NEW YEAR RESOLUTION: WHY NOT ADOPTING A TRUE CONCEPT OF MAURITIANISM IN POLITICS?

 By Ahmad Macky

It is high time that our society should adopt a true concept of Mauritianism in the evaluation of our political system. Here in Mauritius, history keeps repeating itself  in so far as ethnics, cast, and religions are concerned to do with nominations, promotions and positions at the helm of one’s political career. For instance, we have today five members including the newly elected member Arvin Boolell of the Labour Party in our Parliament.  We all know that Shakeel Mohamed is leading the Labour Party in Parliament due to his political experience as MP. But when asked, why not compete for the position of the leader of the Labour Party if ever Ramgoolam steps down? Mr Mohamed took a realistic and pessimistic attitude by replying that circumstances won’t allow him to be in that position due to his wrongful birth. He was speaking tongue in cheek .

Arvin Boolell has made it no secret that should there be an election contesting Labour party leadership, he would be definitely a candidate for the leadership. Boolell has even emphasised that all Labour members are entitled to fight for leadership. The question of caste, according to many,  is irrelevant in so far as leadership is concerned.

One always remembers the incident that took place some time ago at the Labour Party HQ where an executive meeting was supposedly to be chaired by Arvin Boolell but was “hijacked” by Navin Ramgoolam who was supposed to be on political leave because of certain police cases against him. This incident was a serious one and could be interpreted in various ways regarding the caste system within the context of our political system in this country. Boolell had to effect a walk out and was booed  by Ramgoolam’s supporters. Time is changing now as a new generation of electorate is emerging to change tradition into transition.

Boolell should have known what happened to Sir Satcam Boolell (SSB) in the old Labour days. SSB was leader of the Labour Party and yet he was never given the chance to be a candidate for Prime Ministership. At one time when SSB was about to ally with the MMM, he was sent abroad by the then PM on a virtual mission and in the meantime another politician of the “appropriate caste” jumped into the moving wagon of the MMM to become the next PM. There was then no protest and lamentation at this devious move? When Navin Ramgoolam was PM, he could have nominated SSB as President of the Republic but he chose not to do so for reasons best known to him.

We know that Dr Arvin Boolell is a diehard labourite and a hard working member of the Labour Party who commands respect. So was Ringadoo, but neither of them could become the leader of the Labour Party or PM. We all know the real reasons behind this. Precisely, for the same reason that Paul Berenger could never become a PM, despite having “enormément contribué pour le MMM pendant les 45 années qui se sont ecoulées”-said a Member of Parliament.  But I should add that there has been an exception only once when Berenger pulled up SAJ to the prime ministership. Berenger was rewarded for a prime ministership for two and a half years. I repeat that this was an exceptional case under exceptional circumstances. People should start questioning the role of Presidents of certain religious organisations

Shakeel Mohamed should reflect on these cases. It will be difficult for him to become leader of the Labour Party, let alone the PM of Mauritius. If Shakeel Mohamed really wants to become the leader of the Labour Party or if he wants Boolell to be leader of the Labour Party, or Patrick Assirvaden to be leader of same and to bid for the post of PM, he should start opening a debate about changing the constitution of Mauritius in a positive way. As time goes by, politics within the Mauritian context will change because traditional political parties are dying a slow death in favour of transitional political parties where there won’t be caste, and other discrimination in the choice of candidate.