Errors and omissions

Mr. Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo was definitely too early to crow about the decision of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) not to instate a provisional charge against him in the Euro Loan case.  The new minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade was participating in the laying of foundation ceremony of a new village hall in Rivière des Anguilles when the “good news” reached him. Incidentally, he was first elected in constituency number 13 (Rivière des Anguilles and Souillac) at the general elections held in 1982. The minister’s triumphant speech and statement to the media that followed clearly indicated that he was under the wrong impression that he was whitewashed in the Euro Loan case. “The decision of the DPP to reject the charges instated by ICAC (the Independent Commission against Corruption) proves that truth has always been stronger. Today it is the triumph of truth”, said the Minister as an on-the-spot reaction. Maintaining his self-congratulatory tone, Mr Lutchmeenaraidoo thanked his spouse Suzanne, the leader of the MSM (Mouvement Socialiste Militant) Mr. Pravind Jugnauth and his wife Kobita, members of the politburo of the MSM, the “vast majority” of the cabinet of ministers and the public in general for their unconditional support. An aside, if we may, that in his list of well-wishers, Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo omitted to mention the Prime Minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth. Was this a mere oversight or a deliberate move? It looks more like a major omission. The Prime Minister is the one who appoints ministers, proceed with reshuffles and has the prerogative of sacking them. Moreover at the National Assembly on Tuesday 12 April last, the Prime Minister almost took the defense of Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo. He explained that there are legal implications and that he preferred to wait for the completion of the enquiry and the decision of the DPP to ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs to step down or not. Sir Anerood Jugnauth even took the political risk of revealing that he had asked the Commissioner of Police not to take upon himself “to a decision to bring anyone of them (Mr. Dayal and Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo) before the Court of law and have a provisional”. The Opposition has severely criticized Sir Anerood Jugnauth for “giving instructions to the Commissioner of Police”. In doing so (asking the Commissioner of Police to refer the file to the DPP), Sir Anerood Jugnauth has saved Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo from a “provisional charge” and an arrest by Police. Had he been arrested and charged provisionally, Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo would have had to either step down or be revoked by the Prime Minister. Even the Leader of the MSM, Pravind Jugnauth, who was participating in the same ceremony at Rivière des Anguilles, was humble enough to recognize that in the event that he wins his appeal against the judgment in the MedPoint case, “the Prime Minister will decide his fate”. It must be underlined at this stage that Mr. Pravind Jugnauth also stated that he has already decided on the next move in case his appeal is quashed. It seems obvious that there is some misunderstanding between Sir Anerood Jugnauth and his former Minister of Finance. The grapevine has it that at one point of time, the Prime Minister was about to urge Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo to step down but that he was made to change his mind after he had a conversation with the Leader of the MSM, Mr. Pravind Jugnauth. Now it would appear that Sir Anerood Jugnauth is calling into question the strategy of his former Minister of Finance regarding the smart cities that were to give a boost to the economy. Sir Anerood Jugnauth, who now also holds the portfolio of Finance, will revisit the concept. Earlier we had warned the Government not to confuse property speculation with economic development. Ultimately, the Prime Minister seems to have understood that to boost the economy, create jobs and ensure economic growth, new sectors have to be developed. Property speculation not only enriches some big wigs but it also creates opportunities for corruption and usually has irreversible negative impacts on the environment. Coming back to the decision of the DPP, we learn that the file is still being studied by the DPP who will decide whether there is “prima facie” case or not and whether Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo will be charged officially. For the time being, the Minister of Foreign Affairs can resort to changes within his ministry, blast his beloved colleague Mr. Bhadain and even make a few trips abroad to promote economic diplomacy.

THE HIDE-AND-SEEK GAME

Meanwhile, the Lutchmeenaraidoo / Bhadain conflict has become a political soap opera, with a national audience, just like the Indian and Brazilian television serials, known here as “ séries carri brulé”. In the absence of any good outcome, here is a plot summary, subject to change without prior notice! As at Tuesday, the conflict between the two ministers was still raging on. The new minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade Mr. Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo was absent from the National Assembly in the morning when his colleague the Minister of Financial Services, Good Governance and Institutional Reforms Mr. Bhadain was replying to the Private Notice Question (PNQ)of the Leader of the Opposition Mr. Paul Bérenger. The two ministers continued their hide-and-seek game later, more precisely during Ministers’ Question Time. No sooner had the Minister of Good Governance stood up to reply to a question addressed to him than Mr.Lutchmeenaraidoo walked out from the National Assembly. This situation led to a few ironic remarks from the Opposition side, For instance, somebody from the Opposition asked Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo to be careful because Mr. Bhadain sits almost behind him at the National assembly. “He could hit you with a stone!”, warned the MP. Thursday last (14 April 2016), as he was leaving ICAC, Mr Lutchmeenaraidoo had accused his colleague Mr. Bhadain of having hatched a plot against him and that the Minister of Good Governance had taken a stone to hit him while he was laid down in bed. He also added that Minister Bhadain acted like the KGB. The next day, on leaving the Treasury Building after the cabinet meeting, Mr. Bhadain told the media that out of respect for the Prime Minister and his colleague ministers, he would not reply to the harsh critics from Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo. He, however, made the following cutting remark: “I do not have to worry. I haven’t taken any loan”. On Saturday (16 April 2016), after he participated in a seminar with his close collaborators from the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Flic-en-Flac, Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo appeared more serene. “I am filled with love. One cannot feel bitter if he is full of love”, he told the press philosophically. Some political pundits hastily concluded that the conflict was coming to an end but they were wrong. On Monday (18 April 2016), after he participated in a meeting with members of the diplomatic corps, Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo told the media that he was fed up with this bluff that aims to make of him a crook. “I am the most upright person and the most transparent person in this government”. He added that the period of silence was over and that he now would go on the offensive. “Game over. I am a fearless warrior. I mean business”. Earlier, he had challenged the Leader of the Opposition Mr. Paul Bérenger to publicize whatever information he may have. At the National Assembly, Mr. Bérenger had referred to bank accounts in Hong Kong. Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo challenged Mr. Bhadain on the same issue.

ENTER IVAN

On Wednesday, at Rivière-des-Anguilles, the leader of the Muvman Liberater and Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Public Utilities Mr Ivan Collendavelloo surprised each and everyone with his virulent speech. “Ena dé trwa latet félé, malprop, manter dans sa pei la ki fer ene travay. Pas neséser l’opposition ki fer ene travail zis pou sali réputation dimoun (There are a few scatter-brained, dirty and liars in this country who indulge in some works. They do not necessarily hail from the Opposition and they indulge in a mudslinging operation. Vishnu has gone through and I am going through also)”. He warned that he would deal with his detractors the hard way. His speech has upset one of the elected MPs in this constituency Mr. Bashir Jahangeer and the later has publicly expressed his disappointment. Meanwhile, the PMSD has achieved a real feat by gathering thousands of supporters at the Sir Gaëtan Duval Hotel School of Mauritius on Sunday to mark its 61st anniversary. Its leader, Mr. Xavier-Luc Duval, has openly shared the ambitions of the PMSD. While the recent opinion poll published by DCDM Research indicates that the Alliance Lepep government is becoming more and more unpopular, the Minister of Finance is holding talks with various stakeholders in view of the presentation of the 2016/2017 Budget on 6 June, 2016. Is a new economic agenda in the making? Looks very much like The Myth of Sisyphus!