Rédaction Africa Links 24 with lexpress
Published on 2024-03-05 02:50:00
First handshake in public between the President of the Republic and the new PDS of Antananarivo.
From the start, the President of the Republic imposes a result obligation on the President of the special delegation of Antananarivo. The new boss of the capital has ten days to clean up the city from garbage littering the streets.
There is no excuse. These are the words of Andry Rajoelina, President of the Republic, regarding the issues plaguing the city of Antananarivo, particularly on sanitation. Cleaning up the city is thus the first mission he expressly assigns to the new President of the Special Delegation of Antananarivo (PDS).
President Rajoelina thus gives “a week, ten days at most” to Richard Ramanambitana, PDS of Antananarivo, for the removal of garbage and cleaning of the city. The countdown started yesterday. An official reception ceremony for new rolling stock for the Municipal Cleansing Company (SMA), an entity attached to the urban commune of Antananarivo (CUA), took place yesterday, in the afternoon, in Nanisana.
Through its International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Japanese government has donated thirty-two multi-bin trucks, eight bins, a bulldozer, and two excavators. These new equipments “triple the capacity of the SMA to collect garbage,” affirms the head of state, who nevertheless notes that the garbage collectors of Antananarivo must collect 1,100 tons of garbage daily.
The inhabitant of Iavoloha acknowledges that the capital faces many problems, explaining that the city was designed for three hundred thousand inhabitants. “Currently, it has over three million inhabitants. Also, when it rains, the water rises. When the harvest is abundant, the garbage accumulates,” he concedes. However, Andry Rajoelina is clear, “whatever the case, as an elected official or person designated to a position of responsibility, our role is to provide solutions to problems.”
Thus, the first words publicly addressed by the head of state to the new city boss sound like a presidential injunction. Yesterday’s ceremony is the first public appearance where the President of the Republic and the PDS of Antananarivo were together since the latter’s appointment. Regarding garbage collection, “there is no excuse,” he emphasizes, adding, “as it is our responsibility to clean up the city and provide solutions for the city’s sanitation.”
An active support
In addition to the garbage collection in ten days, Andry Rajoelina also instructs the PDS of Antananarivo to establish “before the end of the year” an incineration and waste recycling plant. The President assures, however, that there is already an action plan and a budget earmarked for this purpose.
In addition to the significance of yesterday’s event in the relations between Madagascar and Japan, the presence of the inhabitant of Iavoloha also has a political dimension. If the mayor is elected, the PDS, on the other hand, is appointed by an order from the Ministry of the Interior. His appointment is thus at the discretion of the Executive. Behind the scenes, those in power acknowledge that the appointment of Richard Ramanambitana, at the helm of the city of the thousands, also has electoral implications.
In parallel with the legislative elections on May 29, political leaders are already looking ahead to the municipal elections scheduled for November, unless changed. As noted by Andry Rajoelina, Antananarivo is not just a city, “it is the capital and the showcase of Madagascar.” The contemporary history of the Great Island shows that winning the mayorship of the city of a thousand has significant political and symbolic implications, just as winning at least half of the twelve seats of deputies planned for its six districts.
For those in power, winning in Antananarivo is a confirmation of its popular and political base. Conversely, losing in the capital is a bad sign to be taken seriously. In the chaotic conditions in which the city of a thousand finds itself, more than politics, the end-of-term assessment of the outgoing municipal administration will be worth its weight in gold. This would explain why the President of the Republic himself put pressure on PDS Ramanambitana in person.
In addition to having no excuse, the new strongman of the capital then has no room for error and has a result obligation. Based on the statement of the inhabitant of Iavoloha yesterday, he intends to actively engage and “lend a hand” to the leaders of Antananarivo to straighten out and develop the city, but also to support its inhabitants, especially the most underprivileged.
Read the original article(French) on lexpress.mg
