Mauritius: Jugnauth's no nonsense gains massive support
With persistent reports of a sudden change on the ground, the country is seeing large amounts of money transferring hands, but Sir Aneerood Jugnauth (SAJ) no-nonsense approach is winning the opposition massive support, said an observer to Wfol.tv. <!—more–>
Mauritius is reeling with a high tension political atmosphere, in the run up the Dec 10 polls, a general election that came earlier than scheduled with prospects for a close fight in the making.
“SAJ is conquering the citadel of the MMM of Paul Berenger in the towns as well, after making an impact in the villages,” said an opposition insider to Wfol.tv.
SAJ has risen like a phoenix in local politics, after a rough ride as the country’s President and his subsequent resignation when he was duped to join Berenger in the opposition.
SAJ sarcastically said during a rally that gathered a large crowd that he was betrayed by Berenger “on my birthday, after eating cake with me,” only to be dumped by the Movement Militant Mauricien (MMM) that concocted an alliance with outgoing Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam.
The local political stalwart is received with a tremendous clatter by opposition supporters in the ‘Alliance Le Pep’ rallies across the country.
“SAJ is conquering the citadel of the MMM of Paul Berenger in the towns as well, after making an impact in the villages,” said an opposition insider to Wfol.tv.
SAJ has risen like a phoenix in local politics, after a rough ride as the country’s President and his subsequent resignation when he was duped to join Berenger in the opposition.
SAJ sarcastically said during a rally that gathered a large crowd that he was betrayed by Berenger “on my birthday, after eating cake with me,” only to be dumped by the Movement Militant Mauricien (MMM) that concocted an alliance with outgoing Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam.
The local political stalwart is received with a tremendous clatter by opposition supporters in the ‘Alliance Le Pep’ rallies across the country.
His remonstration of Navin Ramgoolam for the latter’s criticism of local biologist Ameenah Gurib-Fakim – tipped to be the next President of Mauritius in case of an opposition victory – has brought even more support for the MSM-PMSD-ML.
SAJ’s Movement Socialist Militant (MSM) insider told Wfol.tv things are taking a different shape on the ground, with SAJ bulldozing into Ramgoolam’s Labour Party’s territory, making inroads among the Hindu community but attracting significant followings from minorities from the Muslim and Creole communities.
SAJ’s Movement Socialist Militant (MSM) insider told Wfol.tv things are taking a different shape on the ground, with SAJ bulldozing into Ramgoolam’s Labour Party’s territory, making inroads among the Hindu community but attracting significant followings from minorities from the Muslim and Creole communities.
With reports that the ‘Vire Mam’ campaign is several points ahead of the MMM-Labour, holding several points clear with the prospects that it wins the elections unexpectedly, the big capital is said to be pressing ahead with cash handouts to political parties.
In yet another surprising development, the Party Mauricien Social Democrat (PMSD) headed by Xavier Duval, the son of former political maverick Sir Gaetan Duval, seem to be getting traction among the General Population.
“This is eating into the MMM’s vote bank, while the Movement Liberateur of Steve Obeegadoo is also a pain in the back of the MMM,” said another observer.
He said there are talks of a possible backlash against Ramgoolam at the constituency No 5, where the MSM may lift one seat or two. The constituency has always elected Navin since his entry in politics in1991.
There are talks of ruling MP’s and Minister’s buying their tickets, some forking up to Rupees 13 million for a seat in a particular MMM-Labour bastion in Port Louis.
Rumours are running high that some foreign companies, including one from India and one from Singapore, are helping the Labour-MMM campaign with millions of Rupees disbursed in the early stages of the election campaign.
“Promises of better deals, in the services sector and the maritime sectors are being made and these companies, known for their strong cash position, are within reach of the corridors of power,” said a local activist.
He said money is fast exchanging hands in these elections, which is a crucial test for the Berenger-Ramgoolam tandem.
“I heard that Rm100 million has been spent on the elections by the ruling coalition so far, and much of this money comes from local and foreign bankrolling,” said the activist.
Adding to the troubled MMM-Labour campaign is the recent claims by Berenger that the LRT or Metro Leger contract was wrongly allocated, with India’s leader Narendra Modi coming into the picture.
The Labour government has hastily allocated the contracts for the construction of a controversial light rail transit service between Port-Louis and other cities in the Midlands.
Berenger said he disagreed that an Indian company has been allocated the first phase of the contract, that is the design and construction while the second phase will be allocated to another company for the running of the operations.
According to Berenger, this endangers the entire investment, since the company engaged to run the show may claim it had no say in the construction and design if anything goes wrong in the future.
This, it is said, has offended the Indian embassy in Port Louis with reverberations in New Delhi.