Still in an open air prison?

Yes for eight months now and I try to look at the good side. I have more time to spend with the family. People around me know that I can’t go out after 8 pm. So, I spend that time with my family.

Don’t you feel you could do so much more and that having such harsh restrictions imposed on you does not give you that much leeway?

For sure. I would have done so much for the people. Which is why I am checking with my lawyers if there is anyway the restrictions could be relaxed so I can have more time to devote to the citizens of this country.

In a recent case, that of a rave party where people were allegedly caught with considerable amounts of drugs, the police apparently had no objection to their release. In your case, people were accused of all sorts of motives because they agreed to releasing you even into an open-air prison. Did that surprise you?

No. For political opponents, there are rules. For others, there are no rules. So, I ask myself if those who attended the rave party were not related to some powerful people. You see, rave parties are not attended by poor people. They are at times attended by sons and daughters of some high-profile politicians or highly ranked police officers. You never know who some of them are.

Do you know who some of them are?

(Smiles knowingly) I don’t really know who they are apart from what I read in the press.

You are the one who normally tells the country where the drugs are and who is dealing them etc. Today, you have no information at all? Or you are too scared to tell?

I am never scared to tell the truth. Rave parties in Mauritius are well-organised. In some parties, there are policemen not on duty who are put in charge of security there. It’s a well-connected environment. If you take the rave party at Grand-Bassin for example, the stag party, who was present there? Who is connected to that area? Who are they connected to? It’s easy to connect the dots.

But if these people are so well-connected as you say, why did the Special Striking Team (SST) land there?

One week before that happened, I talked about the rave party in a press conference and asked why the SST had never been there. One week later, they did. Ask yourself the question.

What is the answer?

The answer is that it’s an eyewash.

But it’s causing a lot of embarrassment and is going to result in several Parliamentary Questions. Why do that?

(Laughs) That is the big question which the commissioner of police should answer.

I am putting the question to you as I don’t have the commissioner in front of me. In my opinion, the SST need to prove themselves. What they have been doing so far is compromising themselves and the government. And there is much more to come in the near future…

Like what?

Like the fact that some police informers are running a drug business with some rotten policemen.

Now on the political front, you started off very well, built up a good fan base and a lot of followers. Then the next thing we knew was that you are number two in One Moris. Some of your followers called that move a ‘political suicide’. With hindsight, was it?

No, I don’t think so. People are entitled to their opinions. For me, I want to challenge the current system. What we have had so far was change the people but not the system. Personally, I don’t want to accommodate the system. I want to revolutionise it. That means going against the flow, not following the same system. I don’t want to follow the communalism currently in place where no one is elected as a Mauritian. Votes are based on religion and ethnicity.

The first question is: how will you change the system if no one votes for you? We saw in the last opinion poll commissioned by La Sentinelle and Synthèses that One Moris didn’t even have a dot next to the intention of vote. Not even a jant as Shakeel Mohamed would say.

So far, we have not presented a political party. We need to understand what is happening: the government is a specialist in manipulating people and ideas. What they are doing is just changing the packaging. We want a complete change. So what we are saying is: why can’t I, Bruneau Laurette, be a candidate in Triolet or Plaine-Verte? We want to change that mind-set. To do that, we need a new vision. To have a new vision, we need new leaders. What we have is people who have been in politics for 50 years and they haven’t changed the system. They have in fact, contributed to the sickness of Mauritius. All they wanted to do is to survive and save their progeny. Now, on the eve of their retirement, they want to change things?

Talking about the communalism you mentioned. You want to stand as candidate in Triolet, and maybe your partner, Sherry Singh, might want to stand as candidate in Beau-Bassin…

Yes, that would be the first thing to do if we want change… How will you bring any change if you commit another political suicide? How will you ever be elected in Triolet and how will Singh ever be elected in Beau Bassin? Are you suicidal?

Some people may think it’s political suicide. In politics, every day is a new day. Everything is about timing. You may have a great team, but if you shoot too early, you may die too early.

I was expecting less politically correct answers and more frank answers from you. Now, let’s be frank, you know as much as I do that the moment you came up with your One Moris movement, you condoned everything that had been happening in Mauritius Telecom, you took on all the accusations directed at Sherry Singh and you shot yourself in the foot. Don’t you feel trapped now that you have closed all the doors?

The possibilities are still there.

Let’s spell them out please.

For me, I can work with the opposition and with some people in the extra-parliamentary opposition.

Why did you join One Moris then?

That is a good question. Do you remember what happened on 13th February 2021? I supported the march of the Labour Party/MMM/PMSD. Paul Bérenger told me that if they managed to attract 5,000 people to the march, they would be very happy. We ended up attracting more than 20 times that number. One week later, Bérenger said he no longer wanted Dr Navin Ramgoolam as prime minister. Now you will understand my move. Two weeks after that, another leader of a political party met me at Avenue Osman in Quatre-Bornes and asked me to work with them on the basis that they will attract the Labour Party but without Navin Ramgoolam. I said: “No, I am not a traitor. If I want to hit someone, I will hit them in the face, not behind their back.” Now you have these three people sitting together and saying everything is fine?

