by Deepa BHOOKHUN

If members of the public get bored these next few days, they could take a trip to the circus in Port-Louis one fine afternoon. But they need to hurry : the freak show will not be on forever, thank God! And it?s free. I?m not sure if that?s good news though because they say cheap stuff is never of good quality. Now, imagine when you don?t pay at all. But maybe it will be a good idea if the people did go and take a look at the freak show; it might change their whole concept of the word ?honourable.?

Who knows maybe the Oxford, Thesaurus and Webster people could come and take a look as well. It might make them revise the definition they have given to the word ?honourable? so we could get rid of our misconceptions. Men, they say are little boys. But the boys you see in Parliament are more like misbehaved and unruly teenagers. Some, not all.

I think we need to rethink the whole meaning of the word debate as well. Because what I understand by the word simply does not happen at the National Assembly. And with all due respect, it is not the Speaker who will say the contrary. My goodness, even PNQs are not being answered. Instead, you would think our dear members were on a playground playing ?who can be meaner?. I have to admit, the first reaction is to laugh; we are all partial to some slapstick humour once in a while, we all laugh at vulgar things sometimes. And there?s nothing funnier (wrong but funny) than personal remarks made at the expense of someone. But the line has to be drawn somewhere. To belittle someone ? anyone ? is simply not acceptable. And certainly not in an institution like the Parliament.

You see, it?s only when it suits them that MPs will remember that the Parliament is a an honourable institution, meant to be treated with the utmost respect. When the opposition says it will not be present for the budget speech, majority MPs say it?s an offense to Parliament. When the opposition decides to take part in the ?debates?, majority gets angry and does everything they can to prevent the voices of the opposition to be heard. And forget about the notion of constructive criticisms, they don?t happen here.

As MP Choonee was making his speech on Tuesday, the ?honourable minister? Soodhun rejoices in recounting how Choonee was meant to have cried when he was detained in a police cell. A few hours later, the right honourable prime minister starts calling the opposition the ?Macarena opposition.? MP Chumroo reacts. This does not please Bérenger who starts yelling? and threatening. We?ll pass on the name-calling. And that?s only two occurrences; recounting them all would take an entire book. What is wrong with those people? Is there no sense of decorum anymore?

The freak show is pitiful. It?s still worth having a peep though. Oh and maybe someone needs to tell the ?honourable members? that whatever they may think, an electoral campaign is not held in a National Assembly. Roll on dissolution! And we could all rejoice for a few months. Until it starts all over again..