SAME GAME, SAME PLAYERS

Mauritius stands at the dawn of one of its most important event; the 2014 General Elections. Over the last decades, we have witnessed the economic resilience and myriad positives of our island. On the flip side of the coin, there have been several combinations of major political parties to form government, signifying the desperation of our leaders to attempt anything to be in power. There has been a degradation in the law and order and corruption has been exponentially on the rise. Despite our so-called modernisation, communalism and castes still play a massive role in the general elections. Yet, several of our politicians beautifully paint an image of utopia on the canvas of democracy.
The population is in the constant process of getting adjusted to a profoundly sick society. When will it reach its elastic limit? The Society has been subject to the boiling frog syndrome for numerous years; the idea is that when a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out, but if it is placed in cold water that is gradually heated, it will not identify the threat and will be leisurely cooked to death. This metaphor is indicative of our current ‘system’ where the society has been persistently showing an unwillingness to respond to the significant negative changes that have been occurring steadily.
Will the alternate alliance do any better? All the various parties have had a chance to work with one another as a team under the same handful of leaders. Rivals over this campaign might be allies for the next elections and vice versa.  But are we at liberty to set us free from this vicious circle? How do we define our freedom and democracy when we have limitations and monopoly over our choice? The race for head of government is always from the same bunch of people. Is our education system not worthy enough to create new leaders or is the political environment created by the lust for power of our current leaders the limiting factor of our restricted choice?
The youngsters are the hope and aspiration for an improved and equal Mauritius. We definitely need a change in our mentality, and this is not something that can happen radically. It is rather a progressive step which may take several generations to happen. The youngsters of today will be the leaders of tomorrow and are the foundation of our future. But how do we expect the days ahead to be better when we are not correcting the wrongs of the society today? It is important to set a sturdy basis. No one would ever take the risk of putting hours of work into building a house if it lacked a foundation to keep it solid, robust, and immovable.  And yet this is what we have seen; the growth of concrete jungles, technological advancements and modern facilities without recognizing the critical importance of setting out the right values for the younger generations. Materialism, immorality and corruption is creeping all around. Who’s to be blamed? Is it the authorities, institutions or individuals? Every citizen share the equal responsibility of creating and maintaining a conducive society for tomorrow. However, our leaders are supposed to be the architects of our society. They are meant to be at the helm of affairs and shape our ways of life.
Are we actually content with the way our country is being governed? It is no doubt that we have come a long way down the line since independence. But we truly deserve better things. It is our right to witness discussions of innovative and creative ideas rather than gossips of people during electoral campaigns. We have seen potential leaders of other democratic nations debating about issues and prospects in direct confrontations. It’s the right of every citizen to have clean and transparent politics. But sadly, we still have masses assembled to gossip about rivals in Mauritius.  
Our educational institutions should be designed with political studies to create more chances and awareness amongst the younger generations, to educate them so that they are able to listen and consider third choices. The current youngsters from major parties have their wings clipped to archaic ways and ironically several of these people join with aspirations of bringing about change. A simple solution could be the introduction of a political retirement age of 65 along with a limitation of 2 mandates. It’s high time for us to take informed decisions and to cast our vote intelligently for people based on meritocracy and capabilities rather than colour and race. It is also important for the young elites and creative brains to gather together in an effort to create new parties with enhanced credibility. As far as our current politicians are concerned, they need to do more and talk less. That way the common man can at least appreciate their willingness to serve, not just to speak.