Time to restrain from emotional outbursts

The population was shocked by the double murder committed by a teenager in Camp-de-Masque-Pavé, more precisely in Montagne Goyaves, on Friday last. This triggered once more the debate on the need or not to re-introduce capital punishment.  This case is indeed very troubling as it involves at least three minors: Yeshna (the young girl aged 14 who was killed), her brother Tushal (aged 11 and who was brutally assaulted) and the alleged aggressor Tavish, aged only 17. The paternal grandmother of the two children, Reshma (aged 54) was also murdered by the young man, who apparently was madly in love with Yeshna. According to police sources, the young man had come to try to reason the grandmother regarding his feelings for her granddaughter but things took an ugly turn and ended up in a double murder and with the alleged aggressor trying to commit suicide. What has happened in Montagne Goyaves ought to sound like a tocsin in the ears of political leaders. They flocked to the funeral of the victims, which is laudable. In times of grief, the political class should show concern. However, at the same time, they should learn from this unfortunate situation, understand the reasons that led to such a tragedy and try to find appropriate solutions to prevent the repeat of such tragedies. The situation is multi-dimensional and amply depicts the socio-economic situation of numerous families. For instance, we came to know from the interview of Babita (the mother of Tavish) published in Le Dimanche/ l’Hebdo that her son had failed the Cambridge School Certificate and that he was awaiting a reply from the Ecole Hôtelière Sir Gaëtan Duval where he had enrolled for a course. In clear, Tavish was an idle young man before he allegedly committed the triple assaults. Thousands of young persons who are either school dropouts or who have completed their secondary education but who are unskilled find themselves in a dead end. In these circumstances, managing their emotions becomes even more complicated and very often leads to irrational behaviour. It is a pity that we have to resort to foreign experts or international institutions to understand or even notice social changes in our own country. Another vivid example is the fact that the parents of Yeshna and Tushal, Vikram and Asha, have been working in Australia for the past years with the intention of improving their living conditions.The children were left with their grandparents Suresh and Reshma. How many Mauritian families are living similar experiences and what is done to provide at least some guidance to them? If there were a statement given to the police against Tavish, why have the Police not taken action? Each time a brutal murder is committed, there are bound to be emotional reactions that are not necessarily rational and in line with our vision for a modern and progressive society. The same persons will urge for the re-introduction of capital punishment while the opponents will strongly argue against. Nobody will seriously debate on the need to review the Juvenile Offenders Act or find means to curb down criminality among youth. Also there is a felt need to put a halt to lumping different issues together, something in which the vice Prime Minister and Minister of Housing and Lands Mr. Showkutally Soodhun seems to excel. Can you imagine that he amalgamated diplomacy, foreign direct investment, regional conflicts in the Gulf area, local politics, religion, ethnicity and …capital punishment? Probably because nobody has dared to say anything to Mr. Soodhun, he has shifted into high gear on Sunday. At a function organized by the Humarayne Solidarity Movement at the Swami Vivekananda International Convention Centre at Pailles, Mr. Soodhun has explained why he has conducted official missions to several countries in the Gulf area and particularly in Saudi Arabia. According to media reports, the function was very well organized. Several participants wore t-shirts with the name of the organizer, Humarayne Solidarity Movement and the flag of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was well displayed. What is really disturbing is that the aim of the gathering was to demonstrate the solidarity of Muslims to the initiatives of Mr. Soodhun. Why should Mr. Soodhun seek the support of Muslims only? When it comes to foreign policy, it concerns a whole nation and certainly not a community. Would Sir Anerood Jugnauth hold a meeting with Hindus to seek their support for his missions to India? It sounds absurd yet Mr. Soodhun is persisting in the wrong direction. Whether Mr. Soodhun is a Muslim before he is a Mauritian sums up his own view but he is a Minister of the Republic of Mauritius and he has taken an oath of swearing allegiance to the Republic of Mauritius and it is high time that he and his comrade Mr. Roshi Bhadain refrain from behaving like ambassadors of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or estate agents. Bringing the question of diplomatic relations on a religious front is dangerous. Mr. Soodhun has even gone to the extent of accusing the former Prime Minister Dr. Navin Ramgoolam of having delayed and ultimately thwarting the project for the opening of a Mauritian embassy in Saudi Arabia, in spite of the insistence of the then Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Rashid Beebeejaun. He has also severely criticized MMM MP from constituency number three (Port Louis Maritime/Port Louis East) Mr. Aadil Ameer Meea for the latter’s position regarding the proposed partnership between Dubai Ports World and the Cargo Handling Corporation Ltd. With all due respect to Todd H. Hall, author of the path breaking book titled “Emotional Diplomacy”, diplomacy cannot always work on emotional grounds. Despite the fact that the Prime Minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth played this card during his participation to the official visit to India Africa Forum Summit held in India in October, 2015 (Sir Anerood Jugnauth addressed India as being the elder brother of Mauritius), we could not protect our global business sector from decisions taken in India. The Double Tax Avoidance Treaty between Mauritius and India could be something of the past soon, just like the Sugar Protocol. Instead of persisting on emotional grounds or raising our voice, like did the Minister of Finance Mr Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo this week with Indian officials, it is hard time we become more pragmatic and find new ways to save our global business sector. And we should certainly avoid doing things the way it has been done with the delegation from London this week. While the Minister of Financial Services, Good Governance and Institutional Reforms Mr. Roshi Bhadain is saying that the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Mr. Jeffrey Mountevans, is here to give a boost to our financial sector, we learn from the official website of the British High Commission that the aim of the visit of Mr. Mountevans is “to promote London’s financial services and promote UK qualifications as a way to grow the financial services sector”. Which is which? It is amazing how all these issues are intrinsically linked. When Mr. Soodhun states officially that we are leaguing against Iran, he probably does not know that he is irritating India which has always shared strong diplomatic relations with Iran. Not even the Leader of the Opposition Mr. Paul Bérenger mentioned about the efforts that have been made by the Mauritian government, through the MTPA, to attract Iranian tourists in Mauritius.In fact, 2,000 Iranian tourists are awaited in Mauritius this month on the occasion of the celebration of their new year, the Nowruz. Similarly when we discard a credit line generously offered by a friendly country like India or we inaugurate food courts while we are on private visit there, we are bound to create diplomatic odds. Meanwhile, the PMSD continues its achieve openings with socio-cultural organizations. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism Mr. Xavier-Luc Duval (who was the Acting Prime Minister) was the chief guest of the Arya Sabha Mauritius on Sunday. He launched pre-marital courses to be conducted by Aryan Women Welfare Association. Interestingly enough, it would appear that the chief guest at the ceremony organised by the Mauritius Sanatan Dharma Temples Federation (MSDTF) to mark the official celebration of Maha Shivaratree will be the Prime Minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth although official invitation cards mention the name of Mr. Pravind Jugnauth as the chief guest. Apparently the hosts of the function were not sure whether the Prime Minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth would be available or not, hence their choice for Mr. Pravind Jugnauth.The message of the Prime Minister is well awaited as it would dispel doubts on the Lepep Alliance government. As a tailpiece, it must be noted that outspoken MP Mr. Sangeet Fowdar has been suspended from the Muvman Liberater while rumours are swirling in that the Minister of Finance and his colleague Minister of Good Governance have profound disagreements on the Heritage City project. Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo was absent, for medical reasons, from two consecutive cabinet meetings.