Their greed for power and lucre is surpassed only by their shamelessness. One scandal follows another as one family shares the spoils of the whole country. Their reaction?

They either repeat the same stale mantra that procedures have been followed or they lay low and wait for another scandal to make us forget the previous one while they are milking the country dry.

The family tale started with the appointment of Maya Hanoomanjee, niece of Sarojini Jugnauth, as speaker of the national assembly. For starters, Hanoomanjee was one of the few Lepep candidates to have been defeated in the last election. Instead of being sent to pasture to reflect on this terrible performance, she was put at the head of the very seat of democracy, where she sat, unabashed, as the scandals surrounding her unfolded one after another.

First, there was the scandal of the unpaid hospital bills to Apollo Bramwell Hospital. When Hanoomanjee found out that the press knew all about it, she hotfooted her way to the hospital, settled her bill and came out bragging about it.

Before we forgot about her unpaid bills, we found out about her multiple travels with her husband and the junketeering paid for by those who are barely scraping a living. Refusing accountability, she was quick to malign the press for thinking that she was not entitled to do what she liked whenever she liked.

These two scandals were followed by her daughter’s appointment to a position she did not know existed – CEO of the State Property Development Company. She is now vying for the post of Super CEO of Landscope Mauritius. No need for me to rub it in by reminding you of the perks of such a position. Put your heads down and carry on with your miserable jobs!

Then we spotted our dear speaker – the epitome of independence and objectivity in any parliament – having dinner at Clarisse House with members of the ruling parties! When questioned, she not only confirmed our suspicions but told us in so many words that the dinner – at the prime minister’s official residence – was a family dinner and that she was there as a family member!

This scandal was immediately displaced by the biscuit saga. For those who have not travelled in the last month or so, please be aware that there are now in our duty free shops biscuits which cure all the diseases and help one sleep soundly on the plane. Hence the cost: Rs680 (€17) a box! These same biscuits – you will be interested to know – are not made in the UK as the speaker’s daughter had allegedly made the MDFP believe – if our information holds us right –but in our very own island and sold at Rs12 in a supermarket near you.

Our dear Sheila conceded that the biscuits being sold at the airport are indeed the same ones sold in other supermarkets for a fraction of the price but that there is added value. Indeed there is: The package sold at the airport has a photo of Eureka House – a historical place in Moka. Guess what? The photo was used without consulting the owner of Eureka, let alone suggesting any royalties to him. If the country belongs to you, why should you worry about using a photo of your backyard?

In the meantime, the speaker’s nephew, the prime minister – leaving no crumbs for the other ministers, especially not Nando Bodha – is now also heading the pilgrimage Task Force. He is spending his time in Grand Bassin showing how religious he is and has been parading on the channels of the MBC for over a week in an overkill show, with some religious parasites waxing lyrical about him. And, he looks us straight in the eye and tells us that he is keen on dissociating religion from politics. Are you kidding me?

I don’t know which is worse: the fact that the ruling family is insulting our intelligence or that they find enough gullible journalists to repeat their shameless comments. Or that, in the end, we deserve what we get.

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