As Navin Ramgoolam promises a radical shake up in his first 100 days in power, the current regime is already postponing some unfinished business for the next legislature. The scene is well set for a very politically active year in 2005. Both sides are sure to form the next government.

At his last press conference, Prime Minister Paul Bérenger sent clear signals as to the kind of battle he will wish to fight during the forthcoming electoral campaign. We have good reason to believe that it is going to be business as usual during the next poll. Voters are very unlikely to encounter new experiences such as proportional representation or electronic voting. Government suspects that Labour and their allies are creating confusion among the population on these issues. Hence, they don’t want to take any chances. No electoral reforms would mean one or two controversies less to handle.

The ruling parties have been doing quite a lot of fire fighting. Nonetheless, they are also in a position to take initiatives and to do things on their own terms. The Labour party, on its side, continues to surf on a wave of dissatisfaction among the people. Whether or not Navin Ramgoolam will be able to cash in on this disgruntlement at the August/ September polls is another story. Right now, there is nothing to suggest that the opposition parties can have a field day till the next elections.

Labour leaders are very excited about the idea of returning to power. This is a legitimate aspiration. Being happy about the electorate’s unhappiness, however, is just not enough to foot the bill. Labour too has their share of unfinished business. They still have to put up a team and a program that can show credence.

Whoever gets into the driving seat after the next polls will be having the trickiest tasks at hand. End of Multi-Fibre Agreement, sugar reforms, fiercer competition are but some of the challenges that are in many ways more relevant to the next government than to the current one. Some key members of the Labour Party though are already very much aware of these tough realities. But can we trust them all?

The only way to dispel suspicion is for the opposition to unveil its electoral program in due course. Doing this would appear to contravene a tradition of secrecy (or rather a lack of initiative) that has always prevailed in our political system. In the past two polls, the majority of the people have been voting against the incumbent regime rather than for a new team. Things were pretty simple and straightforward. Circumstances have changed and they warrant a more sophisticated way of thinking.

As we enter election year, the pool of undecided voters in the country is on the increase. And they are likely to have a decisive impact on the results. It is most unwise for anyone to woo them with gimmicks or with cheap politics. People now have ample time to compare policies (and attitudes in the absence of programs) before they make up their minds.

The Labour party wants to make a difference during its first hundred days in office. The MSM-MMM government, on the other hand, can have the next hundred days to turn things around and to come up with an early budget that can meet its expectations both on the economic and on the political front. Who of the two will make it?