45 years since independence, what's next ?
More corruption than progress since 1968.
In 1968 Mauritius became an independent and sovereign country.
The first government was a Coalition of Labour/CAM and IFB led by the one eye man
Sir S. Ramgoolam.
From 1968 to 1972 the country was drifting into chaos and economic instability. The new government was finding it hard to gear the country to the right direction. The government was full of
corrupt-minded ministers who were more concerned about filling their pockets instead of filling
stomachs of the increasing impoverished population.
The economic situation was not good but the government was spending beyond its means to
satisfy only a section of the population. New elections were to be held five years after independence
but as SSR received intelligence information that his government would be booted out of government, he made an alliance with his arch rival Gaetan Duval of the PMSD and postponed the general elections. If this was was not a coup d'etat it looks very much like one as the citizens were deprived of the democratic rights.
During the period of 1971 to 1976 the Labour/PMSD government rule was a dictatorship. The press was censored, opposition politicians put in prison, the right to strike was quashed and a curfew was established, with guards chasing people in the streets after six at night.
In 1976 the opposition party won the elections obtaining a majority of seats. But again Labour and the PMSD managed to govern by buying the rats (transfuges).
With an official opposition, the MMM, in parliament, the fragile government was under much pressure and finally completely lost the plot. Poverty and corruption were rampant. Big social unrest caraterised this era.Mauritius had suffered badly under the government led by SSR. These were the dark years of Mauritian politics and hard times for the population. It was a consequence of a government who had no vision and no competence and did not understand economic management.
In 1982 the population of Mauritius voted overwhelmingly against the corrupt and incompetent government of SSR. None of the candidates of the government was elected.
Forty-five years later the son of SSR, Navin and the Labour party are back in charge. The "new" labour party has been in power since 2005 follwing some unnatural alliances with the MSM and the PMSD. Since 2005, the country has witnessed a repetition of the period of 1968-1982: the same economic mismanagement, the same amateurism, cronyism, corruptions, nepotism, scandals of all sorts. Many analysts are saying that the new leader could not get rid of the old party's culture and he is just a mirror of the old one. The labour culture....as if the natural has come back as the french put it
" Chassez le naturel, il revient au galop."
If time has changed, the Labour party of Mauritius and the Ramgoolams have not changed.
Cry beloved country, cry...
GDL.
In 1968 Mauritius became an independent and sovereign country.
The first government was a Coalition of Labour/CAM and IFB led by the one eye man
Sir S. Ramgoolam.
From 1968 to 1972 the country was drifting into chaos and economic instability. The new government was finding it hard to gear the country to the right direction. The government was full of
corrupt-minded ministers who were more concerned about filling their pockets instead of filling
stomachs of the increasing impoverished population.
The economic situation was not good but the government was spending beyond its means to
satisfy only a section of the population. New elections were to be held five years after independence
but as SSR received intelligence information that his government would be booted out of government, he made an alliance with his arch rival Gaetan Duval of the PMSD and postponed the general elections. If this was was not a coup d'etat it looks very much like one as the citizens were deprived of the democratic rights.
During the period of 1971 to 1976 the Labour/PMSD government rule was a dictatorship. The press was censored, opposition politicians put in prison, the right to strike was quashed and a curfew was established, with guards chasing people in the streets after six at night.
In 1976 the opposition party won the elections obtaining a majority of seats. But again Labour and the PMSD managed to govern by buying the rats (transfuges).
With an official opposition, the MMM, in parliament, the fragile government was under much pressure and finally completely lost the plot. Poverty and corruption were rampant. Big social unrest caraterised this era.Mauritius had suffered badly under the government led by SSR. These were the dark years of Mauritian politics and hard times for the population. It was a consequence of a government who had no vision and no competence and did not understand economic management.
In 1982 the population of Mauritius voted overwhelmingly against the corrupt and incompetent government of SSR. None of the candidates of the government was elected.
Forty-five years later the son of SSR, Navin and the Labour party are back in charge. The "new" labour party has been in power since 2005 follwing some unnatural alliances with the MSM and the PMSD. Since 2005, the country has witnessed a repetition of the period of 1968-1982: the same economic mismanagement, the same amateurism, cronyism, corruptions, nepotism, scandals of all sorts. Many analysts are saying that the new leader could not get rid of the old party's culture and he is just a mirror of the old one. The labour culture....as if the natural has come back as the french put it
" Chassez le naturel, il revient au galop."
If time has changed, the Labour party of Mauritius and the Ramgoolams have not changed.
Cry beloved country, cry...
GDL.
No comments:
Post a Comment