Etat d’urgence sanitaire et sacrifices des libertés individuelles à Madagascar

Abstract

The state of health emergency declared in the context of the fight against the spread of the coronavirus is causing concern and even incomprehension among many of the Malagasy population, especially since it has been extended on several and could be further extended depending on the evolution of the health situation. Since its appearance in Wuhan, China, many researchers and scientific results have been carried out on the Covid-19. And some authors have devoted their studies to individual freedoms. It would appear that the state of emergency restricts these freedoms but does not threaten them. The objective of this paper is to verify the liberticidal but legitimate and legal aspect of the state of emergency instituted during the fight against the COVID-19. The participative observation approach has been applied through focus groups method. Direct observations followed by informal interviews with 832 people have been undertaken in two Toamasina popular neighborhoods; the consultation of juridical documents has been needful during the comparative analyses between the daily life of the population, the strategic decisions taken in upstream of the system, as well as the sensitation actions on the barrier gestures. Restrictive measures that conflict with individual freedoms, legitimate liberticidal and legal measures, as well as the testing of individual freedoms in the face of authoritarianism and democracy have been the results of analyses carried out. Liberal and ultraliberal theories allow us to confront these results. Further information, education and communication campaigns targeting the most vulnerable segments of the population are recommended.