[L.E] The Nation mourns the death of a soldier.

This week as our country wails the passing away of WPC Dimple Raghoo who gave her life in the line of duty, we feel saddened by the demise of such a brave soldier and at the same time shocked beyond belief by the violent circumstances of her death. She was a daughter, a sister, a civil servant and above all a soldier who fought until her last breath for her country to protect our nation against the drug mafia. But what was her reward at last? An atrocious death. This incident reminds us of the words of J.R.R Tolkien, the author of ‘The Lords Of The Rings’: “Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life….” Indeed those who committed this crime deserve to be relentlessly punished.
I strongly believe that crimes of such magnitude should be severely condemned by law. Hence in this case the reimplementation of the death penalty which was upheld in 1995 comes into the limelight. Opinions regarding this law are in fact heterogeneous. While some may fully agree of its reintroduction, others may argue that life is sacred and such sanctions are against article 2 of the Human Rights Act that is the right to life. But what about the victim’s rights? Innocent people have the right to be safe from those malefactors too. Many people who oppose capital punishment believe that the judicial system itself is not free from limitations, which creates the possibility of executing an innocent person. In that case, if innocent people are being executed, it is not the law that should be responsible but the judicial system instead. Therefore we should ensure that there are no loopholes in our judiciary system.
Being a proponent of the reinstatement of capital punishment in Mauritius, I am of the view that it should be applied for cases such as crimes and drug related cases only since horrendous crimes are being committed cold-bloodedly and families of the victims are suffering tremendously. There should also be an equitable justice. If the lives of others are taken so easily and without second thought, then it is only logical that the culprits must pay with their lives. When one kills an innocent person it is a clear violation of the law of the land. It is only fair and practical that a criminal who commits a felony shall be destroyed. Thus capital punishment should remain one of the main punishment for serious crimes. If such actions are not taken even after all those criminal injustices we have seen so far lately then more cases like these will happen in the near future and our society will be full of chaos and evil. Hence now is the time to strike while the iron is hot.

As far as drug trafficking is concerned in this case, I think that it is the most dreadful societal challenge of this century. As for our country, The ENACT Organised Crime Index for Africa at one time ranked Mauritius number one in the synthetic drug trade in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region and in the top 10 on the continent which is a great disgrace for our nation. In the meantime, the almost daily media reports of drug seizures and arrests of traffickers indicate a rise in the proliferation of synthetic drugs and the number of arrests seems to be doubling every year. We recall that following the publication of the report of the Lam Shang Leen Commission of Inquiry, a Task Force had been set up under the chairmanship of the Director General of the ICAC, to coordinate the implementation, by the relevant investigative agencies, of the recommendations contained in the report. Yet after that we have not since heard much from that Task Force. However we cannot overlook the fact that our officers directly or indirectly in charge of the Anti Drug Smuggling Unit are doing an incredible work on a daily basis to protect us and we are in fact ever so grateful to them for that. Likewise this year as we’ve seen the world coming together to fight this invisible enemy and using all resources possible to find a vaccine for the covid-19 virus, I am fully convicted that as a nation if we unite ourselves together we should be able to fight this visible enemy which is the ‘drug mafia’. Only then will lives be saved.

Today as I sit back and reflect on the path and the life of this martyr, it seems to me that she has departed this world while fulfilling her duty and for that she deserves to be honoured in the same way martyrs like Anjalay Coopen were honoured in the past. After all they are the true heroes of our nation. Hats off WPC. You may be far away from us but you will always remain in the hearts of all Mauritians. Rest In Peace.

By: LHI

NOTE : Les points de vue exprimés dans cette rubrique ne reflètent pas nécessairement ceux de la rédaction.