More parliamentary questions this week highlighting suspicion, accusations and counter-accusations, more visits to the Line Barracks by former Mauritius Telecom CEO Sherry Singh (SS), a second resignation, more unrest and a rather substantial manifestation in front of the Prime Minister’s Office and the National Assembly…SS’s revelations have been front page news for two weeks running and the tsunami he unleashed is not showing any sign of abating.

Perhaps the most worrying event for Pravind Jugnauth is the second resignation at Mauritius Telecom, with former Chief Technical Officer Girish Guddoy stating that he is leaving after 20 years of working for the company “to stand by my values and do the right thing for me, for my conscience and for my country” – a reminder of the reasons stated by SS when he slammed the door of MT. If this could be considered good news for the country, it may not be such good news for the government. If two employees walk away from a company where the government is the biggest shareholder on the grounds that staying would compromise their values, interfere with their conscience and the interests of the country, the finger is pointing directly towards the head of government. Bad news indeed, particularly that the opposition alleges that the poor CTO had been called in for four meetings before he threw in the towel.

Sadly, in the same week, our high commissioner in India added her contribution by highlighting on a private radio that she was not aware of anything and that she had no participation in this whole saga. It was equally clear that cabinet ministers who should have been in the know in fact also suggested that they knew nothing, though they were happy to join the prime minister’s defence bandwagon.

While this was happening, the South African high commissioner to Mauritius stated to our colleagues on Radio One that she was waiting for “concrete facts” about what really happened at the Landing Station of Baie-Jacotet before reacting. There is little doubt that many other representatives of the countries we are hosting have similar expectations and wish to see an end to the confusion and climate of suspicion currently polluting the country.

The prime minister’s rejection of the leader of the opposition’s suggestion to set up a select committee to find out the truth behind all these allegations and put to rest the whole confusion is not going in that direction. His insistence that only the police will be able to enquire is a clear signal that the truth is unlikely to come out anytime soon. So, snippets of information from the opposing side will continue to be doled out in drops, like table scraps, creating more hunger than satiety.

My worry is that the more the hunger for information drags on, the more harm will be caused to the country and its relationship with other friendly countries, embassies and businesses that have put their trust in us. The more appearances SS makes at the Line Barracks, the more talk there will be about the reasons why he is going there and the interest in what documents he may have disclosed will only heighten.

There are few people in this country and perhaps elsewhere who believe that the Central Crime Investigation Department (CCID) will carry out a prompt and truly independent inquiry likely to bring out the truth even if it is not in the interest of members of the government. And it is clear that, like the South African high commissioner, everyone is waiting for “concrete facts”. The sooner these are provided, the better for the position of the country in the world. I hope the warring sides truly show their patriotism by disclosing what they have once and for all. The current climate of suspicion is arguably worse than any truth that may be hidden. We are paying a high price for it.