You can always tell when a government has overstayed its welcome; except in the case of our government because it was never particularly welcome in the first place. The current prime minister came to power first through a legally acceptable but morally abhorrent arrangement between father and son and consolidated it through a ‘system’ that allows 28 per cent of the vote of eligible electors (38% of actual voters) to monopolise the national assembly.

What is clear however is that there is a lot of frustration and anger out there and that these are beginning to be heard in-house, slowly but surely. In this context, Ivan Collendavelloo’s unexpected bout of anger in parliament should not be dismissed as a backbencher doing the job he is paid to do. That particular form of parliamentary democracy is gone. A totally new culture is in place. Nor should the fact that the anger came out at the same time as the formalisation of the Labour/MMM/PMSD alliance be dismissed as a mere coincidence.

No one is suggesting that Collendavelloo is packing up to leave government. If he had wanted to leave, he would have left immediately after being humiliated in the Saint Louis saga, “on a mere piece of paper” evidence, while his colleagues from the MSM have been getting away with murder. He would have saved his dignity then. It is too late now. Whether he stays or leaves, he is damaged goods and the MSM perfectly knows that.

Besides, the Mouveman Liberater only exists on paper now. In parliament, Ismaël Rawoo already has one foot in the MSM and is reaping all the benefits, including state land on the beach. So do not expect him to do anything on “a matter of principle” when he can’t afford to. Zahid Nazurally is unlikely to do the honourable thing if his leader resigned either. He has never protested against any of the ills he has seen going on and has systematically voted for all the repressive bills presented without blinking. His occasional ‘protests’ are restricted to his Facebook page. Every time I have read them, I prayed that he understood what he himself wrote so that the number of people who have made sense out of his posts rises from zero to one.

But Collendavelloo can still contemplate to leave the government perhaps to extract revenge because he can no longer take the frustration which must be gnawing at him, particularly after the support given by cabinet to Manish Gobin and Rajanah Dalliah in the Black Label & Stag Party saga, where the circumstances pointing towards their guilt are more than just “a piece of paper”. Collendavelloo was let go of for much less. The only way he can do that is by resigning at a most inconvenient time for the government. Which is what former Minister of Finance Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo did a few years ago. Like Collendavelloo, Lutchmeenaraidoo spent a few years stewing in frustration and he expressed it every now and then by publicly criticising the government’s track record and going to the extent of attacking ministers for bragging about such a poor performance. Then he chose the right time to resign, pushing the government to choose between a very risky by-election and calling general elections at a time it wasn’t quite ready for it. It chose the latter.

Collendavelloo has the opportunity to choose that option. The MSM is banking on another budget to dish out more goodies. He can cause a lot of harm by preventing that. The opposition alliance has already been cobbled up and there are signs of fear and unease within the government ranks. A surprise attack may well scupper any ploys the latter might have under their sleeves to appropriate victory by means foul and fair. 

So let’s see if the Chihuahua is capable of a blood-curdling roar or of only a timid whimper.