L’île Maurice, société en panne d’éducation

Jacques Malié, ancien recteur du collège Saint-Esprit, disait dans une interview, « On a pris du retard à réaliser quels seraient les besoins de la société ». Et d’ajouter avec raison, « Le grand mal, c’est qu’on a donné de l’instruction mais pas de l’éducation aux jeunes ». Otherwise, how can we account for the proliferation of drugs, crime, violence, banditry along with other social evils in the country?

This is our Paradise Island today! A country with a society bankrupt of education « est une société malade » which is prone to all sorts of ills and evils. A society without education is like a ship without rudder. It drifts from the course it is supposed to take with the result that it gives rise to all sorts of strange occurrences which we are witnessing daily. The most recent was the young woman who was brutally murdered in broad daylight by her husband because « li ti bizin kas pou kas yen ». « Ça c’est un État sauvage, voyou, et non un État avec la peine capitale » to contain these mad killers. And what do we do with that brutal killer? For his gruesome murder, he deserves the gallows. But unfortunately, if there was death penalty in the country, there would be advocates of human rights who would step in to clamour for clemency for him. He killed without the intention to kill ! And when he stands trial, he will no doubt end up behind the bars with a balanced diet at the expense of the tax-payers’ money.

To think that the minister for Tourism wants Mauritius to become « une destination de rêve pour les touristes ». With a crying absence of law and order along with an utter lack of security in the country, the dream destination is likely to turn out a nightmare destination for many foreigners.

A country where Tourism is its number one industry should have a flawless security surrounding that industry. A tourist should be able to move about in perfect security without having to look over his shoulder to see if he is not stalked by danger or to wall up in the room of his hotel. With a society packed with robbers along with a prevailing insecurity, our law and order must be reviewed from top to bottom.

So it is clear that what is going on nowadays in the country underlines that the country « a une société malade ». This can jeopardize the economy of the country and threaten the security of the population. It can whip up an atmosphere of fear in the country.

The education of a society is sine qua non for a livable society where people can live in peace. It is the basis of the socio-economy of a country. It helps to create a better environment and a healthy society. It is a redoubtable weapon in the fight against the many evils which are causing an untold harm to our society. We can use it to beat down the rate of crime, violence and robbery, and reduce the number of rapists, hooligans and vandals.

But education in itself has very often proved to be inadequate. It has to be backed up by laws to make it effective. Don’t just say : Do not take drugs, they are harmful to health. It is insufficient! It has to be shored up by a law that if you are caught taking it, you will have to bear the consequences. Then it becomes effective. The day Singapore dismantles its gallows, its society will be flooded with drugs. But it will never remove that deterrent.

Therefore, what is the prescription « pour une société malade » like ours? The remedy is an intelligent and purposeful education – what to do, and what not to do, flavoured with rigorous laws, including death penalty, and you get a healthy and livable society like Singapore.

By Raj Paneken