The restoration work on the Rovan’Antananarivo continues to fuel controversy, due to a lack of transparency in the management of funds and in calls for tender. Explanations from the government came only after questions had been raised on social networks. Added to this are questions about the situation at the Masoandro amphitheatre.
Among the issues to be clarified is the situation regarding the sum of 8,378,140,000 ariary, or just over 2 million euros, earmarked for the museography of the Rova. The contract was awarded to Présence France, based in La Madeleine, France. The invoice for this service was drawn up in November 2019, while the general public was only made aware of the project in June 2020, when the document was leaked on social networks. According to the document, the assignment is scheduled to last 180 days, starting in November 2019. The call for tenders related to this mission is not clearly traced, nor made available to citizens in accordance with the principle of good governance yet reiterated by President Rajoelina, who has moreover declared that the financing of this restoration work on the Rovan’Antananarivo comes from Malagasy funds. Clarification from the Ministry of Culture and Communication (MCC) only came after the invoice was circulated on social networks and in the columns of the newspaper La Gazette de la Grande île. Late explanations that failed to shed any light on the grey areas.
Opaque management of Palace funds and timber
Another case just as opaque as the first mentioned above: the management of wood destined for the palace reconstruction site. First of all, we know that 360m3 of rosewood were destined to cover the exterior of Manjakamiadana. This shipment was taken out of the port of Mahajanga in 2019, then transported to the Commandment des Forces de Développement (COFOD) on Route Digue, Antananarivo. From there, the timber was moved to the premises of Tropical Woods. This company is said to have won the tender issued by the MCC to supply the wood. The call for tenders was not transparent, insofar as the conditions under which it was issued and the process used to select the supplier were unknown to the public.
As a reminder, the President of the Republic has set himself the challenge of restoring Anatirova before the Independence Day celebrations. He gave full powers to the MCC to carry out the work. In 2019, the MCC has requested authorization to harvest timber for use at Manjakamiadana.
A source who wished to remain anonymous explained: “At the time, the Minister of the Environment refused to cut the wood because it went against his declarations when he took office. As far as I know, advisors convinced him to use the seized wood.” Our source continues: “If I’m not mistaken, the Council of Ministers validated the decision that the Ministry of the Environment must authorize the release of these woods. The case was brought before the Mahajanga court, in order to obtain authorization to take the seized wood out of the port. The Ministry of the Environment respected this organization. We went so far as to ensure that the smallest details were respected, right up to the transport of the wood to the capital, because any error implied the responsibility of the agents (of the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development, MEDD, editor’s note)”.
The same source assures us that the 350m3 of wood requested was obtained, and moved to the Tropical Woods headquarters in Mamory, Antananarivo. “This wood was not transported, even partially, to the Rova, and we have some questions,” he says. After on-the-spot verification, the rosewood never reached its supposed final destination. We have received no response from the MEDD to our requests for an interview on this precious wood affair.
Failure to comply with the law
Still in the context of the Anatirova restoration work, we note that the MCC is encroaching on the turf of other ministries. On March 30, 2020, a letter referenced N°095-2020/MCC/Min, signed by Minister Rakotondrazafy Lalatiana, gave authorization to a civilian, Randrianarison Rondro Harimalala, to transport 265 m3 of Anakaraka timber. This wood will also be used to rebuild the Rova. According to the law, the prerogative to issue such an authorization to transport wood belongs to the MEDD. The MEDD was not notified, nor did it receive a copy of this authorization, even for information purposes. The MCC sent the letter directly to the regional environmental departments of Atsimo Andrefana and Melaky. For various reasons, and no doubt out of interministerial solidarity, another letter from the MEDD reinforced this authorization from the MCC, for the movement of the cargo. “No surprise there. We have no idea of the negotiations between members of the government, but a new letter dated April 8, 2020 supports that of the MCC, and signed by the Minister of the Environment, Raharinirina Vahinala Baomiavotse. According to this source, “this letter does not really concern the authorization of circulation, but rather the surveillance and protection of these woods from Atsimo Andrefana and Melaky”.
Favoritism
Another point to clarify is the selection of the service provider, particularly for timber management. Firstly, there was no open call for tenders before Tropical Woods was chosen as prime contractor. There is no trace of this document in the SIGMP (Système Informatisé de Gestion des Marchés Publics), where calls for tender and bidders can be tracked, as required by the Public Procurement Code.
Secondly, the situation of Randrianarison Rondro Harimalala, described as a timber supplier, is equally open to question. After checking the websites of the Presidency of the Republic, the Ministry of Finance and the MCC, as well as the daily newspapers, there is no trace of the invitation to tender on his mandate. Nor is it clear whether the contractor was selected directly by the MCC, or whether Tropical Woods granted him authorization to purchase and assemble the timber on its behalf. According to the documents at our disposal, the company only gave an official power of attorney to represent it on April 9, 2020. The MCC, for its part, as explained above, gave transport authorization to Randrianarison Rondro on March 30, 2020, and emphasized on that date that this person was indeed in charge of supplying the timber. However, it should be noted that, after checking his files with the tax department, based on the tax identification number (NIF) and the statistical card number (STAT) used by Randrianarison Rondro Harimalala, the latter is indeed in charge of supplying wood: no suspicion of forgery here.
Thirdly, let’s note the role of Jean Bardeau, cited as the owner of the timber purchased by Randrianarison Rondro Harimalala in Sakaraha. 13,036 m3 of timber have been transported to date. However, Jean Bardeau’s logging authorization expired on October 12, 2019, according to the latest documents. The reasons for his selection remain unknown: a situation that leads some officials in the Administration, as well as contractors in this field, to ask legitimate questions.
Answers!
In view of these situations, which require answers from the MCC, we realize that the restoration of the Anatirova requires a willingness to be transparent on the part of the State, if only to explain the wood affair. What happened to the 350m3 of rosewood available since 2019? On its Facebook page dated March 18, 2019, the MCC announced that ebony and vandrika (not rosewood) will be used to make the floor inside Manjakamiadana. And what about the funds allocated for the work, whose origin remains unknown? The MCC claims that these funds come from the state coffers, but they are not visible in the 2020 finance law. Given the heritage’s international status, is it possible that foreign funds were used?
Regarding national funds, Madagascar’s senator elected from Fianarantsoa, Auguste Phillipe, provided some explanations in the columns of L’Express de Madagascar on June 22, 2020. This senator stated that 22 billion Ar available for the public investment program are directly allocated to the MCC to ensure heritage restoration projects, including 9 billion Ar earmarked for the rehabilitation and development of the museum. The senator explains that this fund for Rovan’Antananarivo has been approved by Parliament, and that the details will only be known once the budget has been finalized. This is still more than two months away. However, we can see that expenditure has already been incurred, and work is already underway. Even if the state of health emergency has diverted attention from this sensitive project, public opinion continues to follow this affair closely, and hopes for plausible and pertinent explanations from those in charge.
Cover photo source : https://fr.wikipedia.org/
