And finally the North

This is my final area before I go back to Tana and from there to Mauritius and Australia. From Tana, I made for Antsohihy, not sure what I would find there but sure I'd find something. I did: a French man going to Analalava, where he lives with his wife. He invited me to their place after we had lunch together. I was meant to stay a night, catch a boat the next and go visit the islands off Analalava. Didn't happen: the piroguier who was meant to take me made me wait day after day while he tried to resolve disputes with his wife. The result? I lost four days but this is Madagascar and in Madagascar, such things are normal. Nothing works as it should.
Every slightly educated Malagasy I meet has a theory on "what is wrong with Madagascar".

Let's see them.
The people don't care about work. They are lazy, do not obey, steal from their bosses and leave if they are not happy. It can't be true, you say. Sadly it is. Examples abound: I've seen maids who take three hours to cook half a family meal, and who either tell their bosses an outright no, or say yes to their orders, and don't do them anyway. Stealing? One prime example: the Colas is the company that is building roads in the North. Petrol stations have lately been complaining they don't sell as much fuel as they should. Colas employees steal fuel from their company and sell it on the roadside. These instances are not isolated cases. Every employee that can steal steals. Leaving if not happy? The maid of the people I was staying at in Analalava left because they asked her to serve a girl she didn't respect.

Another theory is corruption: everyone is corrupt, it is part of life. One road engineer told me a few stories yesterday. A road is assigned a budget of 100 billion. The company that wins the bid must then give 3 billion to the person who assigned them the bid and 2 billion to the minister of transport, and so on. In the end the road is built with 50 billion and lasts two years instead of ten. Or, you want to get a professional exam. You pay the board and all is well, but pay enough, for if someone pays more and spots are limited, your money will have gone in vain.

Another, vehicled by Vasahas, is culture. Ancestors are too important, and their ways cannot be changed. If their ways cannot be changed, then there can be no progress. How can rice production be increased when cultivators do not want to change their methods, and that when new methods are cheaper in labour and capital?

Just a few thoughts, but I don't get comments anymore on the blog. I still see many visits but no comments...