RFI

Madagascar: A tribute to former President Didier Ratsiraka before his burial

La Grande le paid tribute to its former boss, Didier Ratsiraka, before he was buried at the Mausoleum of Antananarivo. The funeral caravan of the former president stopped at the end of the morning at the State Palace in Javuloha, a palace he had built in 1975. An official ceremony, with the current head of state, Didier Ratsiraka’s family and their relatives, members of his AREMA party and the diplomatic corps took place in the Cour d’Honneur of the palace. With our correspondent in Antananarivo, Laetitia Pizin, the ceremony ended at the end of the morning, then the funeral caravan of the former president passed through the various neighborhoods of the capital to allow Madagascar, who had gone out on the street, to welcome and pay. A final tribute to Admiral Didier Ratsiraka, and the military tribute was held in the courtyard of the State Palace. In the center, a large portrait of the former president and his coffin covered with a white-red-green Madagascar flag. On the one hand, the various bodies of the armed forces. On the other hand, the heads of institutions, his family, or members of his party, AREMA. The military ceremonies are presided over by Vice Admiral Antoine de Badoe Ranafucino, Secretary General of the Ministry of National Defense: “Admiral Didier Ratsiraka has always protected the country. He was different because he was exceptionally methodical in carrying out his duties. This is what we felt before his retirement from the Marines of Madagascar. Admiral Didier Ratsiraka. , In these dark hours, the corpses of the armed forces in mourning. We lost a valuable man. Your friends say goodbye to you one last time. Goodbye my elder brother. Rest in peace. Greetings from President Andrei Rajoelina After a religious cult, the head of state, Andre Rajoelina, was he Who spoke and praised the former president’s struggle to return the scattered islands administered by France: “He was a leader with plans, ideologies and a lot of courage to implement them. He is also the first president who dared to claim the Madagascar Islands and there was a United Nations resolution. He told me one day that he fought alone and that he felt like a tree without a forest. He said it wasn’t easy, but we have to keep going. This is his message. We can count on the fingers of one hand, the leaders who truly love their country and who like it dedicate themselves to it. “Andrei Rajoelina also returned to the 21 years in power of the former head of state and in particular his commitment to education, with the construction of public elementary schools, in every district, and middle and high schools in all districts. Didier Ratsiraka was told by his relatives that it was then Elysee Ratsiraka, brother of Didier. Ratsiraka, who brought back memories of the childhood and youth of the former president, returned to the youth of the former colonial president: “Didier love to tell what he lived and share it with you, because we bid him farewell today. When he started studying at St. Michael’s College, for the people of Madagascar, it was only tea and dry bread for breakfast. He told his companions, “This is unacceptable, we are also paying. We will show that we do not agree.” When it was time to serve breakfast, they entered the table, and when the manager arrived, he said: “This difference in treatment is not normal.” The next day, everyone received the same treatment. He told me, “At that time I started to be a leader.” A close collaborator and one of the leaders of the AREMA party, Professor Ange Andrianareswa described him as an intellectual and builder: “President Ratsiraka is the first to show the path of national solidarity, especially through infrastructure. Wherever we are in Madagascar, we see action. What he did: elementary schools in every neighborhood, colleges in every municipality, secondary schools in every district, and university centers in every district. Then the funeral caravan transported the former president to his final resting place, the Ambohitsina shrine, in the center of the capital. He built it for Malagasy patriotic fighters who lost their lives. During the March 29, 1947 rebellion against former French colonialists. ► Also read: National mourning in Madagascar after the death of former President Didier Ratsiraka