FRIGHTENED LITTLE MEN, SCARED OF THEIR OWN SHADOWS – Fred M’membe

FRIGHTENED LITTLE MEN, SCARED OF THEIR OWN SHADOWS

I listened to the charges of Information Minister Mr Cornelius Mweetwa against me that I am celebrating  the removal of the government in Madagascar.
What is troubling Mr Mweetwa about the removal of a government in Madagascar?
Clearly, these are frightened little men scared of their own shadows. They say the guilt are afraid. Bob Marley would say,
‘Who the cap fit, let them wear it.”
The chronology of what happened in Madagascar is not a secret.

Hundreds of angry protesters, led by a young movement called “Gen Z Madagascar,” began taking to the streets of the capital Antananarivo on September 25, with protests over the weekend recording the largest number of demonstrators in the three weeks of unrest.

What began as anger about persistent water and power cuts that leave businesses and homes without electricity or running water for more than 12 hours quickly escalated into frustrations with general governance.

Protesters decried widespread poverty, high costs of living, and state corruption that they say has seen business elites benefit from close contacts in government. Demonstrators began calling for the end of Andry Rajoelina’s 15-year-old government and for a “free, egalitarian, and united society”.

Although Rajoelina sacked his prime minister and attempted a government reshuffle, protesters were not satisfied, culminating in the army”s elite unit, CAPSAT,  backing protesters on Saturday in what the president called an “attempt to seize power”. The unit, in a statement, said it refused “orders to shoot” demonstrators.

Angry demonstrators blocked roads with burning tyres and rocks and reportedly attacked public buildings, transport infrastructure, and private shops. In response, security officials responded with “violent force”. At least 22 people have died, and dozens of others are injured.

Rajoelina ignored calls for his resignation and accused protesters, calling for his exit of wanting to “destroy our country.” His attempts to quell the anger by dissolving the government and appointing army General Ruphin Fortunat Zafisambo as the new prime minister on October 6, as well as inviting protesters for talks, were rejected by the demonstrators, who accused the government of ruling “with weapons”.

Who led the protests?
Young protesters, led by the “Gen Z Madagascar” group, started the demonstrations in late September, following similar youth-led uprisings witnessed in the past year in countries like Nepal, Morocco, Kenya, and Bangladesh.In Madagascar, protesters said they were demanding an end to 16 years of “inaction” by Rajoelina’s government and promised that they would not be silenced.

“They didn’t want to hear us in the streets,” a statement on the Gen Z Madagascar website reads. “Today, thanks to digital technology and the voice of Generation Z, we will make our voices heard at the table of power on the opposition side. To put an end to 16 years of inaction, let’s demand transparency, accountability, and deep reforms.”

The movement highlighted three demands from the government: the immediate resignation of Rajoelina and his government, the dismantling of the Senate, the electoral commission, and the constitutional court, as well as the prosecution of “the businessman close to the president”, referring to Rajoelina’s adviser and businessman, Maminiaina Ravatomanga.

It warned Rajoelina would be dragged to the International Court of Human Rights on various charges ranging from repression to embezzlement if the demands were not met.
Opposition parties initiated the impeachment vote on the basis that Rajoelina had “abandoned” his post.

The country’s high court confirmed CAPSAT head Colonel Michael Randrianirina as Madagascar’s leader on Tuesday evening.
Very briefly, this is what happened in Madagascar. This is what I am being given the honour of supporting by Mr Mweetwa!
It’s very important for our leaders and our people to fully understand what happened in Madagascar and draw the right conclusions instead of being scared and burying their heads in the sand in the Ostrich style and fashion.

It may sound negative, but I have always thought it as positive to say that the important thing about democracy is that people can remove without bloodshed the people who govern them. The right of citizens to remove a government is known as the right of revolution or right of rebellion, a political philosophy that asserts a people’s right to alter or abolish a government that becomes destructive of their common interests. This right can be exercised through both peaceful means, such as elections or civil disobedience, and through armed struggle in extreme circumstances. In parliamentary democracies, governments can also be removed through a “vote of no confidence” by the legislature.

In democratic systems, citizens can remove a government by voting for a new one.
They can also remove a government by civil disobedience – a  tactic used by civil rights movements, this involves nonviolent methods to achieve political change. In parliamentary systems, the legislature can remove a government through a vote of no confidence.

Citizens can advocate for changes to the constitution to fundamentally alter or disband the current government. Philosophers and revolutionaries have justified violent methods and rebellion in situations where a government is seen as tyrannical and unresponsive to the people’s needs. In some cases, the right to resist has been exercised through armed rebellion against a government or foreign occupation.

The American Declaration of Independence states that people have the right to “alter or to abolish” a government that becomes destructive of their unalienable rights. This right is often seen as a last resort, to be used only when a government has a “long history of abuses and usurpations.”

As a lawyer, Mr Mweetwa should understand this better and not be so eager to exhibit such crass ignorance and uncouthness.

Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso