Rédaction Africa Links 24 with lexpress
Published on 2024-03-02 02:50:00
The new special delegate of Antananarivo will officially take office at the beginning of next week.
The new President of the special delegation of the urban commune of Antananarivo was presented yesterday. This is Richard Barjohn Ramanambitana, formerly a senator in Madagascar.
The providential man. In politics, this refers to a person who appears or is sent to the front line in times of crisis. Someone who is seen or presented as the one who will successfully carry out a perilous mission.
With this label of providential man, Richard Barjohn Ramanambitana, yesterday still a senator of Madagascar, takes the reins of the urban commune of Antananarivo (CUA). His appointment as President of the special delegation (PDS) of the capital was officially announced yesterday evening at the Ministry of the Interior in Anosy. With the challenges he will have to face and the political stakes of his new position, the now former member of the upper house will not have the right to make mistakes.
“I will dedicate myself body and soul to the management of Antananarivo, its beautification, and the well-being of its residents,” are the first words of the new PDS of the city of a thousand. This is the bare minimum facing the multidimensional challenges that Antananarivo represents. He will have to go above and beyond to restore the reputation of the capital in the few months before the next municipal elections. Especially since Richard Barjohn Ramanambitana sets the bar very high.
“Antananarivo as a showcase of Madagascar, as a model city in Africa,” is the ambition declared by the new head of the CUA. The graduate in economics will have to deploy all his skills. Putting into practice the leadership theories he teaches to his students in a private higher institute will also be an asset. Former director of relations with institutions in the CUA, before his appointment to the Senate, Richard Barjohn Ramanambitana claims to be well-versed in municipal affairs.
Technical and political
The fact that he is a former member of the house is one of the reasons that led to the choice of Richard Barjohn Ramanambitana to take charge of the CUA. A point noted by Naina Andriantsitohaina, former mayor of the capital and current Minister of Spatial Planning and Decentralization, who attended his presentation yesterday. In principle, being familiar with the files, ongoing projects, and issues, he should be immediately operational.
The work needed to make Antananarivo the “showcase” of a prosperous and modern Madagascar is known, seen, and “felt” by all. The urgent task for the new PDS is sanitation in all its aspects. The collection of garbage, cleaning the streets, alleys, and corridors, dredging drainage canals. There is also sanitation and the fight against anarchy in municipal markets, combating illegal constructions and landfills.
This sanitation must also happen in people’s minds. The chaos in the capital is also due to widespread incivility and indiscipline that reign there. In 2024, Independence Avenue, where the city hall of Antananarivo stands, still serves as an open-air urinal, day and night, without any authority reacting. Another urgent issue is road repairs. The potholes littering the road resemble minefields.
There is also a problem with water supply in several neighborhoods of the city. Even the Military Hospital (HOMI) is not spared. The resurgence of insecurity is also a concern. In short, it is a capital city in a chaotic situation that Richard Barjohn Ramanambitana is now in charge of. The performance clause that accompanies his appointment also has a political significance.
The modification made to the law on the resources of decentralized territorial communities (CTD) and the election modalities provides that, from now on, PDS can be candidates in municipal elections. The possibility that Richard Barjohn Ramanambitana will be the flagbearer of the ruling power in the race for the mayor of Antananarivo is something to consider. His loyalty to Andry Rajoelina, the President of the Republic, is also another criterion that weighed in his favor, according to explanations.
His performance could thus be crucial for the future of the political career of the new PDS of the capital. Especially since the game is far from being played in advance. Well placed to say so, former mayor Andriantsitohaina highlighted yesterday that the residents of Antananarivo are known to be rebellious. For issues like sanitation and road repairs, the solution is simple but missing. It is a matter of having sufficient financial means and adequate logistical equipment.
In a brief speech yesterday, Minister Naina Andriantsitohaina indicated that the case of Antananarivo is a priority for his department. He promised his support and that of the state to the one who succeeds him at the helm of the capital. “The choice of the new PDS meets both the technical and political criteria of the position,” said a knowledgeable source. Unconditional support from the state will be essential for him to succeed in his mission.
Read the original article(French) on lexpress.mg
