My vote is for the MMM v/s the Ramgoolam character

This is part 1 of a series of articles on why my vote is for the MMM in the upcoming general elections!

Let me make one or two things clear here before I continue with my assessment of the general elections in Mauritius.

I visited Mauritius last year, met with some top personalities and had a few sessions with my ‘people’ on the ground.

My people here I mean the people who diligently send us stories from Mauritius, without fear, or favour.

We publish the articles on WorldFutureTv or now WFTV.LIVE and they get good reads.

Those who still remember me in Mauritius, and my family members surely, will know that I am a supporter of the Labour Party. I have been pro-Labour for decades.

I would want to be a member of the Labour Party in Mauritius, but since I live abroad, I made it a point to stay clear of any memberships in my country.

And I believe this gives me the liberty to say one or two things that may hurt many but will explain my vote for the MMM. I will not vote, I live in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

THE LABOUR PARTY

The party has a voter base of 20-30 per cent. I am talking about the traditional ‘Rouges’ in local politics.

Though a significant number left the party in the 2014 elections, deservedly, they are back in the folds.

To be fair to the Labour Party, they are a powerful lot, capable of winning these elections with an upper hand. But they do have some issues to sort out.

First, there is the RS200,000,000 (that’s many zeros) of leader Navin Ramgoolam. He did not convince me with his explanations why he kept such a sum of cash under his mattress (to put it in the traditional way).

Navin is too modern, too savvy to do such a thing. He was surely afraid of something, of the MSM-ML winning (as he was forewarned) and he kept the money under his bed or in the ‘coffrefort’?

I don’t think it is his small business, side business money. Donation? Most probably some of it is donations. His travel allowances? Perhaps, but no one would keep such allowances to the point of amassing RM200 million!

It is dodgy at best.

THE RAMGOOLAM CHARACTER

I met Navin Ramgoolam once or twice in my career as a Journalist for the BBC in Port Louis.

On both occasions, he was with Sir Gaetan Duval. On one such an occasion, I interviewed him and Duval for the BBC.

I gave them a hard time. He complained to Duval about the remarks I was making on the Labour-Coq chances in the 1991 elections.

After the elections, I met him again with Duval at the presser at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam’s old domain at Rue Desforges. I gave Duval a hard time then.

Navin was docile and was completely under the influence of Duval. But I never knew the Navin who became the PM and bulldozed the veterans in politics.

But I read a lot about the mistakes and the personal drama’s in his life since he became PM and his biggest mistake in 2014 to join hands with the MMM instead of going it alone or with the PMSD.

I hear from my people on the ground that many people are worried about the ‘character’ of Navin. Will he change for the best?

He is making intense efforts on social media (Facebook) to get the people to believe he is a changed man.

Today I read how his wife is giving him full support, despite him going astray in their marriage and getting involved with the ‘mysterious’ Nandini Sournak.

The social media is full of memes and other videos detailing Navin’s ways and misgivings. To be fair to the doctor, he is only human and to err is human.

But will the majority of the Labour supporters forgive him for the misgivings and the ‘derapages’ which made it possible for the MSM-ML to be in power today?