How Navin Narrowly Avoided Defeat in 2010

Sanjay Jagatsingh

After bagging a historic victory in July 2005 – the first time one of the three big parties beat an alliance of the other two – on the promise of democratising the economy and Putting People First, Ramgoolam’s second mandate rapidly turns into a nightmare. Rupee slides, the rich made to pay the same low tax rate of the poor, our basic welfare state is tampered with, the savings culture is destroyed, doors are opened wide to allow foreign investments to quash the dreams of thousands of Mauritians to become homeowners and unfair labour laws are passed. The situation is so bad that the then PM has to give another Presidential mandate to SAJ as well as help get the current PM elected before negotiating an alliance with the MSM. But the damage done by Sithanen and Mansoor is so large that Ramgoolam has no choice but to also dump the toxic bean-counter. Luckily for him the opposition makes a series of mistakes and this enables him to stay in power by winning 49.7% of the votes against 42% or as the chart shows by a margin of about 150,000 votes. Had Ramgoolam given Sithanen a ticket in 2010 he would probably have lost as the bean-counter would have set back his side by 100,000 votes. It’s no coincidence either that Berenger didn’t invite Sithanen to join his alliance for that election.

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