Last Friday, the government wrote yet another chapter in its awkward modus operandi of putting the cart before the horse. Whatever agreement it struck with the trade unions could have been obtained had dialogue prevailed and discussions held before the presentation of the bill in Parliament.

The line of communication opened between the government and the trade unions is credited to the efforts of the leader of the opposition, Navin Ramgoolam. And Madan Dulloo made it a duty to underline this fact in Parliament.

But whatever happened on Friday afternoon could have far reaching consequences. The perception that the government is prone to yield to pressure groups, be it the Voice of Hindu or “Taxi Miser”, has been over the years eroding its seriousness of purpose and diluting long awaited reforms.

The sour fruits of what has been sowed in the past and last Friday will most probably have to be ingested very soon. It will be very interesting to see how government will now behave when sociocultural pressure groups react to the non re-recruitment of at least 80 civil servants in the new Mauritius Revenue Authority. And the result of these pressure groups on recruiting new blood in that Authority. It may all end in an operation of cleaning with dirt.

Indeed, the dirt is visible in the last major nominations made by the government concerning the new posts of Senior Assistant Secretary. Selection and not promotion by seniority prevailed for these posts.

Twenty-four senior assistant secretaries have been discarded. The tenth senior assistant secretary selected is in fact 34th on the seniority list. Fair enough and a good step in a good direction, though the debate over seniority versus qualified degree holders still rages in the public service.

But some people may be astounded by the list of assistant secretaries selected. Some, but not those who have been watching the government trekking along the same path its members were very critical of in the past. And this past was only yesterday in the minds of the public.

At least two of the ten civil servants appointed to the post of senior assistant secretary are known for their ugly past record. Others owe their nominations to factors which have little to do with competence, hard work and a clean record. Some have been appointed on merit, but merit alone and strict adherence to the code of practice and legality are too often detrimental in the civil service, especially when ministers and their protégés want to have it their way.

These facts are no secret to civil servants at large and the recent appointments of senior assistant secretaries have been brewing discontent in the ranks of assistant secretaries.

Pressure groups tend to gather momentum and lobby more and more forcefully as elections come closer. And these pressures more than often smell foul.

Who would like to be in the shoes of the minister of Finance when the board of the Mauritius Revenue Authority has to select 80 honest, competent, well qualified and hard working citizens on the eve of general elections?

The Mauritius Revenue Authority Saga has just begun. Watch out for the next episode.