Those who had started writing Paul Bérenger’s political obituary and called for disobedience must have already put their pens down and will soon recant their ‘heresy’. The guy is not stupid and he has shown no signs of being delusional. He will get what he wanted in the end: real power with little hassle. The cyclone which had ripped through his ‘base’ now seems like a faint distant breeze. Refreshing, in fact, as it has allowed him to reassert his leadership over the whole party.

Major decisions will be taken today as both leaders meet their foot soldiers. Nobody can read Navin Ramgoolam’s mind but there is reason to suppose that he is serious about reform and a genuine power-sharing with Bérenger. There is naturally nothing altogether altruistic in this let’s not romanticise the narrative – but then again there is never anything altruistic in politics anyway. We try to keep a straight face when – time and time again – politicians seeking power wrap up their interests in the nice package of servi pays. Or principles and ethics. Please don’t make us laugh! There is nothing that politicians want more than getting into power and staying there. Look around you – from Mugabe to Bouteflika, going through Assad – the world is a lesson.

Had he had it his way, Ramgoolam would have gobbled up the cake and polished the plate clean. Within the remake,– considering Sir Anerood Jugnauth’s age and the MSM’s puny political weight – Bérenger would have eaten a large slice of the cake, licked the icing and swallowed the cherry. What has forced them to make do with half the cake is very simple. And it is not about what you or I think. It is about what they think.

In spite of the opinion poll he quoted, Navin Ramgoolam thinks he would take a huge risk by going it alone. Besides, even if he won, he would not get a big enough majority to make any difference. Equally, Bérenger thinks he could perhaps win the election within the remake but it would be terribly risky. Besides, he could not tolerate the idea of having to work with Pravind Jugnauth one day. So, both guys resigned themselves to getting together in the way two old lovers – after having slept around with just about everyone else, want to settle down in a serious relationship in their old age. To be fair, the chemistry between the two is the only honest thing in this whole cacophony.

So whether we like it or not – and we certainly don’t as we have always stood against alliances which skew democracy – a Labour/MMM alliance is no longer discussed under the radar. It is talked about openly and – dare I say– defiantly. The MMM dissidents did not attract any crowds – hard as they tried – and the militants are now back in line and fully behind their undisputed leader. The Labour supporters have remained quiet – as they usually do – and will throw their full weight behind their leader and his new conquest when the time comes.

Nothing which has been done is anti-democratic. The only problem is that democracy is not perfect. The good news is that we have the final say.