Madagascar Coup

Madagascar Mayor

Declares Himself

President

In Civilian Uprising

To Oust "Corrupt Regime"

Sunday (February 1,2009)

"Since the president

and the government

have not taken their responsibilities,

I proclaim I will now rule

Madagascar and set up

the transitional government,"

says Antanarivo Mayor

Andry Rajoelina

before 3,000-strong crowd

at Avenue de la Liberation

The coup by the mayor

culminates riots and looting

at Madagascar's capital,

Antanarivo,

leaving 83 dead and 300 injured

Madagascar,

slightly bigger

than France,

is a former French colony

with 20 million people,

most earning less than $1 a day

after gaining full independence

on June 26,1960

It is world's fourth largest

island after Greenland,

New Guinea and Borneo

It lies in Indian Ocean

off southeastern coast

of Africa

Famous for

unique biodiversity,

Madagascar is home

to 800 butterflies species

300 frogs species

75 chameleon species

40 lemur species

and fauna and flora

found nowhere else

It hosts three Unesco Heritage

sites ~ Royal Hills of Ambohimang,

Rainforests of the Atsinanana

and Tsingy de Bamaraha Nature Reserve

Political unrests

erupted last Monday

(January 26,2009)

after the government

shut down Rajoelina's

private radio station

Antisiva

Rajoelina,34

a former disc jockey

known for his good looks,

leads Ready Young Malagasie

party.

He accuses president 

Marc Ravalomanana

of being a dictator

caring nothing

for the people

As opposition chief

he has mobilized

his supporters

dressed in orange

in street protests

to topple the government

like

Ukraine's 2004

pro-democracy

Orange Revolution

and

Thailand's

Yellow Revolution

The protests

turned into riots

and orgy of violence

and looting as

the government

broadcasting complex.

oil depot,

shopping mall, 

Tiko warehouses

and private television station

owned by the president

were set ablazed 

The vocal mayor claims

Ravalomanana,59,

homemade yogurt peddler

who rose to great riches

via Tiko agro-foods company,

has betrayed the public trust

committing corruption,

abuse of power and curbs

on civil liberties like

freedom of speech and expression

The mayor calls upon

the president to resign

urging the military, police

and civil service to answer

to him

He won mayor post

in december 2007

with 63 percent of popular

vote ~ a rare embarassing

defeat for Ravalomanana's

I Love Madagascar party

Ravalomanana

president since his election

in 2001

has ignored

the power grab

"It's up to

the minister of justice

and the high court

to deal with this,"

he stresses,

after meeting 

several ministers

"we have to obey the law

in Madagascar,"he adds

Ravalomanana,

head of I Love Madagascar party,

states he is still in charge

urging the mayor

"to respect the law"

UN secretary-general

Ban Ki-moon has called

on both political rivals

to settle their differences

amicably

African Union Commission

chairman Jean Ping warns

the coup leaders "it's totally 

forbidden to take power by

unconstitutional means"

Academy Award-winning

film,Madagascar,

created by Hollywood producer

icon Steven Spielberg's Dreamworks

Animation has created

worldwide awareness

of the island state

in recent times

Madagascar was first

inhabited by Austronesian

(Southeast Asia/Pacific)

islanders 1,500-2,000 years ago

Malagasy people's DNA

shows half Astronesian

and half East African descent

with some Arab,Indian and 

European influence along the

coast

Malagasy language

is of Malayo-Polynesian origin

It shares 90 percent basic

vocabulary with Maanyan 

language of River Barito region

in southern Borneo

Madagascar's sources

of growth are tourism,

textile,light industries,

agricultural exports

and mining

Mineral giant Rio Tinto

has 80 percent stake

in ilmenite (titanium dioxide)

project at Fort-Dauphin region ~

the biggest single investment

in Madagascar

South Korean giant Daewon

deal in lease of huge 5,000 sq.miles

of the island is aired 

as Ravalomanana's "national treason"

The government's purchase of

$60 million presidential jet is 

an example of its excesses

Sources: CNN,Voice of America, Huffington Post, 

New York Times, Mail & Guardian,Nashua Telegraph,

Daily News,allAfrica.com,AFP,IRIN News,International

Herald Tribune,Yahoo!News,Reuters,Wikipedia,

Encyclopaedia Britannica