A friend made all of us laugh the other day. He said with a straight face that there was probably one person who could enlighten us on whether or not Yasser Arafat was poisoned and that person was currently detained at the Beau-Bassin prison? Antoine Chetty.

But the worrying thing is that, once the laughter has subsided, a feeling of scepticism remained. I don?t know if scepticism is the proper word. Maybe bewilderment would have been a better one. It seems pretty unbelievable that Chetty has information on many unsolved police affairs. It seems slightly strange that, as days go by, we hear about other cases of attempted murder or abduction that are being ?revealed.? Many people call us to ask how credible we think Antoine Chetty is. We are unable to answer that particular question. His lawyers say that we shouldn?t be so surprised. Having been in the circle for a number of years, Chetty is aware of many things. I suppose this makes sense. Mauritius being a small country, there cannot be that many executors of orders to murder. Or at least that?s what I hope.

But, if what Chetty is saying is true and that?s a big if, we have reason to worry. We should feel uneasy because this would mean there are many people around us who seem to have absolutely no scruples about paying big money to eliminate those they deem a hindrance to their activities. This would also mean there are many people for whom the laws of this country are utterly meaningless and to whom a human life means even less.

We should feel uneasy because it would also seem that many things happen in this country and police inquiries cannot, for some reason or another, be completed. That some people will go on acting as they please regardless of laws and values because? they can. That some crimes will never be solved or even be known simply because people have the right connections.

This feeling is further emphasised by the police?s attitude. Former adviser to the PMO, Anand Kusruthsing, was denied bail when he was first sent to court because the police objected to his being set free. The next day, the same police no longer objected and the man was set free. I do not care if the charges are bailable. The perception is that people are not treated alike before the law.

MP Dev Hurnam was kept in custody for three months. In his case, there was simply no victim. And yet, the police continuously objected to his request for bail. Victim Pravin Bhuckory spent three days in a police cell for something he had not done. The person, who allegedly ordered his assault, spent one night there.

I am sure those actions are legally justifiable. No one is suggesting that the police are acting erratically on purpose or otherwise. What we are saying is that there is a perception of unfairness, of incompetence and that it stinks. Somebody is not doing his job properly. Law and order has gone to the dogs. The country is following. And I doubt that?s a perception.