial power (yes, I’m asserting that France still has a considerable amount of sway in the government–and lately the United States and others as well) and the greed of the fortunate few who continue to rise, widening the gap between the rich and the poor. It is also the huge influx of aid organizations, and the loans of the World Bank and IMF and EU (think about where the money for public works is going–schools and roads or interest payments?).

If you read many of the articles below, you’ll see a trend. Madagascar’s credit rating is going down. Multinational corporations are reconsidering the climate, they may be thinking that the country is unsafe for their “investments”. Again, we see the country reduced to natural resources and commodities; the monetary value of these things is inherently nil. Until the superpowers decide they need them.

Here are some updates for this morning:

Reuters UK

Reuters UK FACTBOX

Country credit rating down on Bloomberg

The president, speaking shortly after the mayor’s rally Saturday, said: “I remain the president of this country.

“We managed the crisis in Madagascar.”

International Herald Tribune

A note on that last one. There were political rallies in the capital, as well as Tamatave and Ft. Dauphin today. My best friend, who lives in Ambatofinandrahana, has sent me text messages about how frightened she is, how people are hoarding food and oil and prices are shooting up. It doesn’t seem like the crisis has been averted, and now the African Union is threatening to put down the opposition because it’s unconstitutional? I’m not saying I’m rooting for either side, but can’t we look at the things that have been done to the people of Madagascar over the past 2 administrations and find a heck of a lot that’s unconstitutional? That being said, I don’t think anyone sees a solution yet.

UPDATE 1 from Reuters:

“I remain president. The country is calm,” 59-year-old Marc Ravalomanana told reporters at the presidential palace, saying he had been elected by the people of Madagascar.

Video from the BBC, along with a more detailed article

And video from Euronews.

And an update 36 minutes ago fron CNN.

That’s all for Saturday.

The Associated Press: Opposition radio station back on air in Madagascar

This one is pretty comprehensive, but vague at the same time. Since most media has been cut off in Madagascar, things must not be getting out. People are hungry for news, especially my fellow Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who are trying to get in touch with friends and loved ones. Unfortunately, the American media seems a little behind, though this country should be extremely worried about where it’s going to get its vanilla from now on, and what the film, Madagascar 3, might look like with cartoon flames and lemurs rioting.

The New York Times: Madagascar: Protesters Seek Government’s Resignation

Thanks NYT, a pretty disappointing “blurb”–I guess there are bigger fish to fry.

Reuters: Madagascar opposition calls more protests

And last but not least, Reuters, with at least one typo.

Those scenes revived memories of past political volatility on Madagascar, the world’s fourth largest island, and will not help the government’s efforts to present the nation as a tourist haven and sound destination for investment in mining and oil.

This quote jumped out at me–soooooo the political volatility will make it tough for tourists and foreigners that wish to rape and pillage the natural resources.  And let’s face it, a lot of tourists aren’t so kind to the earth either.  What they’re saying is that this is going to make it inconvenient for other people to go to Madagascar with the intention of extracting the good parts, whether that be oil or a lovely bungalow by a pristine beach.  I think we’re forgetting some key stakeholders here.  Perhaps the people of Madagascar are going to suffer a bit more now that the infrastructure that their economy and livelihoods rest on is being destroyed (some of it by them in a frenzy of lawlessness); maybe one should also consider the delicate ecosystems that will continue to be exploited until there’s nothing left but desert.  Will there be tourism then?  To witness a tattered, dirty and destroyed landscape–but oh, how much money some will have made…

During the last political crisis, prices skyrocketed for basics like cooking oil and rice (and pretty much everything), certain places were rife with violence, and it took a long time to recover from that.  Read about it here.  Just some food for thought.