The political pot is actually on the boil. Elections may be held anytime. That’s what emerges from the reply of the Prime Minister a few days ago to a question raised by MMM MP Deven Nagalingum in November last. The term of the municipal councils, which was extended twice since 2021 following amendments to the relevant laws, will terminate on 13 June this year.
But there seem to be other reasons to believe elections, either local or general, or both, are imminent. First, the electoral petition appeal lodged by the unreturned Labour Party candidate Suren Dayal in constituency no 8, Moka – Q.Militaire, to the Privy Council is due to be heard soon. As any case before the Lords, the outcome may be either way. The Prime Minister is directly concerned by this petition. Will he take the risk? In any case he will need to have a strategic move to prevent any damage to his government, to him in particular should the Privy Council deliver against him.
Then there’s the probe into the alleged money laundering in connection with the visibly flourishing drug business that has led to the arrest, detention and/or surveillance of prominent figures often ushering probable connection with high profile figures in government. Media headlines abound on such issues on a recurrent basis. The quiet days for the ruling party do not seem to last long so long as scandals perpetuate. Although the PM has been shouting his utter desire to kass lerein mafia, no light is yet visible at the end of the tunnel. Worst, the alleged mafia connections seem to be taking new shape with various cases and protagonists surfacing at each probe.
Not only that. Opponents who dare raise their voice against the regime are being cracked down, arrested and detained only to be released by the courts for want of evidence, the latest one being that of a popular counsel whose case has just been struck out. Akil Bissessur has always claimed with video cam evidence that he was framed with drug plantation at his place. Another leading political activist Bruneau Laurette who was detained for some three months made the same claim. Demonstrations on the city streets have become a common feature since the sad Wakashio episode with the popular #BLD slogan. The mob seems to have had enough of the caprices.
Political parties are mushrooming in the opposition field, staunchly against the regime, fighting for the same cause: get this regime out. But each on their own side, except for the three so-called traditional parties, Labour Party, MMM and PMSD, which have more or less proven track record and which seem to be working on a common agreement strategy. If the rest of the multiple opposition parties continue to nourish the ground of fragmentation, each with their own agenda, there’s little hope they can make it to the change so cherished. This will most probably favour the game of the ruling party. Are they naive to that extent? In politics there are considerations that go beyond the long-term betterment of the population.
Leadership has taken a new turn. Everybody wants to be a leader which might explain to some extent the proliferation of political parties. Everybody wants to occupy the highest post in the country. Nobody wants to join hands together for the common cause. Worst, some people even give the impression they don’t know what they want. But they want to be on the scene with their own party colour, their own symbol and their own agenda. From a reputable democratic base to a country which has nothing to envy to the so-called banana republics, the foothold is becoming looser day by day. No one is prepared to concede that leadership is one thing, fighting for the rights of people and restoring the democratic principles we seem to have lost during the last 8 years or so, is yet another milestone they need to achieve in the best interest of the country at large. Eight years or so of rule any reasonable person would qualify as being marked by a revengeful era.
Political leadership is much about focusing on a long-term vision for the country and transcends any short-term personal gains. More than ever the country needs leaders with charm, honesty, the ability and most of all the capacity to make rational judgment as leaders in the quest for a better society. We need reliable leaders with guts, knowledge, courage, integrity, effective communication skills, and above all, accountability; leaders who are prepared to dedicate themselves to the selfless cause of the country; leaders with charismatic authority to drive political strategy into meaningful actions. Unfortunately, breakaway politicians who want to lead may not be the best candidates in the face of relatively more reliable and more credible visionaries with longstanding experience, dinosaurs or not. Strong and firm leadership is becoming scarce. It requires passion and conviction to guide ethical and moral decisions. Very often leaders make huge promises to alleviate the sufferings of the people. Once in power they do exactly the opposite, often actions that were never the subject matter of their political manifesto.
Robin Sharma in his “The Leader Who Had No Title” puts it rightly: True leaders, or rather credible leaders, speak the language of truth, the language of love, the language of peace and unity, the language of selfless dedication; not the language of hatred; here it may be apposite to add, not the language of religious or communal bias, not the language of division, and certainly not the language of megalomania, or personality cult. True leaders don’t run after titles. They run for a common identity, a title for the people. They struggle for the common cause of patriotic unity, not just as a slogan, but as a firm, sincere and honest mantra of beliefs from deep inside their heart. True leaders dream, not for themselves. They dream for their fellow countrymen in the quest for nation building while others are busy building their personal empire at the expense of the grass roots.
Democracy has suffered too much. Jail seems to be reserved for opponents with glaring innocence, freedom for cronies with pointers of guilt right on their foreheads. The country seems to be drifting slowly into a dictatorial state. Institutions seem to have been hijacked by political cronies and not functioning as expected. So much so that the PM himself, to his dismay, admits institutions have been invaded by the mafia. Cases seem to linger indeterminately. The list is never-ending. More than ever the country needs a leadership that will restore the nostalgic harmony and bring it to greater heights with effective rather than fake feel good factor. This is what the ti-dimounes are at, a leadership that will have the courage to pick up the pieces, that will have the potential to turn the tides in a bid to restore the once cherished principles of democracy in a genuine sense of unity “as one people .. as one nation”. Only then, and only then will we have the hope of a true leadership.
GREAT ARTICLE!