Mauritius: The instability of alliances

Two alliances are in a dog fight for rural votes in Mauritius but the country has a history of failed alliances since 1983’s betrayal of the 60-0 government

The only alliances that survived the full term in government are bad alliances. They are the PTR-PMSD alliance in the 1970’s and the MSM-ML alliance of today.

The PTR-PMSD alliance was the ‘baddest’ of all. They are responsible for the beating, jailing and also deaths of MMM activists. The deaths during their reign and under their nose!

It is their police force that beat the demonstrators and closed an eye on the killings of Azor Adelaide and Fareed Muttur.

They are also responsible for the destitute state the economy was since their devilish union started after the PTR took the PMSD in government in the early 1970s to the end of their reign in 1982.

MMM-PSM

The MMM-PSM alliance won a massively total victory in 1982 but it was short-lived.

In my budding years as a journalist, I predicted the alliance will only last 9 months. If Osman Gendoo was alive, he would testify to this.

I met him at a wedding at Goodlands and I told him the government will not last long and by March or April next year (that was in 1982), it will collapse.

He asked me why would I say such a thing? I said it was because there will be traitors and the PSM is not what you think it is.

In 1983, the alliance between the MMM and the PSM crashed and the MMM ended up in opposition.

But since Aneerood Jugnauth did not have a clear majority to rule after rallying the PTR and PMSD on his side along with the PSM that dissolved in his newly created MSM, he called for elections in August of 1983.

His alliance won big time but the MMM became once again a strong opposition.

1991-1995 Alliances

The alliances between the major parties in 1991 and 1995 did not last long. They were unstable and the MMM could not accept the decisions made by the MSM or the PTR.

Some of their actions and decisions went against the principles of the MMM which prefered to be in opposition to continue its struggles.

They also showed that alliances in Mauritius are not stable and will break, inevitably.

2000-2005 MMM-MSM

This is perhaps the only time when an alliance worked in Mauritius and it worked for the people and not for the MPs alone.

Paul Berenger delivered as PM and this is still impacting the country though the benefits are today waning under the MSM-ML alliance.

But the conditions are not conducive for an alliance between the MMM and the MSM. The MSM is rotten and will corrupt the MMM if they were to join forces before the elections.

The same will happen if they were to join and ally after the elections. It will depend on who is elected and who leads the MSM after the polls.

If it is PM Pravind Jugnauth who is still the leader of the MSM after the elections, the latter can say goodbye to the PM post unless he is in alliance with PMSD and PTR.

MSM-ML-PMSD

The alliance broke-off and the PMSD went in opposition. Its leader became the opposition leader in Parliament, shadowing Berenger for once.

But the performances of both the government and of the opposition were below par. The MSM-ML failed as a government on almost all grounds.

They failed to protect minorities and communities in the country. They failed to protect democracy in the country, playing with fire and allowing dissent among communities.

They made a joke of themselves when they endangered the country’s peace and security with their unprofessionalism.

They are one big example of why alliances do not really work in Mauritius.

PTR-PMSD REDUX

Now, we got the PTR to ally with the PMSD again. Remember the 1970’s and the bad governance, the tendency for violence and the abuse of democratic process?

Yes, these two parties are not the same anymore. They are not as violent or as domineering as before. But their history together does not spell good for the people of Mauritius.

Do you want to go that way again? Another alliance that will fail you and throw your choice of government in the doldrums?

Or will you choose a single party that has made its mark in the history of the country as the cleanest, more honest and straightforward party?

MMM THE WAY TO GO

Definitely not! It will be damaging for the future of the country if the people of Mauritius choose the PTR-PMSD alliance of the once again the MSM-ML-etc alliance.

Think twice. Think wisely. Why choose an alliance that will let you down when they inevitably break or they are too strong for you to prevent them from bullying you?

Choose the MMM, the one party that is talking and explaining on a daily basis it will work for you!