I have a great idea for you. With the scant respect for the normal parliamentary practices being displayed week in and week out in our national assembly, I suggest we close it and allow the honourable members to do what they do best: travel a bit more at our expense and carry on with any deals they wish to engage in no questions asked.

Our national assembly has become grotesque in its intolerance of accountability on almost all issues.  And the speaker seems to be unwittingly helping in the muzzling of MPs every time ministers find themselves in a tight spot over key issues.

On Tuesday, our speaker, shrieking at the top of her voice, was quick at stopping opposition members from asking supplementary questions about the National Insurance Company. Everyone patiently listened to Minister Roshi Bhadain read from his notes answers to the questions which were not asked. When opposition members called his bluff by asking for real figures, suddenly, all the information became “too sensitive” and could not be disclosed. Before the opposition had the opportunity to challenge that, the speaker decided it was time to move to the next question! After barely two supplementary questions instead of four! And when the speaker decides, you obey. Otherwise, you hear the same shriek, "Are you challenging my authority?", "You are losing (sic) the time of the House!" and "I am not being (sic) in control of anything!" So while members of the opposition were shouting, "cover up!", "shame!", "disgusting", the speaker just walked out and with her the possibility of ever knowing how our public money is being used!

Then there is Vice-Prime Minister Showkutally Soodhun – the one who remains under the illusion that he still has a reputation to protect. He is so worried about not tarnishing it that he admits that his son did indeed obtain the gift of an industrial lease for a piece of land but it had nothing to do with the fact that his father is the minister responsible for land. Not at all! Anyone who is not satisfied with that answer, he challenged, can go to the ICAC.

Minister of Ocean Economy Prem Koonjoo frankly beats them all. If you want any information other than what was written for him to read, contact the Ministry of Public Infrastructure! As simple as that! So after some hilarious laughter, MP Aadil Ameer Meea asked the minister for the phone number.

Minister of Sports Yogida Sawmynaden will simply not answer any question whatsoever because the alleged corruption and cover up case he has been accused of is at the level of the ICAC! And if he lied in parliament about his press adviser – allegedly out on bail in a criminal case – that was the information he had at that time! Move along; nothing to see here.

As for Bashir Jahangeer, it is a sad story. He was playing his role as backbencher by tabling a question about transparency in a huge contract allocated by the Ministry of Energy when he was asked to simply withdraw it, shut up, toe the line or else. Too afraid to lose his seat, he happily complied. After all, principles should not be too costly.

The prime minister and leader of the House enhanced all this through his statement in parliament on Tuesday, "I don't care what other countries think about Mauritius!" He was referring to the US State Department country report, no less.

If even in parliament we can’t get some straight answers, how dare those sitting there talk about good governance and transparency! Isn’t that self-defeating?

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