Pravind Jugnauth’s budget speech marked the beginning of a new era. It was his final audition in front of peers in a bid to gain back some of their trust. We live in a country where the personality cult reigns supreme and the ineluctable rise of the minister of finance to the throne is expected sooner rather than later. This is Pravind Jugnauth’s time, whether we want it or not.

Except that we have been hearing that speech for a long time now. For those who tend to forget, which is an inherent characteristic of Mauritians, Pravind Jugnauth has been the leader of the MSM for nearly 13 years. This is also not his first budget speech. He has been minister of finance in Paul Bérenger’s government, in Navin Ramgoolam’s government and now in Anerood Jugnauth’s government. A pattern starts to appear out of the loud chorus of those pushing for Pravind Jugnauth to take over from his father. The leader of the MSM is the ultimate follower. The one time he took the MSM as a majority member of a coalition to an election campaign, it was his father who led it.  In spite of his glaring weaknesses, Anerood Jugnauth is a charismatic leader. His son is not.

When Anerood Jugnauth was enjoying a quiet retirement as the president of Mauritius, the MSM had weakened significantly under the leadership of Pravind Jugnauth. It took his father’s return, Ramgoolam’s debauchery and Bérenger’s decision to align the MMM with the Labour Party, to propel the MSM back into the spotlight. Even then, during the 2014 general election campaign, Anerood Jugnauth opted for Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo as his potential minister of finance, while Pravind Jugnauth was forced to bide his time. 

Many will argue that the MedPoint case was like a sword of Damocles hanging over his head. In spite of a favourable verdict on appeal in front of the supreme court, the Director of Public Prosecutions has expressed his willingness to take the case in front of the privy council. Pravind Jugnauth is safe for now, which is why he was promoted to minister of finance. It might not last for too long.

Make no mistake about it. We all expect Pravind Jugnauth to become prime minister. With several of his main opponents looking like they are running out of steam, the Jugnauth dynasty will live on and become the new normal. His biggest concern might actually come from Xavier-Luc Duval and his all-conquering PMSD. Duval, like his father, has big ambitions and he may not remain an ally of Pravind Jugnauth beyond the Alliance Lepep’s current mandate.

In the meantime, let’s all sit back, relax and pretend that we, as a people, have a say in who leads our country. Long live democracy! Long live Pravind Jugnauth!

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