By Raj Paneken
Who will believe that man, Paul Raymond Bérenger? «Nou tou kone ki MMM ene parti vwagon et li pou reste wagon tou le tan» Its leader Paul Bérenger is vociferating that his party will go to the polls alone «Le MMM ira seul aux élections générales» He added that he wants a three-cornered fight, by this he means MMM, MSM and the Labour Party separately in the fray, apparently he has belittled the PMSD and other parties as insignificant and worthless. He talks like a novice, like someone who is totally switched off from the electoral realities. He feigns not to know that no political party has won a general election in solo. Political alliances are simply a part of the election campaign to bag the maximum votes. There is something, a reality which always eludes his mind that it is the rural areas aided by communalism, casteism and other isms which determine the outcome of the polls.
The rural areas have always voted a political party with a hindu leader as Prime minister. This is the reality whether we like it or not. It has always been so, and it will be like this for many years to come. Pretending the contrary is synonymous to distancing ourselves from the reality. Either Paul Bérenger speaks for the gallery or he pretends not to know the reality. But I am convinced that he speaks for the gallery since he is fully aware that it is the rural areas which decide the outcome of the polls.
For Bérenger to speak of a three-cornered battle between two hindu leaders positioning themselves as Prime minister in the rural areas is tantamount to fighting a lost battle― trying to snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat. Bérenger is a persona non grata as prime minister in the rural areas. MMM with Bérenger as PM is not the pulling power with the rural electorate which usually decides the outcome of the polls. His hindu adversaries along with the helping hand of the socio-cultural «ban-la pou tire so manze. So parti pou morde la pousier ankor»
If Bérenger has gone down in history as the Prime minister of the country, it is thanks to Sir Anerood Jugnauth who shared his primeministership (2000-2005) with him. Alone Bérenger would have never been the PM of the country. For this he owes a big thanks to Sir Anerood. This is the reality. That mindset that the Prime minister should emerge from the majority is still rife in the country. We shall have to take it for granted like the bad weather.
Bérenger who is heading towards his political twilight years will have no alternative than to hook up his wagon with the locomotive of MSM if he wants to end up his political career with a flourish. Allying his party with the PMSD or the Labour Party will be synonymous with boarding the Titanic.
So I would advise Bérenger and his acolytes to weigh their words before speaking because at the end of the day they will be compelled to eat up their own words if ever they contract an alliance with the MSM, which all the well-informed political analysts will tell you unanimously that this is the best option for Bérenger in 2019/20 and the winning formula for MMM/MSM for the general elections. The alternative will be karo kan!
