<B>Dev Hurnam?s health saga</B>

The lawyer MP is continuing his round of the medical centres. After being remanded to police cell last Wednesday, he is still at the SSR National Hospital. He refused examination by the police medical officers (PMO) sent to the City Clinic by the commissioner of police on Monday, explaining that they should have come with a Court order. When Dev Hurnam appeared in Court two days later, magistrate Lutchmeeparsad Aujayeb gave him the authorisation to make two statements and he rambled on about his state of health. So much so that the State Law Office representative pointed out that the lawyer MP was not a medical expert. In his ruling, the magistrate ordered Hurnam to be examined by PMOs and then remanded to police cell. The PMOs examined him at Victoria Hospital and when they wanted him to go to the Cardiac Unit to see a cardiologist, Dr Asrak Patel, Hurnam refused. He was thus sent to the Cardiac Surgery Centre of SSR National Hospital for the night. Further medical examinations were planned for Thursday but nothing seems to have happened until now. Next Monday Dev Hurnam is due to appear in court again. Magistrate Aujayeb will then decide whether he will be released on bail or remanded to police cell.

<B>Tension between government partners</B>

The publishing of an article in Le Militant, the MMM newspaper, announcing the imminent departure with OF-Les Verts from the government alliance, came as a shock. Had the difference of opinion on the compensation to descendants of slaves and Sylvio Michel?s recent attitude come to a point of no return? It was true that, following minister Sylvio Michel?s decision to hold a separate meeting on Mayday, the MMM-MSM leaders had expressed their ?exasperation? at his attitude and his ?provocative manner?. But Ivan Collendavelloo came forward and formally denied the information published in Le Militant, and voiced his ?irritation?. He also apologized to Sylvio Michel. However, The OF-Les Verts leader and minister of Fisheries, expressed his discontent by boycotting the cabinet meeting and not going to his office. While his brother and OF-Les Verts member, Elie Michel, confirmed that his party was not on the point of leaving the government, he expressed his reservations on the article and said that his party would go to the next elections alone. The relations between his party and the MMM-MSM alliance will be discussed at a meeting at the end of the month.