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As he campaigns for re-election in November, President Andry Rajoelina of Madagascar doesn’t attempt to conceal his nation’s difficulties. After a time period dedicated to infrastructure, he needs to speed up industrialisation, enhance agriculture, and encourage the personal sector and human capital. Interview by Hichem Ben Yaïche.
In what frame of mind are you approaching the presidential election?
Madagascar has fallen behind when it comes to growth. The expansion lengthy awaited by the inhabitants has not materialised. That is why I’m working for a second time period. I’ve achieved every part to compensate for progress via the development of the infrastructure that the inhabitants wants.
I’ll simply give just a few examples. Many kids – not simply in Madagascar, however in Africa normally – stroll for a number of hours to highschool. In Madagascar, we face this actuality. With my authorities, I constructed 4,198 school rooms to coach greater than 2,200 schoolchildren and college students.
This can be a report, not only for Madagascar however for Africa. Think about a big nation like Madagascar, with 25m inhabitants, from 1891 till 2019, we solely have 18 referral hospitals. Throughout my mandate I constructed 28 hospitals with working theatres, maternity wards, oxygen turbines, and so forth.
Definitely, the nation has come a great distance, however has such wants… What means does it have to satisfy them?
Exactly because of this, throughout my first mandate, I attempted to construct and construct. Since independence we’ve had solely 42 courts in our 119 districts. Even to acquire a authorized doc akin to a felony report extract, individuals have been obliged to journey, even cross the ocean, as in Sainte-Marie for instance. Now we have constructed courts and hospitals to facilitate and help the every day wants of the inhabitants.
I additionally constructed the primary motorway in Madagascar. In the present day, it takes 10-12 hours to journey the 360km from Antananarivo to the massive port of Tamatave. With the brand new highway, the journey will solely take 2 hours half-hour. It’s the growth of those tasks that I wish to proceed. Within the south of my nation, we nonetheless face famine from the drought which is hitting this area. Now we have constructed a 97km pipeline to produce water to greater than 60 municipalities.
To be frank, poverty actually persists, but it surely is for that reason that throughout the 5 years of my second mandate – I’m assured of profitable these elections – I’ll above all deal with the inhabitants to realize the self-sufficiency in meals, concentrate on the weakest and help younger individuals to get them out of unemployment.
You need to be the embodiment of a “social president” who improves the human growth of his nation. How are you going to go about it given the size of the challenges?
By directing our priorities. Till now, we’ve labored on bettering infrastructure; now we are going to concentrate on human capital, promote coaching, implement industrialisation programmes, determine on incentives. The reforms that we’ve undertaken reveal – as confirmed by the World Financial institution– that this motion may lead Madagascar to realize 4 factors extra progress.
As soon as once more, how do you propose to improve the nation and carry it out of maximum poverty?
The thought is that each citizen ought to be helpful to their household and to their nation. To do that, as chief, the programme that I’ll put into motion is the industrialisation of the nation to create jobs. There can be incentives…
What is going to the industrialisation you point out seem like, in a rustic the place 80% of households stay from agriculture?
We’re within the means of structuring every part designated as “inexperienced”, we’re finishing up operations relating to the granting of land to farmers. Now we have distributed as much as 2m land certificates to this point. It will facilitate entry to land. I’d cite the CAJEF (African Council of Younger French-speaking Entrepreneurs) programme that we developed with the World Financial institution; it helps farmers and consists of incentive measures. It’s a milestone: every part that the Malagasy individuals produce ought to be processed in Madagascar itself!
We see your ambition for the nation. Are you able to give us different concrete examples?
You already know, Madagascar is an enormous nation. However our potential, other than pure sources, is above all human capital. The inhabitants is younger; it wants a chief who charts the trail and units the milestones for growth. Increasingly persons are adhering to my imaginative and prescient and my programme. They arrive to satisfy day-after-day: 5,000 individuals per day, from 3 am. Now we have by no means seen a lot help and membership within the nation. They know that I’m patriotic and I like my nation. The individuals have faith in me and help my social mission.
Definitely, however among the many 13 candidates within the working, 11 denounce unequal therapy by the general public authorities and excesses of all types. We additionally observe a reasonably tense environment which dangers tipping into violence. How do you react to all this?
The Malagasy inhabitants has gained lots in political maturity. Those that are candidates in the present day in opposition to me, going through me, are former presidents who’ve already led this nation and proven their limits within the administration of public affairs. Amongst them, there may be an outgoing candidate in 2018, who solely acquired 8% of the votes, the others collected 1%. It’s for all these causes that they’re manoeuvering in order that the elections don’t happen. However I strongly condemn the delaying ways of the opposition, particularly the candidates.
But, they criticise the general public authorities for utilizing means to stop them from finishing up their electoral campaigns and organizing themselves nicely?
We don’t cease them. They’ve the precise in the present day to marketing campaign however they don’t marketing campaign. They need to take to the streets to sow hassle, undermine the electoral course of… They’re afraid of the decision of the poll packing containers.
You might have typically talked about stability as a key issue for governing. In the present day we see in little distance between democracy and autocracy on the planet. The place do you place the bar in your method to stability?
