Floor crossing
Written by Editor Friday, 19 August 2011 13:37
New ministers and PPS appointed
Mireille Martin, new Minister of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare
When the MSM Ministers left the coalition government on July 26, it was widely speculated that some MSM parliamentarians and even some of the Ministers would cross the floor to support Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam.
But the PM reshuffled his Cabinet and appointed four new ministers including J.I.M.R. Seetaram who had moved from the MSM to Labour and who was made Minister of Business, Enterprise and Cooperatives.
Two vacancies were left open, and for the political observers it was a door for any more MSM renegades. As a matter of fact, only another one of the MSM MPs, Mireille Martin, actually crossed the floor on August 17 to join the Labour Party. She has been made Minister of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare.
The main reason for abandoning the MSM to join the Labour Party advanced by Mireille Martin at a press conference after taking the oath of office was that she owed it to her voters to carry on with the implementation of the government programme on which she was elected. For her it is above all a matter of continuity. "The interests of the country above all, and not for money that she changed sides," she is reported to have said. She is now threatening to sue the President of the MSM, Showkutally Soodun, for saying so––according to a statement to the press.
Sutyadeo Moutia, new Minister of Civil Service and Administrative Reforms
The sixth vacant portfolio has been given to Sutyadeo Moutia as Minister of Civil Service and Administrative Reforms
In replacement of the outgoing MSM PPS (Principal Private Secretaries) four new ones have equally been appointed namely A. Hafeez Hossen, A.R.G.M. Issack. M.A.M.J. Perrauld, D.S. Khamajeet
The MSM MPs have now officially taken their seats on the Opposition benches. The MSM leader Pravind Jugnauth, outgoing Finance Minister, qualifies as painful his experience within the Alliance Government for the past 15 months. This was mainly due to the indecision of the PM, he said.
On his side, PM Navin Ramgoolam told a press conference that the MSM ministers left the Alliance Government because he did not intervene to stop ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) investigating former Health Minister Maya Hanoomanjee, a relative of Pravind Jugnauth. Had he done so there would have been no resignations, he told the press. For nothing in the world he would interfere with the works of ICAC, he said.
The PM challenged the MSM MPs to resign and to stand again for election. Pravind Jugnauth has in turn challenged the PM to dissolve the government and to call a general election.
It will be remembered that in our August issue we said that a rapprochement of MMM and MSM would not be salutary to Labour. Yet MMM leader Paul Bérenger and MSM leader Pravind Jugnauth met at the Labourdonnais Hotel in Port Louis a week ago. Paul Bérenger told the press that they met to talk about electoral reform.
Prime Minister Ramgoolam subsequently met at his office MMM stalwart Jayen Cuttaree and later the MMM leader himself apparently to talk about the electoral reform, as the PM indicated to the press. All these political leaders insist to say that at those meetings they did not talk about any future political combination. What a missed opportunity if they really did not!
The political situation is still not too rosy for the PM with a weak majority in Parliament. Pressure will come from every nook and corner. MMM leader Paul Bérenger, at a meeting of delegates on Sunday, August 21, requested the PM to dissolve Parliament and to call a general election. Would he have missed the opportunity to tell Navin Ramgoolam so when they met on Friday last at the Prime Minister's Office? To bisin faire election he would, though jokingly, have told him. Political opponents, they may be, but they crack a lot of challenging jokes when they meet off the platform.
