New Madagascar Leader Accused of Plagiarizing Sarkozy Speech
Just days after taking office, Madagascar's new president was accused Monday of plagiarizing parts of a speech by former French president Nicolas Sarkozy for his inaugural address.
Hery Rajaonarimampianina used his maiden speech Saturday to urge reconciliation on the crisis-ridden island, but for some sections of the Malagasy press his call sounded familiar.
"I ask my friends to leave me free, free to go to others, free to approach the person who never was my friend, who never belonged to our clan, to our political family, and sometimes even fought against us," said Rajaonarimampianina.
But for a few changes, the same words were used by Sarkozy in a speech he gave in early 2007, when he was campaigning for the French presidency.
In a front page headline, local newspaper La Gazette pilloried the inaugural address as being "Sarkozy copy-pasted."
The paper has often opposed Rajaonarimampianina's political ally, Marc Ravalomanana, who came to power in a 2002 coup.
Rajaonarimampianina's campaign director Jaobarison Randrianarivony played down the incident.
"We don't have too much to say about the issue. You can take a quote from a person when needed," he told AFP.
"Each to his or her taste, some people will have appreciated it, others may have not."
Source: Agence France Presse
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/115976 |