Mauritius sees largest rally in 40 years!

A huge crowd of Mauritians took to the streets of Mahébourg, the second massive protest in a month, on Saturday last.

They protested over the perceived government mishandling of a devastating oil spill from the Wakashio.

These rallies are the biggest the nation has seen in 40 years after the MMM-PSM won the 1982 elections.

The protest rally, a mixture of environment conservationism and frustration over the MSM-ML-others regime, is gaining momentum.

A DECADE TO CLEAN UP OIL SPILL

Mauritius faces widespread pollution from the spill. Some experts are saying it may take as long as a decade to clean up.

There are no talks whether compensations will help the thousands of people who depend on the delicate ecosystem.

Hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, a slow down in global economy the oil spill adds to the nation’s woes.

POLITICAL RAMIFICATIONS

The rallies will have some political ramifications in Mauritius. Backed by the opposition parties that are not spearheading the movement, the organisers are bent on sending a message to the authorities.

It started as a purely ecological affair, with a climate-conscious citizen calling for people to rally in protest of the oil spill.

The group, headed by a little known figure before the rallies, Bruneau Laurette, has grown into a massive pro-environment mouvement.

Currently, it is entangled in the political struggle of the opposition parties and a large number of the population that feels hapless in the face of the MSM-ML’s disdain for anything that is right.

The rally speeches are more and more enticing for the a segment of the population that wants the government of embattled Pravind Jugnauth to quit.

The participants, mostly carrying the national flag, are also shouting for Jugnauth to resign and for his government to vacate the ‘Government House.”