Madagascar, 2013

It is often

said that things always come in threes. Indeed, this is

the third time that I have had the privilege to address

the Assembly as President of the Transition of the

Republic of Madagascar. Here we are again, convening

as we do every year for the General Assembly. All

the leaders of the planet meet regularly to debate,

exchange views and share their experiences within the

framework of a process of consultations that belongs

to a long collective march towards peace, security and

sustainable planetary development. But each year, new,

ever more violent and more lethal conflicts are waged,

requiring that we respond with equal intensity. Shall

we limit ourselves to simply speaking about conflict

resolution, or shall we to challenge ourselves, analyse

the underlying causes and take the necessary measures

to preserve stability in the world?

As I add my voice to those who have spoken before

me, I warmly congratulate the President on the votes

that he won in support of his candidacy. Madagascar

will endeavour to provide him its sincere support and

cooperation.

Regrettably, over recent decades, when we speak

of Africa, we generally see States that are exposed

to permanent violence and the progressive loss of

democracy, States where wars, conflicts and crises

continually break out and there is more division than

consensus. According to Ambassador Jeremi., who

presided at the sixty-seventh session of the General

Assembly, humankind is facing an existential crisis,

with symptoms such as economic instability, social

inequalities and environmental degradation.

For my part, I would add that humankind may be

losing its forward momentum but that it is not giving

up. Yes, the news delivered by the media every day is

extremely worrying throughout the world. Whether the

country is developed, emerging or poor, no segment of

society escapes deterioration of various kinds, including

poor employment conditions, unemployment, declining

purchasing power, the total absence of any income at

all, lack of access to basic necessities in food, clothing,

health care and education, and, in addition, poverty,

deprivation and indigence. Those are all factors that

are the nurturing ground for intolerance, confrontation

and conflict, thereby helping to give rise to global

insecurity. I refer here particularly to recent events in

Kenya, Iraq, Pakistan and Syria, to name just a few. We

fully share in the pain and sorrow of the families of the

victims.

Some 800 days from the deadline of 2015, like

most African States and many developing countries,

Madagascar is finding it difficult to attain all the

Millennium Development Goals, despite the efforts

everyone has made. Given that situation, I have to

wonder what sort of contribution we, the leaders of our

nations, can make individually to that collective effort,

with a view to finding ways of improving the daily lives

of those who have put their trust in us and placed their

destiny in our hands.

In his statement yesterday (see A/68/PV.5),

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed the fact that,

in streets and squares across the world, people are

pressing those in power. They want world leaders to

listen. They want to know that we are doing everything

we can to secure a life of dignity for all. The popular

unrest in the context of the Arab Spring and the

movements of the outraged exemplify this observation

and reflect a legitimate aspiration. I fully support the

Secretary-General’s remarks and call upon all of us to

ensure that we clearly understand the demands of the

demonstrators.

Madagascar would also have wished to benefit

from such understanding when the Malagasy people

rose up against an unpopular regime to demand a better

life through the establishment of genuine change. But

that was not the case. On the contrary, Madagascar

encountered misunderstanding and the inflexibility of

an international community operating at various speeds,

not to mention the application of dogmatic texts, even

though popular uprisings elsewhere, in very similar

circumstances, had been viewed sympathetically and

with concern.

Efforts must therefore now be made to end the

unequal treatment of countries in crisis. We must

become aware of popular aspirations and realities on

the ground so as not to take the wrong decision. If it

is valid elsewhere, surely it is also valid in the case of

Madagascar?

All the conditions were in place in Madagascar.

The danger of a social explosion and a fratricidal

conflict was omnipresent, but fortunately — unlike

some countries that continue to experience unrest and

even armed violence, and despite all the economic

and social restrictions and the absence of support and

assistance from the international community from

which Madagascar has suffered in recent years — the

people of Madagascar did not fall into the trap of internal

conflict, which some would have taken advantage of.

It is with great national pride that I announce

from this rostrum that Madagascar was able to avoid

civil war. That required considerable sacrifice, self-

denial and humility, but we came through thanks

to our patriotism. I reiterate the fact that despite our

disagreements and our different points of view, we have

reached a settlement of our conflict using all available

negotiation methods. I would like to solemnly thank the

Malagasy people, who are a peaceful people and aspire

to peace and whose courage and patience have been

unmatched in the peaceful settlement of our political

crisis.

The Malagasy people deserve a better future.

Citizens will be able to freely express their choices

on their future leader through the ballot box at the

upcoming presidential elections, scheduled to take

place on 25 October this year, for which the electoral

campaign began yesterday.

Madagascar is now starting a new phase in its

history. I would like to warmly thank all those who,

throughout the process of Madagascar’s emergence

from its crisis, supported and assisted us during the

transition period, in particular, the Southern African

Development Community (SADC), the various

presidents of the SADC Troika, the African Union, the

European Union, the United Nations, the Organization

of Islamic Cooperation, the International Organization

of la Francophonie, and all friendly countries without

exception, without forgetting those who have already

demonstrated their willingness to provide international

observers for the elections. At the same time, I would

like to renew my appeal to the entire General Assembly

to join the ranks of our partners.

We are at a crossroads. The people expect specific

and tangible results. The question is, do we have the

courage and the wisdom to sacrifice ourselves for the

well-being of our people and to avoid conflict and civil

war, so that innocent people do not lose their lives, so

that those who are in power no longer use weapons and

so that no one resorts to violence?

As a leader, I realize that the exercise of power

requires an awareness of our humanity and our

fallibility. That is the message that Madagascar would

like convey as its contribution to this general debate

today. The world is changing very quickly, a new

generation is rising to replace the old one, and leaders

have the duty to meet the expectations of our people

and to find a solution to ensure their well-being.

In my case, I did everything I could to overcome

the political crisis in Madagascar and maintain national

unity and the best interests of the Malagasy people.

I also decided that I will not be a candidate in the

upcoming presidential elections. It is on that note, and

with the well-known words of American theologian

and writer James Freeman Clarke, that I would like to

conclude: “A politician thinks of the next election. A

statesman, of the next generation.”