WIKILEAKS SUR RAMGOOLAM: « The PM continues to discuss his distrust of his cabinet and of office subordinates »

Il n’y a pas que les commentaires peu amènes de l’ambassade américaine datant de 2008 sur l’ICAC, selon lesquels ses responsables « ne doivent leur poste qu’au Premier ministre » et qu’ils sont « obligés de lui vouer allégeance », qui font débat sur les câbles de Wikileaks rendus publics cette semaine. D’autres dépêches provenant de la mission de Port-Louis et adressées à Washington après une rencontre entre la chargée d’affaires, Virginia Blaser, et Navin Ramgoolam le 19 février 2009, en disent long sur ce que les diplomates américains pensent de la gouvernance mauricienne. Est ainsi abordée cette fameuse déclaration du chef du gouvernement selon laquelle il n’a confiance en personne, et même pas dans ses ministres.
Dans un des câbles publiés, on peut lire ceci : « With regard to the staff losses in the PM’s office, the PM continues to discuss with the Embassy his distrust of his cabinet and of PM office subordinates. His unwillingness to discuss his ideas and plans with others sometimes leads him to make poor choices. » Navin Ramgoolam se référait, lors des discussions avec l’ambassade américaine, à la disparition subite de Raj Mudhoo et de ses difficultés à lui trouver un remplaçant.
Sur les vacances au PMO, imputées au « grave illness of his cabinet secretary (ndlr : Suresh Seeballuck, toujours en poste) and the unexpected demise of Home Affairs Secretary Raj Mudhoo (who died on February 16 during the Chinese President’s visit) », il est écrit que « the PM noted that a number of shifts will be made in his office in coming week », et que « finding one with the right experience, whom he can trust to be discreet, may be difficult, he told the Charge ».
La mission américaine à Port-Louis a toutefois indiqué à Washington que « the vacancies left by the loss of both senior PM office civil servants will be difficult to fill, but it appears the current Mauritian Ambassador to the US (Kailash Ruhee) will return in coming months to fill the long vacant chief of cabinet position. This will help with management of PM issues – an important need because the PM holds so many decisions in his own hands and delegates little to his cabinet – and should also help USG (ndlr : United States Government) efforts by providing a pro-US interlocutor very close to the PM ».
Dans ces câbles récemment rendus publics par Wikileaks, il est aussi longuement question de la participation de Navin Ramgoolam au fameux Annual Breakfast Prayer. Voilà ce qu’écrit la chargée d’affaires américaine au service diplomatique de Washington : « From a public relations perspective, the PM’s trip to the US was less than ideal. In advance of the trip, a number of press outlets quoted him and other government officials as saying he would be meeting Obama. (The PM denies he said that and accuses the press of simply getting the facts wrong). There was open criticism of his being away from the country for a ‘non-substantive’ trip to the United States. After the trip, it was widely stated in the press that he sat with the Secretary of State at the breakfast. Again, according to the PM, this was incorrect. In the end, the PM had no deliverable to provide critics of his US trip and basically stayed quiet about his US trip upon his return. Instead he shifted his public comments to the (then pending) Chinese President visit. »
Décidément très élaboré, le câble de la mission US à Port-Louis insiste sur ce point : « The PM expressed disappointment at not meeting President Obama at the prayer breakfast, adding that he had thought that all heads of state attending the breakfast would have the opportunity to see the President separately. The PM said he will forward through his Embassy an official request for an appointment with the President sometime this year. »
Comme pour mieux souligner l’insistance du Premier ministre mauricien pour une rencontre avec le président des États-Unis, la chargée d’affaires écrit que « he was willing, he added, to make a special trip to Washington to meet with the US President if a date could be arranged. Alternatively, he would seek a meeting on the margins of the UN General Assembly, which the PM plans to attend in September. »