The press is free in Mauritius. And it?s not me saying so but the Supreme Court. When I read the ruling, I heaved a sigh of relief. I was grateful for our judiciary. It may have been criticised a few times recently and it may have lost a little of its sparkle in today?s society, but here?s proof that if you rub off the dust it has collected, you can still get it appraised as genuine.

Tough luck for the Mauritius Turf Club and all those who, like them, think they should have a say in how a journalist does his/her job. The arrogance of some people to think they could just interdict a journalist from their premises because the latter has had the ?cheek? to do his/her job, because the journalist had ?dared? to comment on what he/she had seen! It really shouldn?t surprise us. For a long time, many people in this country believed they were above the law and that they could do as they pleased and that was the way it should remain.

Not so. It needs to be said again, I?m afraid. The MTC cannot ban a journalist from its premises. And the same is true for other organisations.

Our friends the politicians use another kind of ban. They constantly refuse to give you an interview because they are offended by what you have previously commented and written. You see, most of them suffer from this phobia of criticism. Agreed it is not nice to read unpleasant things about yourself in a newspaper but there again, when they joined politics, they agreed to play the game, didn?t they? Unless of course, they were given to think that, as long as they are in power, no one would dare criticise them. Again, times have changed, my friends.

A typical example of this is every time you approach someone from government for an interview, they almost always speak to you in a tone that betrays incredulity. I laugh because I can almost read their minds: ?How dare she call me when she writes bad things about me??

Honourable members, I dare very easily. The public would love to hear you and read you. It is our job to facilitate the exchange between you and those people whose votes you will soon be trying to win. So maybe, when you have some spare time, sit down and reflect on that.

Put your ego aside; stop thinking that, if somebody criticizes you, it must mean the attack is personal and stop trying to find the motives behind each and every sentence you read. There is no motive. It is as simple as that. The truth always is. Paranoia isn?t.

And, at the end of the day, we all have a commitment to the truth, haven?t we? It?s such a liberating feeling. Because, then, you have no fear. I would advise my friends the politicians to try it; it definitely works.