WILL OUR PRAYERS SUFFICE?

There are lurking doubts, and fears for that matter, relating to the much-publicized ‘smart’ projects, especially those to be ‘financed’ by Saudi Arabia and Dubai.
Needless to say, if these projects move ahead in earnest, Government will, most probably, never publish the full terms and conditions attached to such  ‘ deals’, notwithstanding the often-brandished and now-fashionable ’transparency’. On what grounds? National interests, of course!
Opposition parties and trade unions concerned have already started raising their voices, a process that will inevitably gather momentum in the months ahead, though the former, as usual, to be more bent on embarrassing Government than anything else.
To the right-minded and uncommitted observers, since these projects will cost billions of rupees, there must be a snake in the grass given the obscurity that shrouds the deals. Any attempts to make us swallow the pill there is a strong element of Arab generosity behind the deals will inevitably meet with outright skepticism. Just too bad if this gets ‘Mr. Saudi Arabia’ to spit mad.
Already under way is a UN-backed Syrian Donor Conference to raise funds for these unfortunate Syrians, whose daily plights we see on TV. What the rich Gulf States contribute toward the targeted nine billion dollars should enlighten, some sort of godsend test that cannot lie.
However, the purpose of this short note tends not to throw light on Arab intentions toward Mauritius, but rather to underscore the present Government, elected on a host of promises I will refrain to qualify, may go to ‘any length’ to at least entertain the hope the ‘economic miracle’ is still attainable,  while the ‘giants’ seem clearly in a situation of stagnation, if not recession, and at that an Opposition that never misses a single opportunity to fire broadsides at them, justifiably or not. And we cannot forget that at the helms is someone manifestly having his ‘last ride’, who could be tempted to engage in some sort of gamble with our economic future, with little or no concern for long-term negative effects. If it works, glorious exit. If it fails, ‘tant pis pour les générations montantes et futures’.
But we nevertheless have to keep our fingers crossed that the present Government succeed and rekindle the hopes created more than a year back that it can lift us out of the mess left behind by the previous one. That fateful year that saw hope/ doubt / frustration alternating in some sort of ping-pong game – doubts and frustrations often caused by dilly-dallying, contradictions, ‘volte-face’ and the like.
It would be a national tragedy if the hopes generated in December 2014 were to be completely shattered. So, be that as it may, we all have a duty to pray for the present Government to succeed – succeed in such areas as elimination of absolute poverty, introducing more social justice and better living conditions for all, curbing rampant corruption, areas of attainable objectives but where we have not really taken off in earnest, too much attention having been paid to ‘other areas’ that had, I concede, to be addressed. But not pray in relation to those ’dreams’ experts and the common men alike agree cannot be attained in the present Government’s life-span that should, nevertheless, see the ‘Heritage Towers’ standing proudly in Bagatelle, ‘as promised’.
But will our prayers suffice? In any case, “game is nearly over”* .
*I undertake, subject to the hospitality of these columns, to explain “en temps et lieu” what I mean by “game is nearly over”.