ENDY JAY
Now that The Constitutional (Electoral Reform) (Amendment) Bill has not been put to the vote inasmuch as it was clear the required 52 votes were not forthcoming, it gives ‘lepep admirab’ time to voice their opposition, in the broadest possible way, to some retrograde changes the Bill intended to introduce, before another attempt after the ‘koz-koze’ the parliamentary recess affords to convince the ‘other one’ to change his party’s stand, especially if/when someone becomes ‘fréquentable’ (Jean Claude de L’Estrac dixit).
For quite a number of days preceding the recess, the Muppet shows, among other things, exposed the hypocrisy of Government members trying to make believe they earnestly wanted a reform of the electoral system but with proposals they knew would never be approved by Opposition parties which votes were necessary to get the Bill through, but presented anyhow with an ulterior motive of ‘tat terin’ to gradually soften these nearer to the liking of the most outspoken campaigner of ‘une bonne réforme électorale’, to ultimately entice him into an alliance for the great contest to come, I persist to believe sooner than scheduled.
While there is consensus there is a case for electoral reforms–though by no means a priority–, yet most of us will not agree this should go through enlarging the National Assembly (a downsizing would make sense) with the additional costs involved – to yield what? – to add to the already over-generous pensions introduced when a Jugnauth was at the helm, while there is quasi-unanimous opposition to enable Party Leaders to nominate persons to sit in the NA. This is simply revolting.
‘Lepep admirab’, without this having any impact on party allegiances – save for sycophants and ‘roder bout’ – should make it clear, by whatever means at their disposal, to our political masters that it will ‘punish’, at the right time, those pushing the reforms as presented. In 2014, acting ‘soumarin’, it did it to the proponents of the shameful ‘Deuxième République’. Let it do it this time openly with everybody on board – the Press, Trade Unions, NGOs, the civil society and whoever feel their voices matter.
Should we start buying our ‘yellow vests’ before they attempt to take us by surprise? Let it be known, also, to those in their ivory towers and cut off completely from real life hardships, that donning yellow vests could come about spontaneously given how things in crucial areas have been allowed to rot.
The French are doing it, and they got Macron to capitulate. Why can’t we?