When the general election of 2014 was over and the Lepep Party won with a hefty majority, there was a big sigh of relief among the Mauritian population that things will become better. Because the previous government had shamelessly been only looking after its cronies and its own interests at the expense of the majority. There was great hope that the new elected members of Parliament will clean the country of corruption and bad governance, a hope that seemed justified when the former Prime Minister’s home was searched and he was arrested. There was even talk of a second miracle. A few months’ later, in spite of a few protests and dissenting views, the Good Governance Bill was passed without any problem and the hope of the population was given fresh wings.

As the Commonwealth Secretariat is planning to hold a conference on Tackling Corruption Together at Marlborough House today in London, participating Members would undoubtedly want to know the latest developments in the commonly referred to “Paradise Island”. Further information about the conference, its agenda and the speakers’ list can be found on the Commonwealth organisation website.

“The Ministry of Health recruited 60 out of 600 eligible doctors, most of those recruited were close relatives of Ministers. And the list goes on and on.’’

A few telling events that have happened recently: 1) Youshreen Choomka, a MSM sympathiser, was recruited as the Director of the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) under controversial circumstances resulting in her salary being tripled. 2) Vijaya Sumputh the former Director of Tourism was appointed at the helm of the Cardiac Centre even though she does not have a medical background. 3) The son of the current Prime Minister has been found guilty by the Intermediate court for conflict of interest in the sale of the Medpoint Clinic to no other than his sister for the hefty sum of Rs 144 million when it was valued at a lower price.

In addition: 4) Preregistration examination for aspiring doctors was held without the syllabus being made available. On protest, it was decided to register all those students (including those who had failed the examination!) with the Medical Council to allow them to practice in Mauritius. So, we have doctors who have failed the preregistration examination practising in our hospitals. The University of Technology was awarding a Degree in Medicine when it did not have a Faculty of Medicine. The Ministry of Health recruited 60 out of 600 eligible doctors, most of those recruited were close relatives of Ministers. And the list goes on and on. Is this our concept of good governance?

This government came in upon big promises to clean up the mess left by the previous regime. There were talks of meritocracy and equal opportunities, reduction of crime and creation of jobs. What we did finally get was increase in unemployment with whatever jobs available going to relatives and friends of the politicians; meritocracy has gone up in smoke. From an outside perspective, everything seems to be rosy but looking at it from inside, the island is infected with corruption and bad governance and it is spreading like wild fire. With such prevalent corruptive practices and with no end in sight, is Mauritius in a strategic position to offer guidance and advice to other Members of the Commonwealth in fighting corruptive practices? What will the members of the Commonwealth Secretariat learn from such bad practices?

The cherry on the cake of hypocrisy is that the Good Governance Bill passed recently has not been implemented, tested or monitored for anyone to be able to categorically conclude that it (i) will be effective in combatting corruption and (ii) is fit for purpose for good governance. To summarise, corruption and bad governance are rife in Mauritius and it does not appear it will stop in the near future. The picture that the government is trying to portray is completely different from the sombre realities lived by the people on a daily basis.