In a press conference last weekend, Paul Bérenger claimed that he had information about drug lords and political involvement. We don’t know who. We don’t know how. We’ll just have to take his word for it. 

On the other hand, Anerood Jugnauth argued last week that he knew nothing about what happened at Air Mauritius even though it falls under his purview. We’ll just have to take his word for it. As for Navin Ramgoolam, he promised that he had left his life of debauchery behind him and that he would not make the same mistakes again. We’ll just have to take his word for it. Shame on us for not holding politicians accountable as much as we should.

There is nothing as disconcerting as hanging on to the words of men and women who feast on our inherent fear of thinking for ourselves. Politicians like Ramgoolam, Jugnauth and Bérenger — not only them but they are usually the ones that come to mind — have shaped this country and our minds. What is the purpose of making our own decisions and forming our own opinions when someone else can do it for us? Truth is, while good politicians, whatever that means, are essential for our democracy, we should never lose the independence of our own thoughts. 

In this day and age, when the Mauritian melting pot is starting to show signs of weakness, contemporary politicians want us to believe that they can unite us and end whatever misery has fallen upon us. We have to understand that politics does not bring people together and never will. If there was no division, there would be no politics as we know it. The purpose of the politicians is not to bring us together — if we are all forced to think the same, our democracy would fall into oblivion — but to make sure that our differences don’t tear us apart. 

It is key for the future of this country that we do not let a few elites shape how we think about issues or even what issues we think about. It should be more important for politicians to listen to us rather than the other way around. After all, our concerns vary greatly. As much as they are important issues, not everyone in this country cares about the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement with India, the millions lost in Heritage City and the power struggle at Air Mauritius.  Some would rather focus on the drug situation, the education system, road safety, unemployment, among so many other things. It is not for politicians to dictate our lives and it is not for us to treat their words as gospel. 

We cannot fall prey to the false security of consensus. We cannot end up again and again with perennial power-hungry leaders sermonising diatribes and ruling with imperious disdain. We cannot lose our paradise.

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