I don’t think anyone is saying “everything is fine”. What they are saying, including Rezistans ek Alternativ (R&A) is: “We have differences but we have to put them aside and put the interests of the country first in order to get rid of this government to be able to have free and fair elections in the first place.” What you are saying, on the other hand, is: “I will stand in Triolet and Sherry Singh in Beau Bassin and we will bring about a revolution”. Does that sound serious to you? I never said we would do that. I said we can start that process of Mauritianism. I have met Ashok Subron and we agreed that the MSM must be out. We all agree about that. And yes we do need a team working together in the interest of the country. I agree about that too. But I am not prepared to work to save a political party, their leader or their kids. I am on the other hand ready to work for the country and for that, I can make a lot of concessions. We need to force out the MSM.

How will you go about doing that? By forming small groups of candidates who will likely not get their deposit back?

I did not say that is the only way. There are three possibilities: 1. One Moris going it alone. 2. We work with the current opposition if they wish. 3. Work with the extra-parliamentary opposition. I think the project put forward by R&A is a very good one. We have a transition for two years. I will go even further and say that after two years, we can have a referendum and give the people the option to stick to the team in place if they wish.

You know that referendums and what ifs are not part of the Mauritian culture. Don’t you think such a proposal will end up playing in the hands of the MSM?

This is the proposal of R&A. As far as I am concerned, I have no problem with the coalition being presented for five years. This will reassure people as they want long-term management and certainty. For me, the ideal is to present a team for five years.

Let’s now zoom in on your option to join the current opposition coalition. I haven’t spoken to them and I am definitely not speaking on their behalf, but it seems to me that they may accept you joining them as Bruneau Laurette but not as One Moris with your partner. What would you do then?

People from the opposition coalition have never told me anything or communicated with me. If we really want to get rid of the MSM, everyone has to make concessions, including the opposition coalition.

What concessions are you prepared to make?

To save the country, I have no problem working with the opposition coalition. But if there is no communication, how can this happen?

So I am putting the question again to you to make sure I have understood: you have no problem working with the Labour Party/MMM/PMSD coalition… My priority is to save the country from dictatorship so I am prepared to work with the opposition and I am ready to make many concessions. But we have to sit down and talk.

Did they not talk to you?

Never! The only people who talked to me were from the Labour Party, not the MMM, not the PMSD…

Maybe you didn’t give the others a chance to talk to you because you jumped into One Moris.

I will tell you one thing. I have always been honest in whatever I do. Before I was arrested, the Labour Party was talking to me and we were prepared to go it together. After I was arrested, they got together with the other two parties and they stopped talking to me. So what was I supposed to do? Wait for Godot? Anne ma soeur Anne? I told Dr Ramgoolam: “I don’t want to finish like Eric Gimbeau”.

And how did Eric Guimbeau finish?

He finished the way he did because the MMM put pressure on the Labour Party not to take Guimbeau on-board. He trusted them and they left him out in the cold. That’s why I said what I said to Dr Ramgoolam.

Was One Moris a fallback position for you then?

No, it wasn’t. I joined One Moris because Sherry Singh and I have the same convictions. Everyone has a past. Who doesn’t have a past? He hasn’t been convicted of anything yet.

Not as yet…

I am sure on November 30th, the first case against him will be struck out.

In the meantime? We already have a team. Either we work alone or with another team that wants to work with us.

Are you married to each other for better or for worse or each one can go his own way if…

It’s not a question of marriage for me. We are a team and I have never left anyone behind if there is no reason to do so. Sherry Singh has also said that he doesn’t have to be a minister or even a candidate and he also wants to help this country. We need a team. We can sit, talk and decide on the best option, draw a strategy and work out the best move. That’s why I am saying everyone needs to make concessions. The main thing is saving the country. That doesn’t mean I will prostitute myself. We need everyone’s experience and expertise to fight. In any war, you need people in the front line, people in the back office, others dealing with strategy etc. It is only when we have that team that we can decide who will do what.

In other words, everybody should make concessions and Sherry Singh doesn’t need to be a candidate but can be part of the team. Is that what you are saying?

Yes. Like everyone else, Sherry Singh wants this government out and he wants to help towards that. He never insisted on being a candidate.

Is this a call to the opposition coalition to meet you so you can offer your help?

That would be most welcome. We can sit and have a frank and honest discussion with no specific agenda. It is the first step to real change. My greatest wish is to save the country and concessions must come from everyone. So I have absolutely no problem working with the opposition coalition.