The chronicles of Ragidro: the “Asa fa tsy Kabary”, translation of a “Shut up and bump” – Madagascar-Tribune.com

“ASA FA TSY KABARY! » … « At work, enough of palaver … » stated a Malagasy president. The formula is perhaps less innocuous than we heard it, which wanted the Malagasy people to stop talking in order to act. This wanted to state the desire for the country to enter into a form of modernity… However, it reflects a wish to break with an essential element of the gasy culture… And a wish to abandon our traditional practices.

The alienation of an electoral system modeled on the model of the colonizer that we have previously mentioned seems however well linked to this famous “asa fa tsy kabary”… We have stopped “talking” to prefer “doing”, “acting” rather than to “debate”… But here, we may not have “talked” enough to hear and listen to those who should be heard in the definition of our political system…heard from the bottom of the ladder…in our the most traditional components… To take refuge in the simplest solution, copied and then disguised on an existing one that is nevertheless improbably applicable…

And we are surprised today by the ungovernability of the country… 31% participation rate .. Where is the representativeness? … Where is the legitimacy? And some then cynically invoke an alleged lack of culture of citizens incapable of making choices… Well, then… Aren’t the role and responsibility of REAL politics education, information for citizens and activists?

… How can the politician who is (MOSTLY) not concerned with his legitimacy and (MOSTLY NOT) his representativeness declare “my people, I love you…” and be so contemptuous of this people by refusing to give them ALL the means to choose IN FULL CONSCIOUSNESS and IN FULL FREEDOM and in full knowledge of the facts what (the project and the program) this people can be led towards… And by whom… And with what capacities of achievement.

An essential background work of information, civic education, mobilization of citizens on the basis of proposed visions, programs is however essential…. It is not perceptible here… No structuring of the political discourse… No contradictory debates… In a country with a people whose social contract is based on the fihavanana who do not accept the rule of majority election… which rule contravenes too much for its ideal of concord and unanimity… In a country where the traditional and local authorities are still so strong and assert themselves in opposition to the central power… It is absurd… And “a bit much” missed.

The political parties seem to be concerned only with games of alliances or power games without anyone being able to judge the project they would like to propose to the country… Since the initiatives of Herizo, when will we have any of their Apart from the elements of language that will reflect visions that will take into account and safeguard the general interests and the commons? When will we have on their part the statement of values ​​which will propose a course to follow and which will say how to arbitrate decisions in uncertainty. If I SINCERELY fix, for example, in absolute value of my project “the fight against inequalities” I know how to found a programmatic socio-political line. How can the collective interest take precedence over the personal interest if one does not have a compass that firmly sets benchmarks?

In this beautiful country where there is everything to do, it is not difficult to set a development program. Just ask the technicians… And there are… It’s very nice the Velirano and the PEM….. But the MAP of Ra8 had done at least as well… And the Madagascar vision 2030 ditto… and the National Plan of development and Fisandratana 2030 idem … Politicians, that’s enough of the promises and the expensive plans to formalize which redundant work and conclusions 10 times established and whose outcome we do not see … make us dream with values ​​that can resemble us and give us hope again… Values ​​on which you will be able to base your programs. Otherwise, shut up, YOU… Or get to work instead of wasting the people’s time. To you, we will say “acta, non verba” if the verba is only used to try to manipulate the masses with manara penitra and easy demagogic announcements which are only communication.

We will not solve the country’s problems simply by setting up tools. This is a very Western vision that states that democracy needs strong institutions. They are essential, yes… But sufficient, no. We are thus concerned today with the establishment of a new electoral system that can break the cycle of manipulated and biased elections. We dream of a formula that can break the curse of the country’s instability. It is obviously necessary. But when we can largely deplore the fact that the law on the status of the opposition is not applied (which could have characterized an identification of the opposition and offered it a legal framework and a real framework for expression), if there is no negotiated construction of speeches and visions ☹… what will it be used for?

There is a saying: there are no bad tools, there are bad craftsmen. We won’t solve things by changing the hammer. You have to know what you want to hit and where to drive the nails. And it must be said. It is the beautiful role of the Politician with a capital “P”… And not with a capital “p..t”. Resaka etotra, say the Malagasy.

As for the Asa fa tsy Kabary proposed to the people… If we interpret it as “shut up and work”… ☹ We are not doing better in terms of demobilization. This may be the great flaw in the relationship of some to the Malagasy people.

So let’s go back to the Kabary.

Patrick Rakotomalala (Lalatiana PitchBoule) – August 27, 2022