[BLOG] THE MUCH-AWAITED PRIVY COUNCIL JUDGEMENT

The entire political class and indeed the whole population as well as the Mauritian diaspora all over the world and Observatories on Democracy here and abroad are awaiting the Privy Council judgement in the electoral appeal case lodged by Suren  Dayal concerning alleged electoral abuses caused by Pravind Jugnauth and his two colleagues at the 2019 general election.

Why is the judgement so important? There are two options. Either the Privy Council rules in favour of Dayal or Jugnauth. If Dayal wins we will probably go for early general election instead of a partial one. If Jugnauth wins he will definitely capitalise on the judgement and may well call for a snap general election.

Democracy Watch has a different reading of the situation. Both Dayal and Jugnauth have spent millions of rupees as legal fees. They and all the stakeholders expect value for money in the sense that Law Lords, in the examination of all the issues raised by the lawyers on both sides, should deliver a landmark judgement containing firm prescriptions to check all forms of electoral abuse which have dented our democratic process over the years.

We think that the Law Lords should take more time in the drafting of their judgement, which should serve as a roadmap for the conduct of truly fair and transparent elections in our country. The eradication of unwarranted practices, coupled with the partisan role of the MBC, and the strict application of the rules would prevent such cases from coming in front of the Privy Council after the next general election.

We wish to refer to a recent event which may attract a lot of criticism. The government organised a celebration two Sundays ago, in the context of World Elderly Day. This is commendable, but according to the press, the grandiose gathering of some 7,000 old age pensioners necessitated the involvement of approximately one hundred officers of the Ministry of Social Security and the deployment of some 170 buses. Public funds were used for a government event which was subtly converted into a gathering where members of the ruling party were present, resulting, as usual, in exaggerated coverage by the MBCTV.

This is unacceptable. Would the Director of Audit investigate whether public funds were used for political purposes, and who gave the authority? The question of accountability should be looked into. This is the type of abuse that should be brought to the notice of the Law Lords.

In many ways, Democracy Watch hopes that the Privy Council judgement (to be announced on 16th October) will prevent the further weakening of our electoral and democratic process. Let us keep our fingers crossed.