With the general election approaching, it is important to discuss what is really crucial for the country. With democracy in jeopardy, as well as the high cost of living, the real estate projects that are being done on ecological sensitive areas, it is more than necessary to make constitutional changes to guarantee rights to Mauritians. To elaborate a little more on this subject, the ki nouvo moris set had as guest Stefan Gua member of the national committee of Rezistans ek Alternativ (ReA). For more than 2 years, the eco-socialist party has been campaigning for a transitional government with fundamental constitutional reforms.

An assessment of the political situation in Mauritius.

We are witnessing the end of a cycle, says Stefan Gua. There is a lot that political observers did not take into consideration during the 2014 elections. Since independence, historical political parties such as the MMM and the Labour Party have always been the essential components of government. What happened in 2014 is that these two parties came together supposedly to amend the constitution and better distribute power between the prime minister and the president, and people rejected this move and that’s how the MSM came to power. However, the political party does not meet the aspirations of Mauritians.

“In Mauritius, as elsewhere, the political sphere is constantly changing with the various associations and breaks. And it is with these breaks that very populist parties are born who only make big promises to have more votes and who after their victories do not respect them.”

The situation is almost unbearable, and this degeneration has been made little by little through the different political parties that have been in power, because they have done nothing to strengthen our democracy, protests Stefan Gua.

« The concentration of power in the hands of the Prime Minister has always been detrimental and it is extremely important to return to the proposal of Rezistans ek Alternativ. That is to say, to ensure that on the one hand, the MSM government does not return to power and on the other hand, it is necessary to put in place safeguards where another Prime Minister or government cannot continue on the same line as the current regime. »

As a result, it is more than important to make constitutional amendments and introduce parameters to strengthen the power of democracy and that of the electorate and thus diminish the power of the Prime Minister.

What is the record of the current government?

What this government is doing is giving and then taking back more from the people, Gua said. Despite the various measures such as the increase in the minimum wage, the CSG allowance and other measures for young people, we see that the current regime and its finance minister are playing sleight of hand with the Mauritians. There is also an erosion of the independence of institutions. Indeed, in Mauritius it is assumed to have a separation of power between the executive, the legislative and the judiciary. However, this independence is threatened by the various measures and laws passed by the government.

The initiative to have control over the institutions can be seen in this government that wants to have the state in its possession. It is said on one side they padlock the institutions and on the other side there is a section of the police force that acts as the regime’s big guns. From this perspective, people are losing confidence in institutions and today people no longer trust the members of the police force.

This cacophony is one to another a lack of project of the state and instead of remedying it properly, everyone wants to attract the good graces of the ‘elected’. As a matter of fact, it can be seen that the elected representatives of the different constituencies are not on the same wavelength when it comes to administering the needs of their constituencies. There is a kind of tug-of-war between them when they should have been complementary, reports Stefan Gua.

The Citizens’ Assembly of 16 March.

It is important that Mauritians and political parties understand that we have reached a juncture where it is either a programme of constitutional reform or barbarism. It is crucial to lay the groundwork for the next government because the last laws passed under the current regime are pernicious to society and if another prime minister operates within the same framework, it will lead to barbarism.

“It is not enough to remove one government and replace it with another, and that is what has been done for several decades, and we see that this is not the right way to proceed, because the system remains the same.”

What should also be kept in mind is that big corporate and oligarchs play a big role in the operating system in Mauritius. The exploitation of land for the creation of real estate projects is dictated by the large corporate. Indeed, the system must change to ensure that the big capitalists can no longer influence political decisions. Rezistans ek Alternativ, for example, have long campaigned to regularize and make more transparent on financing of political parties. They have long advocated making the financing of parties by large corporations illegal.

« What is urgent is to remove this regime from power as it presents a danger to the entire Mauritian public. Together with this, we cannot simply replace government without making qualitative changes. As a result, it is necessary to establish a transitional government with a united front and to make fundamental constitutional changes. »

Watch the debate here: