Following a landslide victory of L’Alliance Lepep in the recent General Elections, various analysis showed up in the press. Many associated the victory to a rejection of PTR/MMM rather than an endorsement towards L’Alliance Lepep. To some extent it is true. There are so many aspects of the PTR/MMM alliance that literally killed the beast.

During the whole electoral campaign emphasis was laid on petty stuffs, childish comments about the number of people attending meetings etc. Real issues were given a deaf ear.

The People of Mauritius called for public debates when it came to projects that involved a lot of taxpayers money; like the Light Rail Project and the Biometric ID Card. However, no one from the Government’s side came forward for a debate. While I had pertinent questions regarding simple security aspects over the Biometric ID Card Project, I was called « insolent » by a minister; when a radio started debates over local issues, it was subjected to constant persecution and the press as well was tagged by all sorts of names. It was an atmosphere whereby you simply could not be against something that the government was doing. It was all getting unhealthy & suffocating.

Lack of humility

The arrogance of two major party leaders caused the downfall of the former government. Instead of showing humility towards citizens they again & again criticized each and everyone who dared to question. The old school tactics of scaring people with « représailles » didn’t work. Well, at least not on me. I could not be shut down with bullying tactics. Had I subjugated to political intimidation I would have left a bad precedent for the younger generation. My folks, especially my mother was the one person who constantly was on guard that no one harms her son. She taught me courage, from which I could stand twice the force against Goliath.

A sense of freedom

Well, those were days; now we breathe freely. While the new government is still setting up, I hope they do not repeat the mistakes of ignoring the voice of citizens. In a democracy, the voice of EVERY citizen counts. Each attempt at suppressing that voice could lead to the damnation of even the mightiest.

Collective intelligence of local brains

With the former government we’ve been constantly humiliated with statements like foreign expertise be brought to solve local problems. While a few hundreds in the government are battling to find a solution, hundreds of thousands of Mauritian minds might have already solved the same in public channels, be it social networks, mailing lists, radio debates, professional meetups and all.

Why shouldn't L'Alliance Lepep fail?

Many are speculating that L’Alliance Lepep might fail if Sir Aneerood Jugnauth does not lead ahead. This could be true. Not later than the recent past we’ve seen the fate of two leaders’ hunger for power. If there is a tug of war for prime-ministership later, it could be disastrous.

Failure of a government costs the country a lot of money and reputation. With scandals having plagued the country for some time, we cannot afford a government failure in the near future. It will be the responsibility of each and everyone who represents the People of Mauritius in the parliament to make sure that the job is done right, that democracy is preserved and that no one is blinded by the veil of power.

The younger generation

We need an upgrade of democracy and that would be not just choosing our representatives in the parliament but also collaborating with them. By collaboration I mean constant sharing of ideas to tackle hurdles that the country might face ahead. The government should open more channels for the common people to be able to express themselves.

An expression is not always a criticism for the government.

Other parties...

The Labour Party (PTR) was the one who got the biggest blow in this election. I hope they sit back & meditate a while on their mistakes instead of coming up with speculations. They have five years to build up again. A leadership change is a must by the way.

MMM… Humility is the key. Think about it.

I have great expectation from parties like Rezistance ek Alternative, Ensam and Lalit. They definitely win my support. At some point though they need to share the platform.