Straightforward. Known for his outspokenness, General Serge Gellé, Secretary of State for the National Gendarmerie, did not go out of his way to assert his opinion in the face of the current political situation.
“I will be frank. I will oppose a coup d’etat,” declared General Gellé. Remarks he made yesterday after a meeting with Sabine Lauber, Senior Human Rights Advisor to the United Nations System, at her office in Betongolo. Bringing together the context of the meeting with the current relatively tense political situation, the member of the government launches black berets at detractors, “you tax the gendarmerie with the force of repression, (…) only, the role of the gendarmerie, according to the law enlightens”. On his way, the Secretary of State for the National Gendarmerie underlines that, according to the law, the role of the black berets is to “defend the institutions of the Republic, as well as protect the citizens and their property”. In remarks akin to setting the record straight, General Gellé adds, “so don’t get the gendarmerie involved in things that don’t concern them. Don’t give it a particular color. Everyone who has ever been in power has appealed and used the gendarmerie. You are lying if you say otherwise”.
General Gellé then explains that the use of the gendarmerie is a state prerogative and is defined by legal provisions. So he said, “Don’t stage a coup, we [la gendarmerie] we won’t accept that. I will be frank, I will oppose a coup d’etat”. He adds, “if you want to oust a leader, do it through democratic institutions, through a democratic process, but don’t disturb the social peace”.
In a press conference yesterday in Ambohidahy, Florent Rakotoarisoa, president of the High Constitutional Court (HCC), explained the legal steps to follow for those who have grievances against the mode of governance of the leaders, in particular, the President of the Republic. “Maybe some want to oust those in power, others may not. So respect them too. Your freedom ends where that of others begins. So let’s avoid trouble,” concludes General Gellé.