Blog: The big bang Effect vanished into thin Air

From the day that Sir Anerood Jugnauth (SAJ) resigned from the office of the president that he had converted into a political institution to allegedly save the country up to the May 1st rally the MMM has launched a psychological warfare against the Labour Party and its allies coupled with threats coming from SAJ against institutions like the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the DPP himself as well as against ICAC.

Two persons who are aspiring to be Prime Minister namely SAJ and Paul Berenger have placed their bid for high office on the premise of threats against institutions and psychological warfare against the Labour party and the electorate.

That reminds us of the days preceding the 1982 elections when the MMM/PSM were warning civil servants and others of sanctions and sanctions there were. Top civil servants including the Director General of the MBC, the late Jean Delaitre, were sacked mercilessly. What happened then? The 1982 MMM government blew into pieces and Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam came to the rescue of SAJ thus charting his career as prime minister. In the eyes of SAJ then, Paul Berenger was the fiend and Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam the saviour.

History is repeating itself but with a big difference and the 1st May rallies have proved it. The MMM made the people believe that Port Louis where they were holding the rally with the MSM as observers and interveners would be inundated with a crowd unparalleled in the history of politics in Mauritius. Though there was a big crowd at the MMM rally with almost no MSM supporters the MMM is surely not overlooking the equally good crowd present at the Labour rally in Vacoas. If we subtract from the MMM crowd those who egged by their desire to hear allegations against Navin Ramgoolam by SAJ, then questions may be asked about the numbers in that crowd, the profile of those present and whether they were mainly from Port Louis or elsewhere. The big bubble that SAJ was supposed to incarnate did burst but not much came out of it. The big bang effect vanished into thin air.

With crowds almost vying in numbers at both rallies the MMM would have interest in cooling its perfidious attacks against the government and SAJ must stop treading on that dangerous ground of attacks against institutions. The electorate is not behind the MMM in its entirety or wholeheartedly. If the MMM persist, the backlash may be cruel and would be neither in the interest of the MMM or of the country. Acting on mere hearsay evidence SAJ made serious allegations against Navin Ramgoolam and one newspaper even considered one allegation to be highly defamatory and did not publish the details. As for Paul Berenger he came with the silliest, most incongruous, most irrational and untenable argument that Navin Ramgoolam is disqualified from being Prime Minister as he holds a British passport.

Both SAJ and Paul Berenger have displayed petty attitudes and have proved that they are totally devoid of solid arguments on the economy which is the most important issue we have to tackle. As former US President said "It's the economy stupid". "It's the economy, stupid" was a phrase in American politics widely used during Bill Clinton's successful 1992 presidential campaign against George Bush. Making exception for mere generalities the MMM has so far not told us how the country is on the brink of a catastrophe and how the MMM will save it. We know the record of the MMM in 1982 when Paul Berenger just caused the MMM/PSM government to explode in the name of personal ambition.

Now that the real strength of the MMM has been exposed at the 1st May rally the government must continue on its path until the 2015 elections. We shall see then whether the electorate will give a blank cheque to SAJ through the MMM to tamper with institutions, scrap the ICAC, appoint his stooges at a new ICAC and stop the case against his son.

If that is what the people want so be it but the 1st May rally has already started to sound the clarion call for the beginning of the end of that uncivil and uncivilised partnership between the MMM and SAJ.