ENDY JAY
The unusual agitation on the political front, while we are just halfway through the five-year mandate, could not have gone unnoticed. On the Opposition side we could have expected that usual stirring up, faithful to the local tradition that have us on constant electoral campaigning, even on the heels of General Elections, never shy to clamour, noisily, early elections at the very first sideslipping of the ruling incumbents, or any scandal that raises eyebrows, and presently there are many.
While the mainstream Opposition parties seemed determined to come up with what they pretend to be the only credible alternative, in spite of some recent misfirings in the ranks of ‘l’Alliance de l’Espoir’, one of the chief spokesmen of what to be likely the locomotive of that Alliance recently declared: ‘Ramgoolam fait l’unanimité’, Unanimity among whom?, that handful of leaders engaged in the negotiations to set up that Alliance – some of them devalued in the eyes of the silent majority for what they had been involved in a recent past. What that spokesman seems unable to grasp is that the Labour Party can no longer, in 2022, dictate its terms on the configuration of any worthy alternative to pose as challengers after the battering it took in two previous successive general elections, with Ramgoolam in the driving seat. Proof of that is also where stands today the king-maker of the latter part of the past century, down today to accept whatever he is offered in any alliance to come. (Still ‘fait l’unanimité’ after the resurgence of the famous coffers affair?) And further cut off from the realities of the day, failing to understand a worthy alliance without Ramgoolam will make the Tsar and his lightweight team of mostly neophytes mere sitting ducks, given the growing feeling in the country the present ruling team must be ousted, to stop them further extending the harm they have already caused to the country, on various fronts, and impossible to iron out these kinks in their behaviour as we have repeatedly seen over the past months. But with Ramgoolam to lead any ousting assault, it may turn out to be walkover for the incumbents, given the likely massive abstentions. What would be the purpose of a massive turnout only to ‘sap dan pwalon tom dan dife’?, however much it may be argued it cannot be worse. Only the lesser of two evils! Still, it would be a major mistake to believe the Tsar will not put up a fight with all the means at his disposal – and they are manifold with reportedly a formidable war chest –, knowing what the loss of power will mean for him and top associates and sidekicks, given the manner and style of governance of the past years, reminiscent of a dictatorship. If for one thing having reduced our highest platform of debate into a macabre ‘Muppet Show’ where Zorro repeatedly steals the show in the most condemnable manner.
But what surprises the most is that sudden fighting mood of the Tsar, talking tall, arrogantly at times, firing broadsides at all his opponents and detractors, albeit often blank shots when it was not a shot in the leg as in his ill-conceived strategy to silence the Maharajah, even bluff him into submission. Addressing chosen assemblies upgraded into congresses, suddenly garrulous in a manner that contrasts sharply with his mealy-mouthed stances and beating about the bush when cornered in the National Assembly, awaiting to be saved by untimely interventions of Zorro. No amount of agitation in the ranks of all Opposition alone could have caused such a sudden brutal ‘levée de boucliers‘, not even possible Municipal Elections in the offing. But, nevertheless, behind such sudden boldness and bravadoes, we cannot have failed to notice some body languages and hangdog looks among the top guns of the rulers that betray growing uneasiness, suggesting there must be a snake in the grass. Or, are we seeing the forerunner signs that remind us of that constant since Independence: ‘never has a Jugnauth served for a full five-year mandate at the helm’!!!
Furthermore, could it be a mere coincidence all this agitation comes on the heels of the sudden, and unexpected, outburst of the former CEO of MT who still has to unleash his announced tsunami, if any. Bluff or part of his own strategy in this war of attrition with the Tsar to achieve his ends, whatever be his motivations. But it remains he may really have damaging revelations to make for his having been a one-time member of ‘lakwizinn’. The immediate future will tell.
Furthermore, among those bravadoes, top of the list and which take the prize are some recent declarations of the Chancellor who could not have resisted to add his pinch of salt to that flurry of arrogance and feigned boldness. In a recent interview (Le Mauricien 6/8/22), he stated: ‘Je suis confiant pour l’avenir, avec pragmatisme et résilience – such pragmatism of the like to extend Metro to Côte d’Or, in the prevailing economic and social context!! And more recently ‘Maurice ne connaîtra pas de récession’. If these are not arrogance, what are they? At a time when the entire planet is engulfed in some sort of unprecedented economic/political/social maelstrom. When the World Bank and IMF have both made some alarming economic forecasts, when even the economic powerhouses are bracing themselves to attempt to parry the inevitable shocks to come, when further economic experts have warned of the inevitable risk of EU countries going into recession. A Chancellor only attempting, awkwardly, to salvage a major plank of the present rulers’ electoral agenda?
Be that as it may, the bottom line remains that the entire planet is on a collision course with disaster, when human rulers will have to render account, however safe they may presently feel in their ivory towers.
Attendons voir! ‘Et voir nous allons voir’, the forerunner signs building up, leaving no room for contest, barring the sceptics.