AFP is reporting that the current President of Madagascar, who was put into position by a military-sponsored coup, has fired the Prime Minister of the country, giving more uncertainty to Madagascar’s political future. There seems to be many talks between the opposition and the current ruling coalition, but the political trend seems to be signaling that there would not be any significant unified government any time soon.
The uncertain political future of Madagascar is bringing more economic pain to its citizen than the previous regime’s unsuccessful attempts to revitalize the country’s economy. The current ruling party has claimed that the previous regime was corrupt and served only the higher class. Granted, the policies implemented by the previous regime might have given immediate benefits to the rich, but the opponents to those policies do not have a viable plan in terms of turning the country around and keeping Madagascar competitive in the international business community.
Currently, the political developments are a distraction to the country. They are used as the means in future justifying the newly established political elites’ power, while the rest of the country is struggling against the government’s incompetence in providing meaningful long-term change to the country’s economy.
That is right. I acknowledge that the current regime might have implemented certain policies that might have brought immediate positive outcome to the citizens, but to be competitive in the international economy, the government of Madagascar needs to implement a series of policies that will bring long-term benefits to the country. Unfortunately, there are significant political risks in doing so, because the changes are not immediate, and I doubt that the current government is interested in such policies for now.
It also should be noted that as long as a unified government is not established with some type of legitimacy, foreign government’s refusal in recognizing the current Madagascar’s government will continue, and it will in turn prevent foreign investments from coming into the country. Madagascar needs to get a grip and move beyond the current political gridlock.
