In light of Madagascar's upcoming Independence Day...

Malagasy Independence Day is June 26th. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Madagascar's breaking away from France on Jun 26th, 1960.
I recently came across this article in the New York Times; although Malagasies dislike being lumped in with "Africa" and see themselves as an entity as distinct as their island is from the continent, there are nevertheless many similarities between what goes on here and on the continent politically.
While I'm not yet sure I agree with what the article ultimately advocates, I do see some of its points, especially as I see everyday here the reality of political instability and corruption. Things as simple as trash pick-up and as serious as education and healthcare simply do not happen, or do not consistently and reliably happen here.

Please read this article and feel free to share your thoughts on the subject.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/12/opinion/12englebert.html