Saffiyah Edoo
The counting day of the 2024 elections gave a strange air of déjà vu of … 10 years ago. At that time, concerned citizens were struggling to breathe under the level of largesse that the then government was allowing itself. We were grappling for a change in leadership, governance and atmosphere. We gave ourselves same upon voting in December 2014, which marked a surprising turning point where many had already lost hope. The elections of 2024 have had a similar feel, with a marked difference. While the current outgoing regime’s handouts were beginning to feel forced upon rather than generous, coupled with the number of outrageous liberties being taken by virtue of holding power, we were being strangled by the lack of liberty, which was not present in 2014, to express ourselves since a very long time, which is why today it feels very liberating to be putting pen to paper. If there are any lessons the 2014 team has shown us, it’s that power has a cycle.
In 2014, the newly appointed government gave rise to a feel-good factor, making us feel that our voice counted and that we were an active part in keeping the Mauritian democracy alive. However, the cathartic feeling of seeing those who we felt had wronged us being held accountable was short-lived. It took a mere few months for the government to engage in what was nothing less than a vendetta, which has had lasting repercussions on the population till date. We have lived through a handing over of power worthy of a dictatorship state, which we had not agreed to at any point, a highly questionable general elections in 2019, a catastrophic oil spill, a pandemic where corruption seemed to peak, all in all five years of increasingly hair-raising liberties, not to mention scandals that have shocked and rocked us and left us with a feeling of powerlessness. The tipping point was the strategically timed leaks of Missie Moustass which seemed to have convinced even the staunchest supporters of the outgoing regime of just how deep the damage had reached. We are however wise today; we are a decade wiser.
No amount of money, no price put on our heads, no promises will deter us from exercising our right when the time comes and if we feel our rights being infringed. We will not pretend to have elected saviours; we have elected men and women who hopefully have also gained in wisdom and in whom we have placed our trust for an overhaul. To say that the stakes are high for the incoming government would be an understatement.
Expectations
Based on the electoral manifesto and the promises made during the campaign, there are a number of short-term and long-term expectations. In the first place, we do want to see those who have been cited in different scandals that have been left pending be held accountable. For instance, we want to see a real outcome of an investigation on the purchase of medication and medical equipment, on the interference in police investigations, among so many others. We are confident that this regime will honour its promise of not engaging into a vendetta like its predecessor, for otherwise it will lose sight of its more important missions. In the coming weeks, many eyes and minds will follow nominations in key constitutional posts closely. Will they be cases of the right persons in the right places, capable and allowed to operate according to their own decisions, will they be vetted, as the new Prime Minister has discussed in his last interview on a private radio, by a panel made of government and opposition members? These first steps will constitute the first building block of trust that people will start to foster in the new government. Should it be as promised, it will lead to a gradual rehabilitation of trust towards institutions themselves.
To its credit, the electoral manifesto of the new government makes for a clear and concise read. Which makes it only easier for accountability at some point in time. There are some measures which are still open to debate. For instance, in view of the current economic climate, how does the new government intend to subsidise “free transport”? If VAT is being lifted on basic necessities, do we need to expect a rise in something else?
The manifesto also proposes the hugely contentious return to 3 credits to accede to HSC. Will this be a temporary measure until it has rehabilitated the low level of education, once its “basic literacy and numeracy” assessment program is up and running? Our level of academic education has reached new lows, the aforementioned assessment is indeed a welcome improvement, which will eliminate automatic promotion in primary level, hence upgrading PSAC level’s entry to secondary school. As a parent, here’s hoping that our children will not, yet again, be lab rats to new systems without a proper exchange and debate will all stakeholders, including parents and students, and not just technocrats.
The manifesto proposes several measures to enhance the healthcare system. Along with infrastructure and facilitation of services, the new government should also focus on the wellbeing of the healthcare system’s workforce. It should closely look into the arbitrary decision of imposing gynaecologists, paediatricians and anaesthesiologists night stays in hospital following a full day duty, plus next full day duty when they are on call, which is only worthy of a banana republic. It should also consider the appointment of full-time aforementioned specialists in Rodrigues to avoid Mauritian specialists going to Rodrigues on mandatory 24/7 duty for two months, without any backup, thus creating a lack of personnel in our regional hospitals and a burnout on those who go to Rodrigues.
Many of us wish to see this government take charge to prepare, discuss and debate a real electoral reform. It is high time that our electoral system was revisited. The allocation of tickets, posts and promotions, including the basis on which the Best Loser System seats are allocated cannot still be based on 52-year-old census. Our demography, our society has gone through many mutations since then. If the past 20 years have taught us anything, it is that there needs to be a term limit for candidacy for prime ministership. Many have proposed a term limit of two consecutive terms. However, a two-consecutive term limit without any possibility of candidacy after a period of five years would be more conducive for democracy within parties themselves. It would force parties to elect new leaders with the capability of taking on the role of a prime minister worthy of the post. It would also be an impetus for members of the party to prove their mettle to be a contender for leadership.
The past 20 years have shown that being in power is a cycle. At some point those who remain in power for too long get complacent, if not arrogant. This is why we hope that members of this government has learned its lesson the hard way to not commit the same mistakes again, especially with the support of their new allies, ReA representing hope for so many youths. As people are being buoyed by the feel good factor, we pray that this perdures and that we, as citizens, can keep breathing the air of liberty that we have felt after such a long time.