“ Watson », diminutive of “ What’s on? “, a website “ pure play » from Zurich apparently specializing in delicate and sometimes sensational information. Suddenly, on December 3, 2024, he published in his pages the “ ranking of the poorest countries in the world » with the Big Island in 1D place. With the words: “ share of people living in absolute poverty (less than $2.15 per day in local purchasing power) “. In national currency, the threshold is around 9,400 ariary. According to the figures in this ranking, 24,264,000 Malagasy people are struggling in absolute poverty. To come up with these figures, Watson mentioned data from the World Bank/Our world in data. Until now, this institution has neither denied nor validated the figures. No press release on Facebook. The affair took on another dimension on social networks among Malagasy users. First, thousands of shares, “ a thousand shares » is already a miracle for an influencer from a country like Madagascar. Tens of thousands of reactions, it goes without saying that the majority were not happy with this ranking. Except for a few fans of irony mentioning that Madagascar has finally taken the lead in an international ranking never seen in 60 years. Two countries should however share this place, Madagascar and the “ fucked up country » Haiti. In the Caribbean, this country is unlike anything. Gangrene insecurity, with impacts on daily life and the economic life of the country. In Madagascar, insecurity in the countryside reduces rural productivity. Gangs reign in Haiti, in the big cities with their share of terror. In Port-au-Prince, its broken streets and piles of garbage, fear has set in to make the population groggy. Here, stolen eyes, kidnappings, armed attacks, missing people… freeze society. Haiti has an immensely rich subsoil. Leading the way is iridium, an extra-terrestrial metal, the basis of modern Western industry, but there are also other mining resources: gold, silver, copper, marble limestone, bauxite… probably gas and oil. Needless to mention those of Madagascar. The two populations of the two countries have this in common, being islanders and they know nothing or very little of the riches that lie beneath their feet. No time no doubt, because of the poverty which makes the profiteers very happy. Tourism is then established as a saving sector, according to Western specialists, mainly benefiting foreign investors. Small example, privatization of beaches formerly common property. The crumbs of the tourist windfall are left to the grassroots populations. Come to think of it, this sector serves as a decoy to make people forget the Haitian mining potential. Haiti brings together the largest number of international non-governmental organizations in the world for an area of 27,750 km² and more than 11 million inhabitants. Very listened to by the ruling elite, “ evolved » hereditary people ready to defend Western interests tooth and nail even if it means creating chaos on their territory. Historically, Madagascar and Haiti were colonized by France. As a result the “ heist of the century », this Caribbean state was obliged to pay the colonial debt to the country of De Gaulle and Victor Hugo. In addition, France took control of Haitian banks through private banks (the ancestor, it seems, of Crédit Mutuel). In Madagascar, no bank with Malagasy capital since independence and imposed privatization. The list of points in common is long, such as decrees to favor pedophiles, expand alcohol consumption, annihilate the local in favor of importation… We need to know if Haiti and Madagascar are tied.
Maminirina Rado
