I’m showing you a card for formality, but I beat others in opacity—to support my business. While in public, political leaders talk about the need to refine their respective electoral programs (which will only be published on the eve of the elections), in private, they try to align candidates who would be loyal to them until the end, to avoid future Luchmeenaraidoos, Bhadains, or Hurdoyals. It’s better to have people like Yerrigadoo, Sawmynaden, Collendavelloo who, despite being revoked, remain in the fold, all smiles for the press photos.

Besides the total-to-the-end servitude, two other factors dominate the granting of tickets regardless of political parties: blood/dynastic ties and ethnicity.

In July 2014, Member of Parliament Pravind Jugnauth questioned the majority in Parliament about the prickly Best Loser System. He attempted to corner PM Navin Ramgoolam, demanding clarifications on the allocation of seats: “Which mechanism will be used in order to nominate the Best Losers?” Pravind Jugnauth argued that “we have no time” and that it’s necessary to move forward quickly with this reform. He had to explain that the MSM would vote for the mini-amendment but not without having issued a warning that the mini-amendment contained flaws and that the government would attract more problems than it would solve. There would also be no “party line”; each MSM member was thus free to declare or not his ethnic affiliation. As a grand finale, in a solemn tone, Pravind Jugnauth had to affirm that he, as the leader of the MSM, was proud to say that he would NOT declare his ethnicity in the December 2014 elections: “As the leader of the MSM, I am proud to say that I will not declare my community.”

That was in 2014, he was in the opposition, confident of being able to reform the electoral system if he swept to power. In 2019, in power, he required all candidates to declare their ethnicity. Otherwise, their candidacy would simply be rejected, his reform never having seen the light of day. This year, it seems, the same ethnic formula will likely follow...

Instead of progressing on ethnicity, we are regressing... We are still at the twilight of Mauritianism. And we are counting on those who benefit the most from the electoral system to change it?

These politicians who plow their constituency know that it’s not on the level of ideas that a legislative campaign is played out. When they “go down” to the field, when they go door-to-door, they appeal to the lowest instincts of the population, those that divide people while promoting a supposed discourse of national unity. But everyone knows that their beautiful speeches are belied by their very ethnic presence in their specific constituency. And they will name their daughter, son-in-law, son, cousin, mistress, sister-in-law, blood or lodge brothers...In short, it appears that nothing is changing despite all the talk of change. So, what exactly is change?