“A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book,” someone who remained anonymous once said. In fact, you don’t have to do both. You can either sleep until you are woken up by the joyous noise of candidates who have won the municipal and village elections, or you can keep your sense of humour in the face of what is currently going on. In either case, the result will be the same: you will have kept your sanity; something too precious to trade for so little. I recommend laughter though, as there is no shortage of opportunities to giggle. And one has to be grateful as these opportunities are provided to us by our dear compatriots free of charge. If they were intentional, we’d probably be unable to afford them.

The first opportunity was provided by the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) which just woke up from its slumber to suddenly fi nd out that there should be a law gagging those who intervene on private radios so that they do not infl uence the votes. Excuse me? Which votes? Are we electing the president of the US or China or something? Yes, we are all fully aware of the motivations of some of those who participate in phone-in programmes and are at times disconcerted by the ease with which they hurl muck at others. But many of these interventions provide entertainment rather than engage our minds. Many of us did not pay any attention…until the IBA decided they could infl uence the minds of the intelligent people that we are. A real cock-up made worse by the prime minister’s ill-advised attempt to justify the unjustifiable.

Then there is our dear member of parliament, Cehl Meeah. He supposedly has some very important information about some very important transactions relating to the Gros Derek drug saga, which he alleges involves three MPs, one of whom is a minister. There are so many ways he could have used that information – some of which is now in the public domain – in the public interest. He chooses to go and koze kozé with the prime minister instead and ask him to check whether the information is true or not.

Now Meeah is calling for the police – who incidentally still do not offi cially know who Cehl Meeah is talking about – to arrest the minister allegedly implicated in the drug ring. All this in the wake of the municipal elections.

If you are still in for a good chuckle, here is another opportunity: both alliances are saying that they have a vision for our towns and villages. And where, pray tell, has this vision been hiding all these years that it comes up only at election time and we forget its meaning for the following six years?

Then there is the accusation that one of the mayors is campaigning in his official car. I first chuckled when the president of the Labour Party reacted by saying he had not seen him, almost suggesting that that is proof enough that he did not do it. Then I burst out laughing when I found out that the one accusing the mayor is none other than Sir Aneerood Jugnauth himself! I don’t know when you were born but I have been around long enough to find this hilarious.

The enthusiasm of candidates is really endearing. They seem to be the whole orchestra in a concert of indifference. Had it not been for the sense of humour of some of our compatriots, we would probably not even know what they are so enthusiastic about. When did you say these elections were again?

In this issue of Weekly

Interview: Weekly speaks to Chit Dukhira, expert on local government on how the apparatus of local government has been defanged, do local elections matter anymore and should political parties vacate municipal elections?

Cover Story: Mauritian schools are suffering from an epidemic of rising violence and indiscipline. Weekly explores the reasons behind this rise.

What’s on: eBay and internet shopping is taking the island by storm. Is that a good thing and what should every Mauritian know about budgeting their online purchases.

Education: Weekly takes a look at the explosion of private tertiary education  institutions in Mauritius and what does this mean for the future of Mauritian education.

Portrait: This week we take a look at the life and times of Ignace Lam, managing director of Intermart Ebène and Grand Baie La Croisette. 

Sports: Latest analysis from the world of Tennis, the Grand Prix plus the top 10 goals ever scored.

This issue will be available on the newsstands until December 5 for Rs 25.