Everything seems to suggest that the protest planned for August 29 is set to become one of the most historically significant events – perhaps the biggest protest – in the recent history of the island. It will also be unique in the sense that it will not be restricted to Mauritius, but will undoubtedly reverberate through several capitals and cities around the world.

Whether or not the protest will be a history-changing moment will depend on keeping the momentum of a people who have had enough and are determined to show it. For that, two things have to be heeded, one from within and one from without.

“This is not an election. It is an outcry against a repressive and corrupt system nibbling away at everything this country has achieved since its Independence, including free and fair elections.”

First, the tribalism campaign which has already started, tagging Bruneau Laurette, the instigator of the protest, of racism, is a very dangerous and ugly move! Quite apart from the fact that the Katori crowd is in a very bad position to give lessons in national unity, Laurette is just a responsible citizen who had the common sense to apply for permission to hold the protest. Without the excesses of the government, its incompetence, irresponsibility, nepotism, scandals, allegations of drug trafficking, the corruption surrounding government people and the wrath resulting from that, the permission obtained from the police would have served little purpose. The people the Katori campaigners are trying to seduce should be smart enough to realise that no community is spared from the consequences of nepotism, corruption, repression, dictatorship, attacks on human rights, mismanagement of public funds and the irresponsible handling of the Bank’s reserves. When the country has been driven to bankruptcy, which is definitely the way we are heading, and our rights have become a thing of the past, there are no winners in any community and primitive reactions to those who are in the same boat as us are not likely to help. And let’s be blunt about it: the small circle of roder boute** revolving around the seat of power don’t come from one community. Many are turncoats who have jumped on the gravy train and are using communities they no longer represent to enrich themselves, their close relatives and mistresses in an obscene and outrageous manner. Those who are outside the circle of power, irrespective of their religious belonging, are left out. Nepotism, lack of meritocracy and equal opportunities serve only a select few. Let the others not be fooled now by the sweet and fake talk.

The second and more dangerous thing the protesters have to worry about is trying to fight dictatorship with intolerance. It was sad to see comments on social media by some well-meaning people expressing their open disapproval of some politicians’ declared intention to join the protest. This stand plays into the hands of the government and can take away from the momentum the organisers have been able to garner. People have the right to like or dislike politicians. They are entitled to their own allegiances and even emotions. The fact remains that the protest march needs as many legs as it can gather. As to the question of “Who do we replace this lot with?” that’s a decision for the people of this country to take in due course.

The success of the march depends on the lucidity of those participating in it. This is not an election. It is an outcry against a repressive and corrupt system nibbling away at everything this country has achieved since its Independence, including free and fair elections. Now if, come polling day, the people of this country decide in a free and fair election – away from T-squares, mysterious computer rooms and ballot papers neatly stacked in boxes or roaming around in nature –  to elect crooked, incompetent crooks to rule this country, then that will be the price of democracy. Considering the way people have woken up and found the courage to fight for their rights, I dare hope that they will vote, not for people they like or dislike, but for a new manifesto that will keep elected members accountable to those who gave them power in the first place.

In the meantime, let’s not jump the gun. The house is on fire. Putting it out can only be done with humility, lucidity and the participation of everyone. Let August 29 be a day we can, for years to come, tell our children and grandchildren about!

*A racist campaign by Somduth Dulthumun against the former prime minister

**Opportunists