When power clouds the brain, rulers enjoying the fragrance of “power” have a tendency to avert truth, even if such truth emanates from those gravitating around them. They stick to glorifying their mistakes and cruelties, however scandalous these may appear.
Very often the boot-lickers end up in disastrous situation carrying with them the burden of the vindictiveness of their masters with hard ears to the reality of the day. Not to mention the extent of harm they can cause to people who do not necessarily share their thought and vision.
This is precisely the dilemma of the current Prime Minister. He just seems to listen to what he wants to hear and what are being crammed into his mind by a handful of egotistic individuals around him. Mature leaders know how to use ground information to their advantage, instead of getting on their nerves and harassing virtuous government servants and innocent people.
Former head of the National Security Services has been transferred, apparently for revealing honestly what is the feeling on the ground. The feeling of being fed up seems to have gained widespread momentum. Journalists are constantly targeted and victimized for their factual reporting. Others have paid heavily just because they have done their jobs properly. But it’s amazing how those “parasites”, void of ethics, morality and humanity, use their cunning methods of make-believe policy to mislead their masters. What matters for them is their own ambitions and lust for ill-gotten material comfort, wealth and power, forgetting that such power is only transitory.
Politicizing every occasion, be it a religious ceremony, a mere ribbon-cutting event or a socio-cultural gathering, has become the order of the day. Instead of providing the right answers to satiate the population’s hunger for transparency with regard a number of issues (BAI deals, metro express and Agalega projects, among others), they indulge in constant backbiting and criticizing of their predecessors. Aren’t there more serious tasks to look into for the tangible benefit of the people? Since the last elections the country has been constantly witnessing actions perceived to be vengeful to those considered alien to their mindset. In the absence of the long awaited Freedom of Information Act, news is being tailored in favour of what the party in power wants to be disseminated. Ironically laws are passed at lightning speed when they are meant just for the protection of “kitchen and family members”. To hell with others.
But the social media speak louder. People are watching helpless at every nomination or appointment or award of contracts that seem to smell nepotism and favoritism. People are still awaiting concrete actions regarding those, especially the prominent political figures, whose names were mentioned in the Lam Shang Leen report to be associated with the drug mafia. Is the task force set up to look into the matter still alive or being left behind to suffer the Dodo’s fate? And people are also in the expectancy regarding some of our “honourable” members whose conduct had led to their stepping down.
Beware the ides of March, Sir! Truth can never be hidden. It cannot be denied either. Mayday signal seems to have been sent out by the crowd gathered at Port-Louis on May Day, visibly largely superior to the apparent artificial gathering at Vacoas. Once bitten, twice shy. The awakening is vivid. People are alert to what’s going around. They can’t be fooled anymore. They’ve had enough of the irreversible inconveniences caused by the highly controversial metro-express project, lack of appropriate and adequate water distribution strategy, flash flood episodes with absence of proper drainage systems and overflow of waste matter on the streets and around dwellings at Eau Coulée, Saint Paul. These are but the tips of the iceberg.
The gloom of abyss is looming. The tide seems to be taking a new turn. People will certainly have their last word, turn or burn.