Accroche: “The Alliance Lepep managed to surf on a wave of anger from a population which has had its fill of more of the same.”

It wasn’t a defeat. It was a thrashing. All political observers were taken by surprise as the much smaller Alliance Lepep swept 47 seats, leaving the alliance which was “sure” to get a 60-0 victory grabbing for crumbs. The leader of the MMM managed to make it in extremis while the Labour Party leader was voted out by totally unknown faces. Never before have we seen this in the history of this country. But then again, never before have we had such an atypical election.

Just as Ronald Koeman, Southampton’s coach said after a crushing defeat by the Manchester team, “We did not lose to Manchester United, we beat ourselves”, the Alliance del’Unité et de la Modernitédug its own grave and lost largely to the second republic – a proposed change which was neither understood nor desired. And the coup de grâce came from the insistence of the two leaders to forge ahead with their proposal with unprecedented arrogance. They alienated their own people and lost the support of the masses who had much more mundane concerns. Paul Bérenger’s acrobatics and Navin Ramgoolam’s over-confidence in their ability to walk over any opposition convinced those who were undecided that they needed a total change.

While Bérenger and Ramgoolam were busy working out the details of the second republic, surrounded by a totally inept communication team running a disastrous campaign, the Alliance Lepep was communicating with the electorate on a daily basis and talking to them in a language they understood about bread-and-butter issues they were interested in: Rs5,000 for pensioners was a bait few could resist in a greying Mauritius; a Muslim president – albeit without powers – managed to attract a tiny fraction of an electorate hitherto and to a large extent still hostile to the MSM. And, to avoid leaving any other community out, there was the promise of a Tamil vice-president.

But more than the promises and talk of issues relevant to the man in the street, the Alliance Lepep managed to surf on a wave of anger from a population which has had its fill of more of the same. The rage and frustration coming from two blocs which have historically been sworn enemies and were asked to work together as one dealt the final blow. The militants did not want Ramgoolam as president and the Labour supporters did not want Bérenger as prime minister and that was that.

So congratulations to the Alliance Lepep. The celebration should, however, be modest and the champagne uncorked discretely. For, if the ballot has lessons for the losers, it probably has more lessons for the winners. And they should have the humility to learn from them. The lowest turnout ever since 1982 is a way of telling all politicians “give us a break”. The particularly stinging defeat of the two biggest parties is more a sanction against those who have lost than an acceptance of those who have won. It is an expression of anger against arrogance and taking the electorate for granted. It is an expression of a deep desire for change – any change was welcome from a population which felt trapped by two big parties.  A change from everything the Labour Party was perceived to stand for. A change from an MMM which is seen as having lost it.

All in all, however, the game of democracy was played and that is the biggest achievement of our tiny island. George Bernard Shawsaid, “Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.” So the candidates we have elected are the candidates we deserve. They now must deliver on the concerns expressed by voters and avoid the witch-hunt which accompanies new victories. As for the parties that lost, after the dust has settled a little and the disappointment overcome, they should think very deeply about the lessons of the ballot and take time to do a post-mortem, revisit their policies and review their parties. Being out of parliament can be a blessing in disguise. We hope they take it as a great opportunity to bounce back and offer an alternative when it is needed.