We can not develop a rustic with out peace, stability and above all continuity. In the present day, the opposite candidates are blocking the event of Madagascar. They’re the enemies of the nation. Madagascar now not wants a brand new disaster. The nation wants somebody who can carry individuals and areas collectively, unite the armed forces, somebody who has a patriotic imaginative and prescient and who is able to do every part to get better and develop this nation. Any longer, there is just one man who the individuals know has the capabilities, expertise and expertise, particularly when it comes to disaster administration and administration of this nation. He’s the one the inhabitants will vote for throughout the elections.
An electoral disaster is rising. We observe the rise of tensions.
Now we have by no means seen on the planet former heads of state who’re working for presidential elections who illegally carry individuals into the streets and who don’t take part within the electoral marketing campaign. They’ve permission to marketing campaign in stadiums. However they persist in desirous to take to the streets as a result of they will’t discover many individuals to comply with them. That is what I strongly condemn. Actions that confiscate democracy and the voice of the bulk to specific themselves via elections.
How do you propose to conciliate the nation?
Democracy is the voice of the bulk. Democracy is when the bulk speaks, it’s when the bulk decides. And as they are saying, the voice of the individuals is the voice of God. And I belief the selection of the individuals.
Let’s return to financial questions. On the trail to emergence, how can Madagascar enter a section of industrialisation?
Madagascar should turn out to be the rice granary of the Indian Ocean and Africa. Initially, we are going to help farmers, strengthen the coaching of younger individuals so that every citizen turns into helpful and creates employment, we are going to construct, construct and supply respectable housing to nearly all of populations who want it.
How will you mobilise donors to finance these programmes and tasks with out shedding management of your selections?
What has modified lots with the World Financial institution lately is that we, that’s to say the State, units this system, the imaginative and prescient. For its half, the World Financial institution helps every part that may be a precedence in relation to our selections. For instance, in infrastructure tasks, the WB has an envelope. We propose opening up agricultural areas. That is why it financed the RN44 freeway. In the present day, the value of transporting foodstuffs has decreased and this has allowed farmers to move their produce.
You might have typically criticised donors for meddling within the nation’s inside affairs. Does dialogue between you and your companions usually work?
Concerning the administration of the nation, we’ve a programme – the Madagascar Emergence Plan. It’s structured round 13 factors. Our groups are within the finalisation and continuity phases. With the worldwide group, there are typically misunderstandings in regards to the evaluation of the nationwide political state of affairs. And right here, we strongly name for excellent restraint and respect for nationwide sovereignty.
How do you propose to develop the entrepreneurial spirit within the nation and supply the means for larger financial dynamism?
I discussed the motivation measures taken to encourage home and personal sector invstors in an effort to facilitate their investments and help the financial growth of Madagascar.
By way of diplomacy, you will have proven your closeness to Africa, by travelling there, rather more than your predecessors. How do you propose to strengthen relationships to create synergies?
The African continent ought to now not be seen as an issue continent. It ought to be seen as a continent of options. It is for that reason that we should proceed to strengthen exchanges, cooperation and above all of the unity of all international locations to have the ability to have energy in comparison with different international locations.
Nevertheless, the continent is affected by crises, like within the Sahel… Does this fear you?
What’s presently worrying in regards to the state of affairs in Africa is the instability that reigns via navy coups. I spoke to officers on the African Union and the United Nations about it. I feel we have to take steps to safe democracy or the individuals’s elected representatives. I proposed that the African Union Fee may take a call condemning the navy who take energy by pressure. These troopers ought to be introduced earlier than the Worldwide Legal Court docket. In the present day, it’s inconceivable that those that carried out the navy coups ought to make speeches on the United Nations, acclaimed by their populations, reinforcing instability and inspiring different international locations to do the identical factor. This can be a drawback to be resolved.
Coups may also masks deeper structural issues. In some international locations, there are particular causes for the navy to take energy.
You already know, we by no means clear up issues by pressure; democracy should reign.
For you, Madagascar should take account of the worldwide political scene. We see that the conflict in Ukraine has fractured the world, sharpened geopolitical rivalries between the US, Russia and China specifically. How will you keep away from being drawn into this recreation of rivalries, which brings tensions and conflicts?
Concerning the conflict in Ukraine, our place has all the time been clear. A conflict all the time ends with dialogue, round a desk. Now we have all the time urged stakeholders to discover a answer. We didn’t search this conflict. Our nation, Madagascar, is in keeping with the non-aligned nations on this battle. We’re neither for nor in opposition to. However, we condemn using pressure in opposition to civilians. We condemn using pressure, however Madagascar stays non-aligned.
Africa has turn out to be a discipline of rivalries between the nice powers. Do you concern this growth?
This worries us, in fact.
Between Madagascar and France, have issues calmed down relating to your claims on the Scattered Islands? Have you ever discovered frequent floor?
On this matter, our place is that already adopted by the United Nations. These islands belong to Madagascar. That mentioned, the sovereignty of those islands additionally poses an issue. That is why we created a joint fee to have the ability to discover a answer. So sure, we’re within the means of discovering an enduring answer relating to the Scattered Islands.
Does Madagascar’s geostrategic place lead sure international locations to ask you for the institution of navy bases?
No, and that’s out of the query. It’s not in any respect our goal to create navy bases on our territory. What pursuits us in the present day is financial growth and never navy growth or the creation of navy bases.
Interview performed in Madagascar by Hichem Ben Yaïche, October 20, 2023.
The submit “For the way forward for Madagascar, I’m relying on the youth” appeared first on New African Journal.
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