Huh? No, haven’t you noticed, we’re seeing that phrase a lot in the press these days?

Reduce your dependence on the United States (and its President) for Europe… reduce your dependence on rare earths from China for everyone 🤣

And amidst these desires to reduce dependency, we suddenly come across this:

See: Senegal aims to increase tax collection to reduce its dependence on external financing

Wow… just reading this headline, without even reading the article yet, how proud the Senegalese must be of their leaders, right?

Independence, sovereignty, and all that cannot be annulled or decreed: they must be worked on, with strong gestures and actions.

I had already written on the subject a few months ago, last April. And this Senegalese statement, while not directly inspired by what I wrote, perfectly reinforces my column from that time.

To be part of the community of nations, one must first have a civil status worthy of the name: last name, first name, date and place of birth, and a unique national identifier. And all of this, of course, is stored in digital bunkers and not typed on a typewriter, on paper registers that will go up in smoke at the first fire.

The Constitution guarantees the free movement of goods and people. But the State also has the right to know who its citizens are, where they live, what activities they engage in… and whether it is fulfilling its tax obligations, particularly income tax.

I’m not making this up: it’s the social contract you signed 65 years ago, and whether you’re doing it right or wrong isn’t the issue; it’s the law that is currently in force, as the saying goes.

A law that looks very nice on paper, but is so poorly respected, even flouted. And when its spirit and letter are not respected (isn’t that Article 42, by the way), are we surprised by the chaos that will reign in Madagascar in 2025?

Madagascar’s independence? Yes, indeed, on paper for 65 years. But in reality?

No autonomy, completely dependent on external sources: funding, food, energy (waa la Jirama), etc. Even in the water sector, we can’t even manage.

In short, let’s face it: it won’t be in our lifetimes, dear readers and myself, that we will see the slightest hint of autonomy, independence… and fandrosoana. Even less so with your current leaders.

So ataovy sisa izay mampiepiety ny fiananareo, and as usual, don’t hesitate to go elsewhere and see if the grass is greener than your red, scorched… and soon radioactive earth.