Introduction

“One can govern from afar, but one only administers well from nearby,” said Napoleon I. Decentralization is a policy that transfers state responsibilities to local governments or public institutions so that they have legal authority and financial autonomy. The aim is for the state to relieve its central administrations and delegate responsibilities at the most appropriate level. Generally, there is territorial decentralization and functional decentralization. In this respect, in France, there are three categories of civil service: the state civil service, the hospital civil service, and the territorial civil service. This organization is quite understandable considering this decentralization, especially territorial, and thus the need for civil servants at the local government level to always ensure the autonomy that decentralization intends to establish. This is the core of this topic: what about decentralization in Madagascar, where only the state civil service appears?

Gap Between Legislation and Reality Regarding the Existence of Territorial Civil Service

The organic law governing the powers, organization, and functioning of decentralized local governments provides, in its preamble, for the creation of the territorial civil service. To this end, the ministry responsible for the civil service is working toward the establishment of the territorial civil service in Madagascar in order to ensure a coherent human resources management system and to combat the precarious working conditions of local agents. However, the reality is not yet aligned with this. The most advanced territorial decentralization today in the country is at the communal level, and the question remains unresolved regarding their agents.

Uncertainty Surrounding the Status of Territorial Public Agents

Currently, communal agents are unregulated, notably those with long-term employment contracts (ELD: emplois longue durée). These agents have more in common with state public agents than with territorial civil servants, as in the French system where they are organized in employment frameworks rather than corps like state civil servants. In other words, there is a certain ambiguity, which strongly affects the degree of decentralization, surrounding the status of territorial agents. Their participation in various political campaigns illustrates this: since these agents are not subject to a duty of neutrality and have no clear status, they remain perplexed about the roles they should play during both local and national elections.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the link between good governance and decentralization is undeniable. Yet, there is a great difference between establishing laws on decentralization and working to implement it. As the saying goes, “Where there is a will, there is a way” is it the lack of political will that prevents its emergence? In any case, establishing the territorial civil service would be a great step forward.

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