Christmas is around the corner and the country has just chosen a new government hoping for a new style of governance. The euphoria which has swept through the country has soaked everyone. So we really didn’t want to rain on the nation’s parade.

We wanted to talk about Arvin Boolell’s Facebook message of “warm congratulations to all elected members” as well as the confidence he expressed “in the Labour/MMM opposition”.

We wanted to highlight the message of the former prime minister who, taking the most crushing defeat he has ever experienced on the chin and refusing to get dragged into “a blame game” about who, other than himself, is responsible for losing him the election, found it in him to thank everyone who helped during the campaign and the population at large, congratulated the winning team and wished them good luck in leading the country to new heights.

We wanted the words of Ivan Collandavello about his respect for democracy to stand out: About the rumour of witch-hunt against the former prime minister, he says that “It is out of the question to issue objections to departure summarily as it would be against democracy.”

We wanted to spread the good mood caused by raising the pension and the incentive it has created in all of us to make sure we live beyond 100 years to be able to live well.

There were many positive things we wanted to talk about but, unfortunately, some negatives kept prodding us and demanding our urgent attention:

The successive  resignations of MMM members – from Jenny Mooteealoo to Vinay Koonjal, going through Dhanraj Boodhoo – straight after their hopes of getting theirboutes (Privileges) had been dashed shows human nature at its worst. Some of them suddenly found out that the “new government has started well”. A bit late in the day to realise that, isn’t it?

The one who takes the award, however, is Maurice Allet, the worst loser in the history of this country. In a previous “Allez Maurice – the latest blockbuster” editorial, we related to you how this gentleman, who owed his nomination at the head of the Mauritius Ports Authority (MPA) to the Parti Mauricien Social Démocrate (PMSD) had called a press conference after his party resigned from government and started blaming his leader for leaving “a winning team and going on a suicidal trip”. 

When the press conference drew to an end, Allet had not uttered a word about resigning from his post as chairman of the MPA. When a journalist put the question to him, he seemed confused, even surprised: “Resign? Why resign?” he asked before delving back into a rambling, bitter diatribe on the wrongs of his former leader and party members. 

The cherry on the cake came in the form of a question to the journalists: “Do you think I am staying because I have something to gain from this position?” he stated. Oh, perish the thought! All chairmen of parastatals are there to servi pays, of course!

We thought back then that he could not possibly stoop any lower. Until the PMSD was back in government and our dear Allet had the temerity to declare that he would like to go back to the party which he had deserted as soon as it went into the opposition!

Well, at least with the Allets, Mooteealoos, Koonjals and Boodhoos, we are sure that politicians are capable of stooping lower than even our lowest expectations. And this clouds over any positive thoughts we wake up intent on conveying.