Madagascar: Rajoelina challenges mayors of Toamasina I and II

The state of the city of Toamasina concerns the President of the Republic, who is visiting the Grand Port since Thursday. Just like in Antananarivo, he has put pressure on the two mayors of Toamasina I and II to be active in sanitation.

Direct. Andry Rajoelina, President of the Republic, did not beat around the bush. Publicly and in a clear voice, he addressed the mayor of the urban commune of Toamasina and the mayor of the suburban commune of Toamasina on the issue of sanitation. These two municipalities are commonly referred to as Toamasina I and Toamasina II.

“On the sanitation of the city. I am talking to you, the two mayors, clean up the city. The population does not deserve to live in such unsanitary conditions,” declared the resident of Iavoloha, in his speech during a ceremony at the Tanandava Public Primary School (EPP) in the suburban commune of Toamasina on Saturday. Just like in Antananarivo, Nantenaina Herilala Rakotonirina, mayor of the urban commune of Toamasina, and Charles Barisaonina, mayor of the suburban commune of Toamasina, are directly under presidential pressure.

As he suggests, the attempts to cover up the state of disrepair of the capital of the Atsinanana region did not escape the President of the Republic. In fact, it seems that the authorities have taken care to keep the presidential convoy away from the potholed streets, as well as from the neighborhoods and streets that are immersed in stagnant water and the smell of garbage.

In the afternoon on Saturday, as part of a “discreet visit,” the President of the Republic took the time to see the construction work on the fast lane connecting the port to National Road Number 2 (RN2), to tour the city. “The concern is that when I visit the city, everything is in order, everything seems clean, the different authorities are active. But once I leave, the city becomes unsanitary again, the authorities fall into lethargy. This is unacceptable. The work, the efforts must be sustained,” Andry Rajoelina emphasized.

If the unsanitary conditions and disorder in Antananarivo are making headlines, the city of the Grand Port has nothing to envy the capital in this area. After overcoming the obstacle course that is the RN2, the first thing that strikes you is the chaos in the streets of the capital of the Atsinanana region. Cycle-rickshaws and Tuk-Tuks rule the roads, disregarding basic traffic rules. Add to that the street vendors who flood the sidewalks and boldly invade the streets.

Special Council of Ministers

Most of the streets of the city of Toamasina resemble minefields or are flooded. The greenish or black color of the stagnant water and the smell suggest that it has been there for weeks. The frequent showers that regularly hit the city further complicate the situation. Not to mention the blocked or nonexistent drainage channels.

The nauseating smell that permeates several neighborhoods is the icing on the cake. A suffocating “combo” of the smell of stagnant water and the smell of accumulating garbage. The exception offered by the Grand Port avenue is overshadowed by the unsanitary conditions on the back side of the imposing city hall. In short, the officials have their work cut out for them. Mayors Rakotonirina and Barisaonina are at odds due to the proximity and interdependence of the CUT and the suburban commune of Toamasina.

The two localities are interdependent in terms of revenue, for example, for the fees and taxes involved in the port’s presence. The same goes for the infrastructure. The boundaries of the two localities overlap in some neighborhoods. According to the President’s speech on Saturday, however, the state intends to support the officials of the communes of Toamasina I and II in the sanitation and recovery operation in the two municipalities.

In this context, Andry Rajoelina announces the holding of a Council of Ministers in the capital of the Atsinanana region, in April. How to support the recovery and development of Toamasina I and II will be the main topic of this decentralized meeting of the Executive, according to the presidential explanations. He mentions a sum of 8 million dollars that is already ready to be immediately invested for this purpose.

“This is why we are going to hold this special meeting. To see how to use wisely these 8 million dollars,” indicates the head of the state. According to his explanations, this amount is the remaining part of a “special grant” allocated by the Ambatovy project, following a plea he made during the Transition period.

Garry Fabrice Ranaivoson