The demand for a new political ideology

The demand for a new political ideology arose in the 80s from the critical state in which the country was - high unemployment rate, very low level of education and low productivity. It was only natural that economists foresaw a dismal future for the Mauritian economy. This is what created a demand from the Mauritian population for change, a demand for a new ideology and new leaders.

The introduction of people with new ideas drove the population and changed the direction of our country. Mauritius witnessed a high number of industrial strikes, a major educational strike in 1975, countless marches and political turmoil. These actions stirred the blood of the population to work for a better Mauritius, which reduced political lethargy. But are we presently in such a situation for the population to trust new people to lead our country? The new has its risks and uncertainties and the country is now in a much better position than it was before.

The current economic and social condition of Mauritius cannot be compared to what it was 40 years ago. Looking at the future, the picture that has been painted from our current leaders could not look better – development of smart cities, Mauritius as the financial hub for Africa, Metro Express - we are being promised the ‘Mauritian dream’.

When we look at the future of the country as currently portrayed to us, one would say that there is no need for a new ideology and definitely no need to take the risks associated with the new. However, the past couple of years has been a myriad of scandals with only few capital developments. […] The gap of inequality is increasing day by day – acquisition of property by the middle class is becoming extremely difficult. At the same time, taxpayers’ money are being utilized to pay for ridiculous fees for legal services and expenses for projects that have been stalled or have not even started. Is there enough transparency on the utilization of taxpayers’ funds? The situation clearly cannot be compared to what it was 40 years ago, but is the country currently heading in the right direction socially and economically?

A high level of undecided voters and abstention is a clear indication that there is a demand for a new political ideology in Mauritius. The next question to ask ourselves when we ponder on whether there will be scope for new leaders from the younger generation is whether the situation has reached a point for the population to take the risk of electing new leadership and get rid of the old. The who and the how can only be contemplated when it has been established that there is a demand for new people to lead the country and that the population is ready to trust new leadership.