Is the Mauritius Alliance Government petering out?
Written by Editor Wednesday, 27 July 2011 23:11
The six Ministers of the MSM tendered their resignation to the President of the Republic on Monday, July 26 in protest against the treatment of one of their ranks, Health Minister Mrs Maya Hanoomanjee, by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). They now sit in Parliament as backbenchers while still vowing their allegiance to the Alliance Government. “We are faithful to the PM and the Government. Our grievance is with ICAC and not with the PM. We have resigned as a measure of solidarity with Mrs Hanoomanjee who has been unfairly treated by the anti-corruption body,” the MSM leader, Pravind Jugnauth, was reported to have told the press. Pravind Jugnauth held, until his resignation, the portfolio of Deputy PM and that of Finance Minister.
Mrs Maya Hanoomanjee
Mrs Hanoomanjee was arrested on July 22 and released on bail. Three senior officials of her ministry (including the Permanent Secretary) were also arrested.
The MSM Ministers’ resignation took place while the PM, Dr Navin Ramgoolam, has been on mission in London. At a press conference in Port Louis in the afternoon of July 26, the MSM leader was asked by reporter Ahmad Macky whether it was a blackmail ploy on his part, to force the PM to intervene to get Mrs Hanoomanjee off the hook of ICAC. "Owing to the ICAC indictment, Mrs Hanoomanjee was compelled to resign and it was our duty to resign as well," Mr Jugnauth replied.
Mrs Hanoomanjee, as outgoing Minister of Health, has been on the carpet for several months since endorsing the purchase by Government of MedPoint, a private clinic, for the highly inflated price of 144 million rupees when it was originally alleged to be worth 75 million rupees. There has been a national outcry against this transaction, referred to as the scandal of the century. The most vociferous has been the Opposition leader Paul Bérenger. The Opposition would not let the corruption allegation die away as the clinic used to belong to the brother-in-law of the Deputy PM and Finance Minister. In the end, the government had to agree for ICAC to investigate––who has recommended action against the Health Minister. It is reported that the ICAC investigation is not over yet.
There have always been speculations that the partnership between the Labour Party of Dr Ramgoolam and the MSM of the Jugnauths would not last long. Now people are asking how can the MSM stay in the Alliance Government after the resignation en bloc of its ministers. Apart from the ministers, all the MSM official nominees in various functions are still in post, the MSM leader told the press. Pressure is, however, being brought to bear on the party to leave the government. It is a political dilemma, which PM Ramgoolam will have to face on his return home during the weekend. (Already he is blamed for being out of the country at such a crucial time, especially to leave in the wake of the ICAC indictment of one of the Government minister––on corruption grounds.)
PM Ramgoolam in London for International Arbitration Centre agreement
Dr Navin Ramgoolam came to London on July 20 to receive the Overseas Bencher award from the Inner Temple where he kept his dinners as part of his law studies. The award is made to former students of the Temple who have distinguished themselves at the bar or in public life in their own countries. During his visit he also signed an agreement with the London Court of International Arbitration to establish Mauritius as an International Arbitration Centre. He was honoured by the Chambers where he did his pupillage to be called to the Bar.
Nothing is impossible in politics
The Jugnauths- far left & far right (MSM), Bérenger and Cuttaree (MMM) in a previous coalition
Will there be call for a realignment of the political parties? Everything is possible in politics. However farfetched it may seem, could there be an alliance between the MMM and the MSM? The Labour Party dreaded such a rapprochement that ousted the Party from power at the previous general election. On the other hand, will a patch-up take place to keep the MSM by the side of Labour? Already there are rumours that some of the outgoing ministers may reintegrate the government.
Pravind Jugnauth has told the press that he will wait for the reaction of Prime Minister Ramgoolam before deciding on his next move. On his return home on Monday, August 1, the PM after consultation with the President of the Republic, his two Deputy PMs issued a press release that ICAC should be allowed to do its job objectively without hindrance. The nation is waiting to see how the PM will cope with the crack in his government.
There is a school of thought that if Jugnauth the Younger could be groomed for a prime ministerial position in the long run, Navin Ramgoolam could aspire to retire to Le Réduit as President of the Republic. Such a scenario is highly favoured by various socio-cultural groups on the island. The Alliance Government may not peter out after all. It is, however, very difficult to see how the coalition government will be able to complete its five-year mandate.
P.C.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The way the cookie crumbles – On creuse sa propre fosse
Lessons to learn from the fall
of the Murdoch Empire
The first and most important lesson to be drawn from the crumbling of the Murdoch Empire is that history repeats itself. No empire lasts forever. The Roman Empire, the Mogul Empire and even the British Empire had their day and their end. The Murdoch saga is an example of the inevitable result of the concentration of power in one man. It has exploded in his face. Tant va la cruche à l’eau à la fin elle se casse–– so often goes the pitcher to the water in the end it breaks. That’s how the cookie crumbles.
Mr Murdoch fed himself on newspaper and his greed for them and other media was insatiable. He has extensive control over the media in his homeland of Australia, the States, the UK, China and even India. It’s not for nothing that he is referred to as the Mogul Media.
Under authoritarian, totalitarian and dictatorial regimes, the State controls the media. In a democracy, the media can control the State through those at the helm to the point that a Rupert Murdoch had become the terror of all the political leaders in the UK. “No PM could afford not to pay him their respects once in power,” said Channel 4 television programme: Murdoch––The Mogul Who Screwed The News. Sounds very much like the Godfather!
Since such a situation has been happening in a democracy like the UK, we can be forgiven for asking what is the position in countries like those of some African and Asian nations, where transparency is non-existent. Can some people in a small country like Mauritius be able to monopolise la presse écrite et parlée, through the ownership of several titles, radio and television broadcasting, and to have politicians eating out of the palms of their hands? Can this sort of thing happen in Mauritius is a very valid question on which the Mauritian nation may wish to ponder––in the interests of democracy, for which Mauritius has so far received the praise of the western world.
Rupert Murdoch before the House of Commons Media Committee
It’s worth repeating, there is a lesson for us all from the Murdoch scandal: empires don’t last. The day of reckoning will come. No one could have predicted that such a powerful man as Rupert Murdoch would eventually be humbled and brought to his knees. Empire builders beware!
P.C.
