Blog: Johnny and Crétin - a mad obsession

At present there is a great apprehension that Greece may default on her debt payments. The economy of the United States is almost at a standstill. The projection of the growth rate in Europe, one of our major trade partners, is less than 2%. In that context the markets are very volatile and the share index of the USA and that of Europe have been playing yoyo. People in Mauritius seem to be totally indifferent to the trend of the global economy and more especially the rather alarming trend in Europe.

If there is a total stagnation of the European economy Mauritius will be hardly hit. We will not be saved by the 15,000 face bookers who want to change Mauritius who took to the streets without giving us a manifesto on the economy. We will not be saved by the empty noise generated by the trade unions that want more and more and are threatening to stage a show down against the Minister of Finance.

We will not be protected by all that potted thinking being dumped on us by all those anonymous bloggers whose sole aim is to defame people from their cowardly nebulous comfort zone or by the hollow pontificating of some leader writers of a press that has always combated a Labour government since time immemorial under the garb of a so called independence and objectivity of thought.

Hard times loom ahead and irresponsible people believe that the world owes us a living and manna will fall from heaven to satisfy their needs. The worst tragedy resides in the mad obsession of the two leaders of the Opposition for power. The leader of the MMM, Paul Berenger, baptised Johnny by the leader of the MSM for reasons best known to him, has one main concern, namely new parliamentary elections in a bid to regain power. As for the leader of the MSM, Pravin Jugnauth, dubbed crétin by the leader of the MMM equally for reasons best known to him, has one ambition, namely to become prime minister, as if it his divine right of kings or should we say the divine right of the Jugnauth clan. None of these two leaders are talking about the economy or how they propose to reverse the policy trend or policies of the current government on the economy.

After bombarding the population in 1982 with promises and a miraculous economic recovery, Paul Berenger who became Minister of Finance in the MMM/PSM government, left the job after nine months.

Pravind Jugnauth promised that the Alliance would be a stable government and implicitly suggested that he would be a better minister of Finance than Rama Sithanen. But he abandoned ship on the flimsy reason that ICAC arrested Maya Hanoomanjee. The call of the blood took priority over the call of duty.

During his tenure as minister of finance Pravin Jugnauth came with almost nothing original on the economy. Even Paul Berenger gave him a certificate of incompetence in Parliament. Now these two are driven more by their own ambition and agenda. The country comes after their personal ambition and nothing else. Since he left the government Pravin Jugnauth has not made a single statement on the policies he will bestow on the country if he is back in power.

All that he has indulged in is attacks on ICAC, Navin Ramgoolam, Rajesh Jeeta and Rashid Beebeejaun in relation to the Med Point scandal, a matter raised by Paul Berenger and not the Labour party.

Some bloggers and some people are wishing that the MMM and the MSM join forces to defeat Navin Ramgoolam. That is all. It is a repeat scenario of how the MMM and the PSM joined forces to defeat Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam and the consequences were disastrous for the country with the priorityv of the MMM being to strengthen links with Cuba and Libya.

Is the country ready and prepared to accept Paul Berenger and Pravin Jugnauth on their current record? That is the question.