‘We are the last hope’: Gen Z Madagascar vows to fight on until president resigns | Madagascar
The young protesters in Madagascar said that they would continue their struggle for the resignation of President Andry Rajoelina and rejected the disintegration of the government on Monday.
Twenty -two people were killed and 100 injured in the demonstrations. UN. Digestion erupted on September 25 for protesting the local council members against water and power outages in the capital Antanarivo. The protests led by youth spread rapidly to other towns and cities supported by the Gen Z protests in Indonesia and Nepal, where the government overthrew.
Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world with an annual average income last year. World bank. Indian Ocean Island, which has a population of 32 million, was 140 out of 180 countries in 2024, transparency. Corruption Perceptions Index.
Activists, a part of Gen Z Madagascar, a leading group, demand the resignation of the president; Termination of parliament; The replacement of the judges of the Constitutional Court and the election commission members and the root of corruption stems from the President and Businessmen close to him.
“When the government decided to solve it, we felt like a small victory, but we will not stop there… We really want the system to change radically because it is the system that maintains corruption and maintains the oppression of the poorest people in the country.”
“After what happened in Nepal, young people really believe that their voices can be really strong… And they really believe that we can change things. We don’t have to accept the status quo and we can define our future. We don’t have to be sacrificed by this mediocre government.”
In a speech explaining that the government had been terminated on Monday, Rajoelina, who came to power in a coup in 2009 after the street protests against its predecessor Marc Ravalomanana, said, uz We accept and apologize to the members of the government.
“I understand the anger, sorrow and difficulties caused by power cuts and water supply problems. I heard the call, I felt pain, I understood the effect on daily life.” He added that he wanted to create space for dialogue with young people.
The 26 -year -old activist said that the group would only have interviews if they are only public and completely transparent. Some of the protesters completely rejected the negotiations, saying that the president was insincere and trying to divide his movements.
An 18 -year -old protester, who finished secondary school this year and helps to manage the social media accounts of Gen Z Madagascar, said, ıyla literally a mafia, ”he said. “Frankly they will try to talk to us, but it will never be our interests.”
Gen Z Madagascar said that members learned from young protesters in Asia. The Nepal movement joined Discord’s servers and adapted a flag with a cartoon skull and cross bones from the Japanese anime series Flying in Indonesia, Nepal and the Philippines. Instead of the original straw hat, the skull is SATROKA Madagascar’s Bucket Hat from Betsileo Ethnic Group.
Similar Gene Z protests have been exacerbated in Morocco since weekend, and two people have been killed by security forces near Agadir on Wednesday.
Madagascar officials accused the protesters of looting. The president’s spokesman Lova Hasinirina Ranoromaro said on a Facebook. post On Wednesday: “We lost our business. Our property was destroyed. Our homes raided… We don’t want a coup.” Ranoromaro did not respond to comments.
Malagasaya activists refused to be responsible for the looting of young people and said they set a cleaning day on September 26th. They added that they were determined to remain “constitutional ve and to avoid the repetition of the 2009 coup.
Young people said they were aware of and that they often fear the risks they take and that some citizens started to hide. However, they said that they were determined to continue until the full reform of Madagascar’s politics was met.
“If I stop now, who’s going to stand up again? If I don’t, who will do it? If not now, then when?” 25 -year -old Gen Z Madagascar helped to run the social media. “15 years have passed when this regime brought people to their knees, and we are standing up now. So we are the last hope of this generation.”
